Vietnamese Noodle Salad - Bun Cha Gio

A big bowl of fresh Vietnamese noodle salad with spring rolls.

Vietnamese Noodle Salad - Bun Cha Gio

This Vietnamese noodle salad is truly the star of the show! Also known as bun cha gio, it's topped with crispy fried spring rolls on a bed of vermicelli and drizzled with a delicious nuoc mam sauce.

Course Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Salad

Cuisine Vietnamese

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings large bowl

Calories 618kcal

Author Wandercooks

Cost $8

Ingredients

100 g vermicelli noodles
3-4 fried spring rolls cooked, served whole or cut in thirds

For the nuoc mam cham (pour over sauce)

4 tbsp water
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp garlic finely chopped
1 fresh chilli birds eye finely chopped

For the toppings, make your own combo

2 tbsp crushed peanuts
1 handful fresh mint leaves
1 handful fresh cilantro / coriander
1 handful lettuce shredded
¼ cup bean sprouts
¼ cup cucumber chopped small
¼ cup pickled carrot and daikon
1 spring onion / green onion sliced thinly
1 small red chilli sliced on the diagonal

Instructions

Have your fried spring rolls cooked and ready to go (either store-bought or from scratch Vietnamese or Thai style). Cook vermicelli noodles according to packet directions and drain.
100 g vermicelli noodles, 3-4 fried spring rolls

For the Nuoc Mam Cham (pour over sauce)

Add the water, fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, sugar, garlic and (optional) fresh chilli in a small dish, and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
4 tbsp water, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 2 tsp lime juice, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp garlic, 1 fresh chilli birds eye

Assemble the bowl

Grab a large, wide bowl to arrange your salad, it's going to be big! Layer with lettuce, if using, then the vermicelli noodles. Top next with your favourite toppings, including mint, coriander, bean sprouts, cucumber, pickled carrot and daikon, spring onion, chilli and finally, crispy fried spring rolls.
3-4 fried spring rolls, 2 tbsp crushed peanuts, 1 handful fresh mint leaves, 1 handful fresh cilantro / coriander, 1 handful lettuce, ¼ cup bean sprouts, ¼ cup cucumber, ¼ cup pickled carrot and daikon, 1 small red chilli, 1 spring onion / green onion
Serve with the sauce on the side, and once you're ready to eat, pour it over the bowl and dig in!

Video

Notes

Spring Rolls - Chop them into pieces or serve them whole - it’s up to you!
Noodles - Drain in fresh water after soaking to remove excess starch. This will stop them overcooking and becoming gluggy.
Salad Ingredients - Use all of them, pick and choose the ones you like best, or sub with anything else you want to use up. For example, if we don’t have lettuce on hand, we’ll use other leafy greens like spinach or beetroot leaves.
Layering - Vietnamese restaurants will often layer this noodle salad with the veggies on the bottom, then the vermicelli noodles, followed by the spring rolls on top.
Sauce - This is usually served on the side so the spring rolls stay extra hot and crispy until you’re ready to eat. You can use it as a dipping sauce or just pour the whole lot over the salad and mix it through!
Protein - Serve the salad with shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover roast chicken, lemongrass chicken or boneless pork chops (bun thit nuong cha gio). For something a little different, top it with fried tofu, meatballs or Vietnamese fried wontons if you prefer.
Sauce / Dressing - Experiment with non-traditional sauces / salad dressings to mix things up and find your favourite flavour combinations. We recommend:
Make it Vegetarian - Use vegetarian spring rolls (chả giò chay), and vegan nuoc cham (or if making your own nuoc cham, use vegan fish sauce or leave it out completely).

Nutrition