Vietnamese Vermicelli Bowls

Vietnamese vermicelli bowls are one of my favourite ways to feed a table full of people (or just family with two hungry boys). Cold rice noodles, loads of crunchy vegetables, fresh herbs, something hot and charred straight off the grill, then a very generous pour of Nuoc Cham over the whole lot.

Fresh, smoky, sweet, salty, sour, garlicky. There is a lot going on in one bowl, and that is exactly why they are so good. The best part is that Vietnamese vermicelli bowls look like you’ve made an enormous effort when, in reality, most of the meal is just chopping vegetables, putting things into bowls and having a great time at the grill.

The meat can be marinated ahead of time. The Nuoc Cham keeps well in the fridge. The noodles take a few minutes to boil. Then when everyone is ready to eat, I cook the meat quickly on the BBQ and put everything in the middle of the table.

Everyone builds their own. Which means I don’t have to plate four different dinners because one of my sons ‘don’t want cucumber or carrots today’.

A win win.

What is a Vietnamese Vermicelli Bowl?

Vietnamese vermicelli bowls are made with thin rice vermicelli noodles topped with fresh vegetables, herbs, grilled or roasted meat and Nuoc Cham, the sweet, salty and tangy Vietnamese dipping sauce that ties everything together.

You might see them called:

• Vietnamese noodle bowls
• Vietnamese vermicelli salad bowls
• Bun bowls
• Bun thit nuong
• Bun ga nuong
• Vietnamese rice noodle salad

There are countless versions depending on the meat and toppings used. My favourite way to think about them is less as one specific recipe and more as a formula.

You need:
Noodles + fresh crunchy things + herbs + something seriously tasty off the grill + Nuoc Cham.

Get those five things right and it is very difficult to make a bad bowl.

Why You’ll Love Vietnamese Vermicelli Bowls

They somehow feel fresh and indulgent at the same time

You get piles of lettuce, cucumber, herbs and pickled vegetables, but then you also get smoky caramelised meat and a sweet-savoury dressing poured all over it. So yes, technically there is salad involved. But nobody is sitting at the dinner table feeling like they’re eating salad.

They’re brilliant for feeding a family

I put all the ingredients into one large platter and let everyone build their own.The kids can keep theirs simple with noodles, meat and cucumber. Adults can pile on coriander, mint, chilli, pickles and loads of Nuoc Cham..

Truly a platter that has something for everyone.

You can change the protein without changing the whole meal

Once you’ve got the basic vermicelli bowl setup sorted, you can swap the protein depending on what you feel like cooking. Vietnamese lemongrass chicken one week. Grilled pork the next. Beef, prawns, pork meatballs — whatever you like.

Or all the leftover meat you may have in your fridge, heat it up and add it all into the vermicelli bowl with Nouc Cham. That is exactly why this makes such a good family dinner rotation.

The Anatomy of a Great Vietnamese Vermicelli Bowl

There are a few components, but none of them are difficult. And you absolutely do not need fifteen different toppings.

The important thing is getting a good mix of soft, crunchy, fresh, smoky and saucy.

1. Rice Vermicelli Noodles

Use thin Vietnamese rice vermicelli noodles. They’re light, springy and soak up the Nuoc Cham beautifully. Cook them according to the packet directions, rinse them thoroughly under cold water and drain them well.

I like to leave them in a colander for a little while after rinsing because watery noodles dilute the dressing. MUM’S TIP: my Vietnamese mum always taught me to use a wider colander, and spread the noodles around the outside of the colander like a donut with the centre empty. This will avoid soggy wet noodles… yuck!

I like to use these at our home. They’re easy to find and prices are consistently affordable. However the cooking instructions are not the easiest follow. But do not fear, here’s my full proof way to cooking these noodles:

Boil for 9 minutes. That’s it. Couldn’t be any easier. PLEASE NOTE: This is only for this brand of noodles, other brands will have their own timings.

2. Grilled Meat

My favourite part of cooking this meal. Vietnamese grilled meats tend to combine sweet, salty and aromatic ingredients like fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, lemongrass and sometimes shallots. When that marinade hits a hot BBQ you get caramelised edges, a little bit of char and all those wonderful smoky bits.

For me, chicken thighs and pork are particularly good here because they stay juicy and can handle a proper blast of heat.

Some great options include:

• Vietnamese lemongrass chicken
• Vietnamese grilled pork
• Vietnamese pork meatballs
• Vietnamese grilled beef
• Lemongrass prawns

If you’re making this for a crowd, chicken thighs are probably the easiest starting point. They’re affordable, forgiving and difficult to ruin. Even if you get distracted talking to someone and leave them on the BBQ thirty seconds too long, they’ll usually survive.

3. Fresh Vegetables

You want crunch. My usual combination is:

• Shredded lettuce
• Cucumber
• Carrot
• Bean sprouts

That’s already plenty. You can also add finely sliced cabbage, radish or whatever crisp vegetables you have sitting in the fridge. Don’t feel like you need to recreate a Vietnamese restaurant garnish station at home.

4. Fresh Herbs

The herbs make a massive difference. Mint is probably my favourite. Coriander is excellent.Thai basil is fantastic if you can find it. You can use one herb or a combination.

I usually put a large plate of herbs on the table and let everyone tear off what they want.

5. Pickled Carrot and Daikon

Optional? Technically.

Recommended? Very much yes.

Vietnamese pickled carrot and daikon adds another layer of crunch and that slightly sweet, sharp flavour that cuts straight through grilled meat. It also keeps extremely well in the fridge, so I normally make a decent batch rather than preparing it every time.

Make my Vietnamese Pickled Carrot and Daikon today to be ready and eaten with every Vietnamese meal for weeks to come.

6. Nuoc Cham

This is the thing that turns a bowl of noodles and vegetables into something you actually get excited about eating. Nuoc Cham is a Vietnamese dipping and dressing sauce made from fish sauce, lime, sugar, water, garlic and chilli. It is salty, sweet, tangy and slightly spicy. Do not drizzle it politely. Vietnamese vermicelli noodles are supposed to absorb the dressing. I usually spoon some over the meat, pour more around the noodles, eat half the bowl and then add more. Completely normal behaviour. When I ask my wife or son’s how much sauce they want. Their response is usually ‘all of it’.

Get my Nouc Cham recipe. Where the secret ratio makes it stand out from the rest.

What Meat is Best for Vietnamese Vermicelli Bowls?

You can use almost anything, but some proteins work particularly well.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken

This is probably the version I make most often. Chicken thighs are marinated with lemongrass, garlic and savoury-sweet seasonings before being cooked over high heat. The outside gets beautifully caramelised while the inside stays juicy.

It is also one of the easiest options if you’re cooking for a larger group.

Get my Vietnamese lemongrass chicken recipe

Vietnamese Grilled Pork

Thinly sliced pork shoulder or pork neck works brilliantly because it has enough fat to stay juicy over a hot grill.

The edges caramelise quickly and you get those little dark charred pieces everyone quietly tries to steal from the serving plate.

Get my grilled pork recipe perfect for vermicelli noodle bowls

Vietnamese Beef

Thin slices of beef cook incredibly quickly and work particularly well with lemongrass, garlic and fish sauce. You want a cut with enough tenderness that it only needs a short blast of heat.

Prawns

Prawns are fantastic when you want something lighter. A little lemongrass, garlic and fish sauce, then straight onto a screaming hot grill for a couple of minutes.

Spring rolls

A mix of a bunch of delicious proteins in a crunch friend roll? Yes please!

Try my spring roll recipe for your vermicelli bowl

Or make my Vietnamese rice paper spring roll for something different. Different in the way of even more crunch!

How to Build a Vietnamese Vermicelli Bowl

There is no correct order, despite what anyone on the internet might tell you. But this is how I usually do it. Start with a generous handful of rice vermicelli into the middle of the bowl then you work your way around the edges.

Add lettuce, cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts and herbs around the noodles.

Pile the grilled meat over the top while it is still warm.

Add pickled carrot and daikon.

Scatter over chopped peanuts if you’re using them.

Then pour over plenty of Nuoc Cham.

I also put sliced chilli and extra herbs on the table.

Then everyone mixes the whole thing together as they eat.

You end up with hot grilled meat against cool noodles and vegetables, crunchy peanuts, herbs everywhere and dressing pooling underneath.

That temperature contrast is part of what makes these bowls so good.

My Favourite Family-Style Setup

Rather than assembling individual bowls in the kitchen, I strongly recommend putting everything on the table either in separate bowls (by ingredients) or all in one large platter in the middle of the table.

I normally serve:

• A large bowl of vermicelli noodles
• A platter of freshly grilled meat
• Lettuce and cucumber
• Carrot and bean sprouts
• Fresh herbs
• Vietnamese pickled carrot and daikon
• Crushed peanuts
• Sliced chilli
• A big bowl or jug of Nuoc Cham

Then everybody helps themselves.

It makes dinner feel much more communal and is especially good when friends come over.

People sit around building bowls, passing plates, stealing extra pieces of meat and inevitably asking where the sauce is.

I love this style of eating because it teaches my boys what goes into their plate of food and they have control over portion.

Much better than everyone being handed a perfectly arranged bowl and finishing dinner twelve minutes later.

How Much Vermicelli Do You Need Per Person?

For a main meal, allow roughly 75–100 g dried rice vermicelli per adult.

For children, around 40–60 g is usually plenty.

If you’re serving a lot of grilled meat and toppings, stay toward the lower end.

If you’re feeding teenagers, ignore everything I just said and buy another packet.

If there any leftover vermicelli noodles (doubtful but anything is possible), store it in the fridge in a bowl with glad wrap for tomorrow. As a child I would love some reheated noodles with soy sauce. Talk about simple pleasures!

How Much Meat Do You Need?

For a main meal, I normally allow approximately:

150–200 g raw meat per adult and around 75–120 g per child, depending on age.

If I’m entertaining and there are lots of sides, I lean closer to 150 g.

If the grilled meat is the main attraction, 200 g is safer.

Personally, I would rather have leftover Vietnamese grilled chicken in the fridge than discover halfway through dinner that everybody wants another serving and there is nothing left on the platter!

A Note About Cold Vermicelli Noodles

Rice vermicelli can stick together as it cools. Don’t panic. They’re still completely usable. Rinse them briefly under cool water and gently separate them with your fingers, then drain them thoroughly. You can also portion the noodles into small bundles shortly after cooking.

A Vietnamese auntie would probably do this much more neatly than I do. Mine generally resemble loosely organised noodle nests. They taste exactly the same.

The Recipes You’ll Need

If you want to build the full Vietnamese vermicelli bowl spread, start with these:

• Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
• Vietnamese Grilled Pork
• Vietnamese Lemongrass Prawns
• Nuoc Cham
• Vietnamese Pickled Carrot and Daikon

Once you’ve got those recipes in your back pocket, dinner becomes ridiculously easy.

Pick a protein.

Cook some noodles.

Raid the vegetable drawer.

Put everything on the table.

And let everyone build their own bowl.

Fresh, smoky, messy, ridiculously tasty food that gets everybody sitting around the table together.

Enjoy 🙂 – Damo