Fun With Bun – Viet Noodles With Fresh Herbs

Bun is: 

• A  the bread that holds your plantbased burger.  
• B  a sweet pastry
• C  The Vietnamese name for rice noodles 
• D  all of the above 

If you chose D, all the above, you’re right.  Today, though, we’re talking about C, Vietnamese rice noodles, sometimes called rice sticks.  Bun is a player in this bright, cool, spirit-lifting, Asian-inspired noodle salad. It’s perfect for May, AAPI Heritage Month, honoring America’s Asian community and culture, and something I hope you’ll enjoy all summer long.  

Chilled noodles may sound odd. They were odd to me at first when I lived in Tokyo. I got there in January and spent the next six months freezing. Cold noodles?  Really? I was more into steaming bowls of soba. But come summer, I was a believer.  I still am.

Ingredients Needed For Viet Noodles / Bun

I created this recipe a few years back for a summer potluck gathering of our local chapter of Les Dames D’Ecoffier.  Then, like now, it was hot, so I wanted to bring something light and refreshing. That means Viet flavors: 

• lime — you know I love citrus
• chile by way of sambal oelek  a thick red chile sauce from Asia,  or choose milder but still zingy sriracha
• vegan mushroom sauce* for umami punch 
• a blizzard of fresh, green herbs including 
  • flat-leaf parsley
  • cilantro
  • mint 
  • basil
• tofu — firm, extra firm or superfirm (the densest and most bouncy) — just make sure it’s organic 
• fresh summer produce from my CSA box 

it’s easy to swap the vegetables in this recipe for fresh or even canned alternatives you have on hand, like: 

• bean or green sprouts for fluffiness and cooling crunch  
• strips of green (unripe) mango — which I just happen to have, thanks to my neighbor and his massive mango tree
• thinly sliced radishes or daikon
• thinly sliced cucumber 
• lightly steamed chopped broccoli or cauliflower
• canned bamboo shoots
• canned water chestnuts 
• cubed tempeh 

Note: Bun, sambal oelek and vegan mushroom sauce are available in many grocery stores and at Asian and specialty markets.

How to Make Bun with Fresh Herbs

1. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, garlic, sugar, sambal oelek, vegan mushroom sauce or soy sauce and 2 teaspoons of oil, just until sugar dissolves. Congratulations!  You’ve just made nuac cham, an essential Viet dipping sauce. Set aside.
2. In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package directions. Give rice noodles a stir to prevent clumping, and take care not to overcook. You want them al dente, not mushy. Drain noodles and set aside.
3. In a wok or large skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add tofu cubes and cook about 3 to 5 minutes, until the tofu turns golden and slightly crusty. Very nice. Add the shredded cabbage, carrots and red pepper and turn off the heat. Give everything a toss so the vegetables think about softening.
4. Add the drained noodles and pour nuac cham over all. Combine gently with a large spoon.
5. Recipe may be covered and refrigerated for several hours at this point. Just before serving, season generously with sea salt, scatter the mint, cilantro, basil, and cilantro, and dance this mess around.
6. Garnish with chopped cashews, cilantro, scallions and sesame seeds, if desired.

More Asia-inspired recipes:

• Grilled tofu
• Oshitashi anad dengaku

You can find oshitashi — chilled, marinated spinach — and dengaku — miso-roasted eggplant — on the menu at almost every Tokyo sushi bar.

They’re big-flavored by naturally oil-free.

For more AAPI expertise and inspiration:

• Andrea Nguyen – Read about Andrea Nguyen and get her Lemongrass Tempeh Crumbles recipe here.
• Joanne Molinaro
• Hetty McKinnon who takes noodles and tofu in a whole other direction. You can learn more about Hetty here and grab her recipe for a delicious grain salad.
• Miami’s own Kazu Abe of Funky Asian Kitchen  Two words — peanut noodles!
  Kazu is right. We love peanut butter, but for next-level satay sauce, aka  peanut sauce, start with peanuts

AAPI reads: 

Gish Jen, Thank You, Mr. Nixon
Grace Cho, Tastes Like War: A Memoir

What are your favorite AAPI reads and recipes?  Please share.

Get the Viet Noodles Bun Recipe:

Viet Noodles With Fresh Herbs or a Sort of Bun

This is a riff on bun, the vivid Viet rice noodle salad. It’s wildly versatile, relying on fresh vegetables and fresh herbs by the handful. Nuac cham, the traditional sauce, features fish sauce. I’ve substituted vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce. You can also use easier to find soy sauce. Switch out the red cabbage, red pepper and carrots used here for any shredded or finely chopped vegetables you like. I used what I had in my CSA box and they’re pretty.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice — about 3 juicy limes
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoons sambal oelek*
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce **
• 4 teaspoons peanut grape seed or other neutral oil
• 4 ounces firm tofu pressed, blotted dry and cut into bite-sized cubes
• 1/2 head red cabbage shredded
• 2 carrots shredded or chopped into matchsticks
• 1 red pepper shredded or chopped into matchsticks
• 4 ounces rice noodles or whole wheat angel hair pasta
• 1 handful fresh mint leaves
• 1 handful fresh cilantro
• 1 handful fresh Thai basil or other basil chopped
• 1 handful fresh parsley chopped
• for optional garnish:
• 1 handful scallions chopped
• 1/3 cup roasted cashews chopped

Instructions

 

• Make the nuac cham. Whisk lime juice, garlic, sugar, sambal oelek, vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce or soy sauce and 2 teaspoons of oil together in a small bowl, just until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
• In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package directions. Give rice noodles a stir to prevent clumping, and take care not to overcook. You want them al dente, not mushy. Drain noodles and set aside.
• In a wok or large skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add tofu cubes and cook about 3 to 5 minutes, until the tofu turns golden and slightly crusty. Very nice. Add the shredded cabbage, carrots and red pepper and cook another minute or two, just until vegetables soften.
• Add the noodles and pour nuac cham over all. Combine gently with a large spoon. Scatter the mint, cilantro, basil and cilantro on top and dance this mess around.
• Garnish with chopped cashews and scallions, if desired.

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