Tag Archives: vietnamese vermicelli bowls

VERMICELLI BOWLS WITH VIETNAMESE GRILLED PORK

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Who’s ready to go bowling?  Vermicelli bowls, that is.  These are going to be right up your alley.  (You didn’t think I was going to spare you bad bowling puns, did you?)

OK, let’s get the ball rolling.  Start with dried vermicelli — rice or bean thread — found in the asian aisle of most grocery stores.  This bean thread one is the one we like to use:

Use one bundle for each vermicelli bowl, and perhaps throw in an extra bundle for good measure.  Place the bundles in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them.  Allow the noodles to soak about 5 minutes until soft and pliable, while you prepare the other ingredients.  Transfer to a colander, rinse with cool water, and drain.

For the base, I like to mix together shredded romaine lettuce, red cabbage, Thai basil, and mint to keep it interesting and colorful.  For each serving, use about 1 cup romaine, 1/4 cup of red cabbage, and 1 tablespoon each coarsely chopped Thai basil and mint.  Place a heaping cup of the mix in each serving bowl:

Top with noodles:

Now comes the fun part, when you get to customize the bowls to your liking — you can top your bowls with julienned cucumbers, bean sprouts, lime slices, chopped salted peanuts, cilantro, green onion, sliced jalapeños — whatever tickles your fancy — and of course, the pickled carrots and daikon that you prepared.  And, don’t forget to add a protein!  The first time we made these we used boiled shrimp and it was surprisingly good.

Can’t imagine I’d strike out with grilled tofu or chicken, either.  But the protein that bowled us over is Vietnamese Grilled Pork (recipe follows).  We’ve made it both on the grill and broiled in the oven, and although the grilled one is the hands-down winner, the broiled one was still delicious and works fine for those who don’t have access to a grill.

Grilled on left, broiled on right

Serve your vermicelli bowls accompanied by a small bowl (about 1/4 cup per person) of Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dipping Sauce to pour over everything.

The recipe for Vietnamese Grilled Pork isn’t difficult, but does require about an hour to marinate.  If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes to help keep them from burning.  Pro tip — partially freeze the pork to make it easier to thinly slice. 

I wasn’t familiar with sweet or thick soy sauce, but I was happy to find it in the asian aisle at the grocery store.  It’s thick, like molasses, and sweet, and it’s worth seeking out:

Strike while the grill is hot, get that pork marinating, and get ready to enjoy a delicious vermicelli bowl.

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VIETNAMESE GRILLED PORK
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Ingredients
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce (preferably Three Crabs brand)
  • 3 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon freshly-ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (also called thick soy sauce)
  • 1 pound pork tenderloin
Instructions
  1. Mix together all ingredients except pork in a large bowl. Slice pork into thin slices (easiest if partially frozen) and add to marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Meanwhile, if using wooden skewers, soak in warm water for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat grill or broiler. Skewer the pork, and grill or broil until pork is cooked through and marinade has caramelized and is a deep brown color.

 

Skewered and ready for the grill

Grilled and ready to go bowling

 

 

PICKLED CARROTS AND DAIKON RADISH

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Even before the work safe/stay at home order was issued, my favorite Vietnamese restaurant, Thien An, closed.  I held out hope that it would reopen, and happily, it did the first week in June.  But I sure missed the restaurant’s vermicelli bowls (and banh mi, and egg rolls, and pho) in the interim.  To satisfy my cravings, I tried my hand at making vermicelli bowls, and was happy to learn that it’s not difficult at all.  With temperatures rising, this is a cool, quick, and satisfying main course meal — think of it as a noodle salad — that we’ll be making frequently this summer.

A little advance planning makes this dish easy to pull together. To simplify things, I’m posting the recipe for the pickled vegetables today, the recipe for the “sauce” tomorrow, and directions for assembling the bowls the third day along with a great recipe for Vietnamese Grilled Pork.

Let’s get started!  Pickled Carrots and Daikon Radish add crunch and brightness against the blandness of the noodles.  They’re easy to make, and don’t require cooking. If you don’t have a julienne peeler, I recommend getting one.

Although the pickled carrots and daikon can be used an hour after you make them, they’re even better if you can make them a day in advance.  They’ll keep in the refrigerator about a week.

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PICKLED CARROTS AND DAIKON RADISH
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Ingredients
  • 1 pound carrots, peeled and julienned
  • 1 pound daikon radish, peeled and julienned
  • 2 red chiles arbol (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons plus ½ cup sugar (divided use)
  • 1-1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
  • 1 cup lukewarm water
Instructions
  1. Place carrot and daikon in a medium bowl and sprinkle with salt and 2 teaspoons sugar. Massage the vegetables between your fingers for a few minutes until they have reduced in volume by about ¼th (this will release some of the water in them). Transfer to a colander, rinse under cold water, and press down on vegetables to release extra water. Pack the vegetables into a large glass jar. Tuck chiles into jar, if using,
  2. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup sugar, vinegar, and water, and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour over vegetables. Store in refrigerator (refrigerate at least one hour before using).