Vietnamese Noodle Salad Bowls with Caramelized Pork will leave no taste bud un-tantalized! This popular South Vietnamese dish is called bun thit nuong. It features crunchy fresh vegetables, springy rice noodles, sweet and savory caramelized pork, and aromatic herbs, everything doused with tangy Nước Chấm sauce and topped with salty peanuts - so much goodness!
Vietnamese cuisine holds a special place in my heart. From Bun Cha bowls in bustling Hanoi to Mì Quàng Gà in charming Hoi An, every meal is a wonder.
One thing truly struck me during my culinary travels: the incredible layering within each dish. Whether it's the interplay of raw and cooked elements, the satisfying combination of vibrant vegetables and rich proteins, or the perfect harmony of fragrant herbs with savory sauces, Vietnamese food consistently delivers a beautiful balance.
This recipe for Vietnamese Noodle Salad Bowls with Caramelized Pork perfectly captures this essence, offering a taste of the exciting world of Vietnamese cuisine.
What makes this dish special:
- Comfort food Vietnamese-style: Lots of healthy vegetables and just enough irresistible caramelized pork and delicate noodles to make this dish taste decadent!
- Unique combination of flavors and textures: sweet and savory caramelized pork, refreshing crunchy vegetables, springy noodles, and the tangy nuoc cham - something for every taste bud!
- The thin vermicelli rice noodles are clingy and perfect for holding tangy chili-garlic sauce and salty peanut bits.
- Shredded veggies are noodle-like and slurp-able!
- Great for groups: This recipe is easily scalable - double or triple the quantities and serve family-style so everyone can customize their own bowls.
I hope you won't be intimidated by the seemingly long list of ingredients and steps – I'm here to share all my time-saving tips and make-ahead strategies to get this delicious dish on your table in no time! So, grab your chopsticks and get ready to experience the taste of Vietnam in your own kitchen.
The Star of the Show - Creating the Caramelized Pork
The undeniable star of bun thit nuong is the caramelized pork - sweet, savory and so tempting you might find yourself sneaking a taste (or two) before it even makes it to the bowls! Here's how to achieve that irresistible caramelization:
Gather These Ingredients
- Pork Shoulder - or another cut of pork with good fat marbleization
- Shallots, garlic and lemongrass - aromatics to flavor the pork
- Light brown sugar - brown sugar contains molasses which helps give the pork its rich caramel color and flavor.
- Fish sauce - an essential ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine to add umami (meaty) flavor.
- Black pepper - freshly ground if possible
- Neutral 0il - so it doesn't influence the flavor of the dish. Canola, avocado or light olive oil are examples.
Marinate
Chop the shallots, garlic and lemongrass and put them into a bowl that's large enough to also hold the pork. Add the sugar, pepper, fish sauce and oil and mix well. Toss in the sliced pork and allow it to marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in the fridge.
Sear for Caramelization
Right before serving, lightly coat your cast iron skillet with oil and set over high heat until the oil shimmers. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, sear the marinated pork slices for a minute or two per side. This ensures each piece gets a beautiful caramelized crust packed with rich flavor. Because the pork is thinly sliced, it cooks quickly – watch closely to avoid overcooking.
Building Your Vietnamese Salad Noodle Bowls
Making The Nước Chấm (Dipping Sauce)
This vibrant dipping sauce, a staple in Vietnamese cuisine, plays a leading role in our noodle salad bowls. Its tangy, spicy, and garlicky notes add a burst of flavor to the unseasoned noodles and vegetables. It's incredibly simple to make – just combine chopped Thai chili, minced garlic, sugar, lime juice, vinegar, and fish sauce in a bowl or a lidded plastic container. Stir or shake until the sugar dissolves, and this flavor-packed dipping sauce is ready!
- Heat it Up or Keep it Mild: Thai chilis pack a punch! If you're making this family-friendly, omit them from the sauce and serve sliced chilis on the side for those who crave extra heat.
- Prep in Advance: Nước Châm is perfect for make-ahead meals. Simply whisk it together and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Preparing the Vegetables, Noodles and Toppings
Vietnamese noodle salads come in countless variations, often featuring lettuce, matchstick carrots and sliced cucumbers. But during my travels, a version with shredded cabbage stole my heart. This recipe embraces that discovery! In fact I loved it so much, I decided to shred all the vegetables.
- Master Shredding with a Thai Peeler: Craving perfectly shredded vegetables in a flash? Use a Thai vegetable peeler (pictured below)! This little handy tool, a revelation from my Hoi An cooking class, shreds English cucumbers and carrots into julienned ribbons with impressive speed and finesse.
- Effortless Cabbage Slicing: Napa and Savoy cabbage have delightfully tender leaves that yield effortlessly to a sharp knife. Shredding them is a breeze: simply start at the tip and work your way down towards the root, creating thin slices.
- Customization is Key: Feeling less than enthusiastic about shredding vegetables? No worries! This recipe is all about flexibility. Simply swap shredded cabbage for tender lettuce leaves and substitute thin rounds or matchsticks of cucumber and carrot for the julienned versions. No matter how you slice it, this dish promises delicious results!
- Look for thin, capellini-like rice noodles: They're called vermicelli noodles. I like the brand of instant rice noodles by mama. They come with 5 little bundles of dried noodles - each bundle is one portion. Just put the number of portions you want into a bowl, pour boiling water over them and, after 3 minutes, drain and rinse them and they're ready to use in your salad.
- Additional Ingredients: bean sprouts; fresh mint and crushed peanuts.
Assembling and Enjoying The Perfect Bun Thit Nuong
This is where the magic happens! Here's how to assemble your personalized Vietnamese Noodle Salad Bowl:
- A Feast for the Eyes: To truly appreciate the vibrant colors and textures of bun thit nuong, arrange the components separately in large serving bowls. This allows everyone to admire the beautiful array of ingredients before they get tossed together.
- Consider a DIY approach: This is a fun way to serve this dish and helpful if you're feeding a crowd. Set out individual serving bowls filled with each component: noodles, pork, vegetables, herbs, chopped peanuts, and the Nuoc Cham sauce. This way, everyone can create their own perfect bowl, customizing it to their preferences.
- Extra Flavor on the Side: Offer extra nước châm sauce on the side for those who are looking for more tangy goodness. Fresh lime wedges are another great accompaniment, allowing everyone to add a final burst of citrusy brightness to their bowls.
Although many components go into the making of this delicious, textured dish, there are several ways you can streamline the process. Here are my suggestions:
Time-saving and make-ahead tips
- GARLIC: Skip mincing garlic. Use a garlic press or bottled minced garlic. Assume 4 garlic cloves = 1 tablespoon minced garlic.
- LIME JUICE: Instead of juicing fresh limes, use a good quality store-bought lime juice brand such as Santa Cruz, which is 100% pure juice.
- PREP AHEAD: Marinate the pork and make the nuom choc the day before. This will result in more flavorful pork and a lot less to do come time for getting dinner on the table.
- SKIP SHREDDING THE VEGGIES: buy pre-shredded carrots, slice the cucumbers into thin rounds, use tender lettuces in place of shredded cabbage.
- USE INSTANT RICE NOODLES: While many brands of dry rice noodles require upwards of 10 minutes to cook instant vermicelli rice noodles are ready in 3 minutes.
Ready to create a flavor explosion in a bowl?
Here's the Vietnamese Noodle Salad recipe. If you make this, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!
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Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Caramelized Pork: Bun Thit Nuong
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
Description
These Vietnamese Noodle Salad Bowls leave no taste bud un-tantalized! Tender caramelized pork mingles with refreshing vegetables, springy rice noodles, and a tangy Nuoc Cham dipping sauce. It's healthy, customizable and perfect for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
CARAMELIZED PORK
- 1 ½ pounds pork shoulder, cut into ¼-inch thin slices (note 1)
- ¼ cup finely chopped shallots (2 medium shallots)
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced (1 tablespoon)
- 1 lemongrass stalk, finely chopped (note 2)
- 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil such as avocado oil, canola or light olive oil
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
NUOC CHUM SAUCE
- 1-2 red bird's eye chilis, seeded and finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced or put through a garlic press
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- ⅓ cup fish sauce
- ⅓ cup white sugar
NOODLE SALAD BOWLS
- 6-8 ounces vermicelli rice noodles or other thin noodles, (note 3)
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil such as light olive oil, canola or avocado oil
- 1 small savoy cabbage or napa cabbage, cut into thin shreds, 5-6 cups (note 4)
- 3-4 carrots, shredded (note 5)
- 2 English cucumbers, washed and shredded (no need to peel)
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- Large handful of mint leaves
- ¾ cup roasted salted peanuts, lightly crushed
Instructions
MARINATED PORK
- Combine pork and marinade ingredients and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
NƯỚC CHẤM SAUCE
- Combine Nuoc Cham ingredients and stir until sugar dissolves. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Nuoc cham sauce will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge. Note that this is an intensely tangy, spicy, flavorful sauce. 3-4 tablespoons per noodle bowl is generally ample. Consider keeping the spicy chilis out and serving separately. (note 6)
RICE NOODLES
- Prepare rice noodles per package instructions. Soften, rinse, drain and set aside.
CARAMELIZED PORK
- Just before serving, put 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) and set over high heat until the oil shimmers. Working in 2 or 3 batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, sear marinated pork slices for a minute and a half or so per side, until they develop areas of caramelization and are just cooked through.
SERVING
- Individual bowls: Arrange a portion of noodles in each bowl along with some of the pork, shredded vegetable and sprouts. For a colorful presentation arrange components neatly in separate piles. Top each bowl with mint leaves and peanuts and serve the nuoc cham sauce on the side so everyone can help themselves.
- Family Style: Place pork, shredded vegetables, sprouts, herbs, rice noodles, sauce and peanuts in separate serving bowls in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves and customize their own bowls.
Notes
- Slicing the pork: To more easily slice the pork, put it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to firm it up a bit. Slice with a sharp knife, across the grain.
- How to use lemongrass: Slice off the root end and peel off one or two of the hard outer layers revealing the more-tender inner stalk. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound and flatten the stalk. Slice it thinly crosswise and then chop it more finely.
- Rice Vermicelli Noodles: I like the Mama brand of instant vermicelli noodles which take less than 5 minutes to prepare. If you can't find these, use the thinnest rice noodles you can find and follow the package cooking directions.
- Shredding the Cabbage: Napa and Savoy cabbage have delightfully tender leaves that yield effortlessly to a sharp knife. Shredding them is a breeze: simply start at the tip and work your way down towards the root, creating thin slices.
- Shredding the carrots and cucumbers: For easy shredding I recommend using a Thai vegetable peeler. This little handy tool, a revelation from my Hoi An cooking class, shreds English cucumbers and carrots into julienned ribbons with impressive speed and finesse.
- Thai chilis pack a punch! If you're making this family-friendly, omit them from the nuoc chum sauce and serve sliced chilis on the side for those who crave extra heat.
- Variations: This is an adaptable dish. If you're feeling less than enthusiastic about shredding vegetables, no worries. Simply swap shredded cabbage for tender lettuce leaves and substitute thin rounds or matchsticks of cucumber and carrot for the julienned versions. No matter how you slice it, this dish promises delicious results!
- Nutrition Disclaimer: We do our best to provide accurate nutrition values using an online nutrition calculator however our nutrition information should only be used as an approximation.
- Prep Time: 40 mins
- marinating: 30 mins+
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Pan sear
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
Jess Brown
This looks like my kind of salad! I'm heading out to the grocery store soon so I can get the pork into the marinade early and make the sauce early. I'm planning to serve Vietnamese noodle bowls to my family tonight! Can't wait!!
Lisa Goldfinger
Enjoy Jess! Keep me posted!