Vermicelli Bowl

Since Nick and I are no longer a 3 minute walk away from a Vietnamese restaurant (it's now 15 minutes - Ha!), I've been working on making something comparable at home.

Vermicelli Bowl

I've provided the instructions within each section, with assembly at the bottom. I suggest while you are marinading the meat, prepare the Nouc Cham, "Toppings", and salad portion of your bowl. Cook the meat, vermicelli noodles and spring rolls at the same time. This recipe makes enough for 2 bowls.

Meat
8 oz flank steak, cut into strips then pounded thin (or 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips)
3 green onions, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp cilantro, minced
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Marinade for at minimum 30 minutes (1 hour is best). In a hot skillet, cook meat with the remaining marinade. Fry until cooked through.

Bowl
250g  (1/2 pkg) vermicelli noodles, cooked and drained
2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 cup cucumber, julienned
1 cup carrots, julienned
4 spring rolls, cooked and sliced into 1 inch segments

Prepare salad (lettuce, cucumber, carrots) and set aside.

Cook vermicelli noodles in boiling water for approximately 8 minutes, until soft. Drain.

Cook spring rolls as per the instructions they come with (or make your own...I think this recipe is labor intensive enough though that it's okay to cheat with good store bought rolls).  

Toppings
2 green onions, sliced
1 Tbsp cilantro, minced
2 Tbsp peanuts, chopped

Combine in a bowl, and set aside. 

Nouc Cham (Dipping Sauce)
3 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Thai chili, thinly sliced (or a generous pinch of red pepper flakes)


Mix together the lime juice, sugar and water. Adjust to taste, so that the sweet and sour are balance. Add fish sauce to taste (this will depend on the potency of your fish sauce and your preference for saltiness). Add garlic and chili. Let sit.


Assembly: Place vermicelli noodles in a large bowl or shallow plate. Place salad and spring rolls next to vermicelli. Place meat on top of vermicelli and top with your "toppings."

Pour nouc cham over entire bowl, to your preference. A set of chopsticks, and you're ready to dig in.