Grilled Pork and Rice Noodles: How to Make Vietnamese Bún Thịt Nướng

Bún Thịt Nướng (also called “grilled pork and rice noodles”) is a popular Vietnamese dish of a cold rice-vermicelli noodle perfectly topped with grilled pork, fresh basil and mint, salad, and spring rolls. Bún Thịt Nướng is dressed in nước mam fish sauce.

But wait, here’s more! Bún Thịt Nướng is also topped with roasted peanuts, Vietnamese pickled carrots, and grilled garlic pork sausage or grilled prawns.

Through the years, Bún Thịt Nướng gained popularity in all the regions of Vietnam and Asia. Bún Thịt Nướng is a related dish to Hanoi’s Bún Chả.

Bún Thịt Nướng: Grilled Pork and Rice Noodles

  • Author: Romae Chanice Marquez
  • Recipe Category: Vietnamese Main Dish / Appetizer
  • Cuisine: Vietnamese

The Bún Thịt Nướng has so much love in a bowl. Bún Thịt Nướng has a combination of sweet, sour, and crunch topped with herbs that give it more flavor. The whole preparation and cooking time is right around 45 minutes. This recipe is suitable for four people.

You can add fried or steamed spring rolls and dumplings to give the dish more taste. Photo credits to: https://daubepgiadinh.vn/bun-thit-nuong.

Bún Thịt Nướng Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of fresh pork shoulder (slice into small parts)
  • 2 packages of rice vermicelli (medium thickness)
  • 4-5 egg rolls

For marinade,

  • 4-6 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 2.5 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1/8 cup of brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
  • ¾ tablespoon of thick soy sauce
  • ¾ tablespoon pepper (black or white pepper)
  • 4 tablespoons of neutral cooking oil

For vegetable ingredients,

  • 4 small leaves of mint
  • 4 small leaves of Vietnamese perilla
  • 4 small leaves Vietnamese balm
  • 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
  • Pickled daikon and carrots
  • ¾ tablespoon scallion oil
  • ¾ tablespoon crushed peanuts

Bún Thịt Nướng Instructions

Step 1: Boil the dried Vermicelli (noodles) for almost 6 minutes. Do not forget to also prepare some simple fish sauce for this bowl.

Step 2: Slice the uncooked pork into thin slices, about 1/8 inch, and also mince the garlic and shallots. In a medium bowl, whisk together fish sauce, water, sugar, and vinegar until sugar dissolves. Whisk in garlic and chiles. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Step 3: Marinate the meat for 2 hours or overnight for the best results. Bake the pork at 375 F for at least 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Finish cooking by broiling in the oven until the golden brown texture appears, flipping the pieces halfway through.

Step 4: Assemble the bowl with the vegetables, rice noodles, and garnish. Mix the bowl up and pour the fish sauce on top.

Bún Thịt Nướng Additional Information

• Per serving has 340 calories, 10.3 g total fat, 2.7 g saturated fat total, and 29.4 g carbohydrates total.
• 45 minutes cook time
, serves 4 people
• For better results, we suggest that the pork marinate overnight.
Bún is pronounced more like “boon” (that means noodles).
• Some recipes of this use sesame oil and sesame seeds.
Top the dish with roasted peanuts if you want.

About the Bún Thịt Nướng Recipe

The Bún Thịt Nướng, or the grilled pork and rice noodles recipe, has two types of cooking style – the Southern and Northern Vietnamese styles.

The Southern Vietnamese style mixes everything in one mixing bowl, including the fish sauce, and it includes dipping the sauce separately, so there isn’t sauce at the bottom of the container. The Northern Vietnamese style is slightly different because the rice noodles and the vegetables are separated, while the meat is separately placed in a small bowl with prepared fish sauce.

The different varieties of Bún Thịt Nướng are these.
• Bún thịt nướng chay (Vegetarian – using tofu in place of meat)
• Bún thịt nướng bò (rice noodles with grilled beef)
• Bún thịt nướng tôm (with grilled prawns)
• Bún thịt nướng chả giò (with egg rolls)
• Bún thịt nướng Đà Nẵng (Da Nang style)

Conclusion

The Bún Thịt Nướng (grilled pork and rice noodles) recipe has gained more popularity across Asia. Vietnamese cuisine includes Vietnam’s foods and drinks and contains a mixture of five fundamental tastes in a particular meal. Every Vietnamese dish has all the flavors that represent one or more of these components.

And surely, Bún Thịt Nướng is another unique flavor all of us should taste. For more Asian noodles recipes, click here.

Featured image: @ravenousfork / Instagram, @valeri_n / Instagram