Bun Bo Xao Vietnamese Noodle Salad (Printable)

Tender beef stir-fried with fragrant garlic over rice vermicelli, crunchy vegetables, and fresh mint-cilantro blend

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Beef

01 - 14 oz sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced
02 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
03 - 1 tbsp fish sauce
04 - 1 tbsp oyster sauce
05 - 1 tsp sugar
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 tbsp vegetable oil

→ For the Salad

08 - 10.5 oz dried rice vermicelli noodles
09 - 1 small cucumber, julienned
10 - 2 carrots, julienned
11 - 1 cup bean sprouts
12 - 1 cup lettuce, shredded
13 - 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
14 - 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
15 - 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
16 - 2 scallions, thinly sliced
17 - 1 red chili, thinly sliced

→ For the Nuoc Cham Dressing

18 - 4 tbsp fish sauce
19 - 4 tbsp lime juice (about 2 limes)
20 - 3 tbsp sugar
21 - 4 tbsp water
22 - 1 clove garlic, minced
23 - 1 small red chili, minced

# How To Make It:

01 - Combine sliced beef with soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, minced garlic, and vegetable oil in a bowl. Mix thoroughly and let marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature.
02 - Cook rice vermicelli noodles according to package instructions until tender. Drain well, rinse under cold running water to stop cooking, and set aside.
03 - Whisk together fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, water, minced garlic, and minced chili in a small bowl until sugar completely dissolves. Adjust seasoning to taste.
04 - Julienne cucumber and carrots into thin matchsticks. Rinse bean sprouts thoroughly and shred lettuce. Keep all vegetables chilled with fresh herbs until assembly.
05 - Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat until smoking. Add marinated beef in a single layer and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until browned and just cooked through. Remove immediately from heat.
06 - Divide vermicelli noodles among four serving bowls. Arrange lettuce, cucumber, carrots, and bean sprouts on top. Place sautéed beef in the center and garnish with mint, cilantro, scallions, peanuts, and sliced chili.
07 - Drizzle nuoc cham dressing generously over each bowl. Serve immediately with extra dressing on the side and lime wedges for added brightness.

# Tips from dashanddishes:

01 -
  • You get that perfect balance of tangy, sweet, salty, and fresh in every single forkful
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes but tastes like something you'd wait hours for at a restaurant
  • The recipe is incredibly forgiving and adaptable to whatever vegetables you have in your fridge
02 -
  • Overcooking the beef is the biggest mistake, it goes from perfect to tough in seconds
  • The noodles must be rinsed thoroughly in cold water or they will turn into a gummy mess
  • Nuoc cham needs to sit for at least 10 minutes for flavors to meld properly
03 -
  • Freeze your beef for 30 minutes before slicing to get those perfect paper-thin pieces
  • Use a vegetable peeler to quickly julienne carrots into uniform ribbons
  • Toast the peanuts in a dry pan until fragrant, they'll add so much more flavor than raw ones

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