Vietnamese Rice Noodles with Grilled Pork, Shrimp and Egg Rolls (Bun Tom Thit Nuong Cha Gio)
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Vietnamese Rice Noodles with Grilled Pork, Shrimp and Egg Rolls (Bún Tôm Thịt Nướng Chả Giò)
What is Bún Thịt Nướng
If you're looking for something light and refreshing, try this popular Vietnamese noodle dish, Bún Thịt Nướng. This dish is the southern version of Bún Chả Hanoi, a Northern version that is essentially the same thing but with grilled pork meatballs and the use of papaya in the sauce.
Bún Thịt Nướng consists of rice noodles, grilled pork, and fresh vegetables. When fried spring rolls or egg rolls (Chả Giò) and shrimp (Tôm) are added, the dish is called Bún Tôm Thịt Nướng Chả Giò.
This dish is topped off with a mix of fresh vegetables and herbs, crushed peanuts, and the iconic Vietnamese mother sauce, made from a blend of lime juice, sugar, and bottled fish sauce.
This dish has many components so I only make it when I have some of the components on hand. For instance, I would make this dish when I already have egg rolls/spring rolls in my freezer and Vietnamese dipping sauce in the fridge. Otherwise, it’s just too much work for a weeknight dinner. I make this noodle dish often in the summer time when it’s too hot for noodle soup and when there’s plenty of summer herbs in the garden that need to be used up.
Vietnamese Rice Noodles with Grilled Pork, Shrimp and Egg Rolls (Bún Tôm Thịt Nướng Chả Giò)
How to Make Bún Thịt Nướng
Step 1: Prepare and Cook Pork & Shrimp
To make this dish, you'll start by seasoning thin slices of pork shoulder or butt in a mixture of lemongrass, garlic, shallots, fish sauce, and sugar. There’s no need to wait. You can cook right away.
Traditionally, the pork and shrimp are cooked on a charcoal grill for that smokey flavor. But you can also pan-fry the pork and shrimp in a skillet, roast them in the oven, or use your air fryer. You want to cook them on high heat to get that charred caramelization on the outside without drying them out.
If you are grilling, make sure you skewer them so they don’t fall through the wide grates. If you have those small charcoal stoves with metal baskets to keep the meat inside like in Vietnam, that’s even better.
Slice pork shoulder thin, against the grain if possible.
Finely chop the aromatics (garlic, shallots and lemongrass) by hand or in a food processor
Marinate pork and shrimp with fish sauce, brown sugar, garlic, shallots, and lemongrass.
Step 2: Cook the Noodles
Bún Thịt Nướng is made with rice noodles, which you can find at most Asian grocery stores. Above is a picture of my favorite brand. These are medium-sized rice noodles. Unfortunately, they usually aren’t labeled medium so it’s hard to tell. If they are not labeled bean-thread, thick, large, or extra large, then you can safely assume they are medium-sized rice noodles.
Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. For this particular brand, I had to cook them for a tad longer than the package instructions. Instead of 6-8 minutes per the cooking instructions on the back, I cooked it for about 10 minutes. To be definitely sure, carefully grab a noodle from the pot and pinch them between your fingers. If it breaks apart with a tiny bit of resistance, it's good to go. Drain the noodles into a colander placed in the sink. Rinse well with cold water to prevent them from sticking. Drain then set aside.
My favorite brand of noodles for Vietnamese Noodles with Grilled Pork, Shrimp and Egg Rolls (Bún Tôm Thịt Nướng Chả Giò)
Step 3: Prepare the Vegetables
Bún Thịt Nướng is typically served with a variety of vegetables. You can use bean sprouts, shredded lettuce, and thinly sliced cucumber.
You can also use a collection of traditional Vietnamese herbs, known as rau thơm. These include but not limited to peppermint (húng cây), spearmint (húng Lủi), cilantro (ngò), perilla (tía tô), fish mint (dấp cá or what I like to call death herb because the smell of this herb will bring me to my knees).
Make the pickled daikon and carrot, if using.
Step 4: Prepare the Sauce
The sauce, nước chấm, is an essential part of Bún Thịt Nướng.
To make the sauce, you will need bottled fish sauce, water, sugar, lime juice, garlic, and chili peppers. I like to use coconut water or coconut soda as my secret ingredient but that is not required. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and stir well to combine.
Vietnamese Noodles with Grilled Pork, Shrimp and Egg Rolls (Bún Tôm Thịt Nướng Chả Giò)
How to Assemble Bún Thịt Nướng
Once you have all the components ready to go, it’s time to assemble.
To assemble, divide the cooked rice noodles among four to five bowls. Add your pork and shrimp. Brush the noodles, pork and shrimp with scallion oil. Add your choice of vegetables and herbs, then garnish each bowl with toasted peanuts for extra texture and nuttiness. Serve the dipping sauce on the side. When ready to eat, drizzle the sauce over the rice noodles, mix it all up and enjoy.
Vietnamese Noodles with Grilled Pork, Shrimp and Egg Rolls (Bún Tôm Thịt Nướng Chả Giò)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Mix shallot, garlic, lemongrass, sugar, fish sauce, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Toss in pork and shrimp. Mix until combined. No need to wait to marinate. You can start cooking right away.
- Either pan-fry the pork and shrimp in a skillet, grill them outside, roast them in the oven, or use your air fryer. You want to cook them on high heat until lightly charred and caramelized on the outside. I’m pan-frying and I’m using a large 12-inch skillet. Coat the bottom of the skillet with a thin layer of vegetable oil (about 1 tablespoon). Add pork and pan fry until caramelized, flipping and turning until caramelized on the outside (about 4 minutes per side). Remove pork and set aside. Do the same with the shrimp. Skillet may not need additional oil. Cook until high heat until caramelized (about 1½ minutes per side).
- Cook the noodles per package instructions. For the JiangXi brand I'm using (picture above), I had to cook them longer than the package instructions. Instead of 6-8 minutes per the cooking instructions on the back, I cooked it for about 10 minutes. To be definitely sure, carefully grab a noodle from the pot and pinch them between your fingers. If it breaks apart with a tiny bit of resistance, it's good to go. Drain the noodles into a colander in the sink. Rinse well with cold water to prevent them from sticking.
- Wash the lettuce and cucumbers, then slice them into thin strips. Make the scallion oil, make the sauce, and cook your egg rolls (if using).
- To serve, top each bowl with rice noodles, pork, and shrimp. Brush noodles, pork, and shrimp with scallion oil. Add herbs, vegetables, and crushed peanuts. Serve with a small bowl of Vietnamese Dipping Sauce on the side. To eat, drizzle the sauce onto the noodles. Give everything a mix and enjoy.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
150Fat
4 gSat. Fat
1 gCarbs
7 gFiber
0 gNet carbs
7 gSugar
5 gProtein
21 gSodium
664 mgCholesterol
110 mgThe values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.
