This Vietnamese Vermicelli Noodle Bowl with Grilled Pork is a traditional Vietnamese dish that combines tender, juicy, and caramelized grilled pork, vermicelli rice noodles, fresh herbs and vegetables, tossed in a tangy fish sauce based sauce called nuoc cham.
This bright and refreshing Vietnamese Noodle Bowl is one of my favorite Vietnamese dish of all time. It combines so many complex and complementary flavors and textures together to create a satisfying explosion of happiness in one’s mouth.
What is Vermicelli Noodle Bowl?
Vermicelli Noodle Bowl — sometimes called a Pork Vermicelli Bowl when it’s topped with grilled pork like this one — is a popular noodle dish from Vietnam that is served dry with lots of fresh veggies, grilled meats or seafood, and drizzled with a bold flavored fish-sauce-based sauce.
The noodles used are thin rice vermicelli noodles that are white in color when cooked, similar to noodles used in Pho.
Today, you can find vermicelli bowl in almost any Vietnamese restaurants across the United States. It is basically a noodle salad – light, fresh and loaded with amazing flavors and textures.
I wanted to create a version of Vietnamese noodle bowl that is simple enough for everyday people to make (i.e. most of us who are not professional chefs but still want to make/eat good food at home), yet complex enough to capture the beauty, authenticity and complexity of the traditional dish. And to do it justice.
Because this Vietnamese vermicelli noodle dish is a GORGEOUS blending of flavors and textures. One of the absolute best.
So fire up that grill (or pan fry it because that works too), grab some Vietnamese Egg Rolls should you choose to (talk about a pairing made in foodie heaven), and get ready to put together this delicious Vermicelli Noodle Bowl with Grilled Pork, or also called bun thit nuong.
Kitchen Tools
Besides basic kitchenware, you will also need:
- Food processor: to blend up the delicious pork marinade. A blender can be used as well!
- Grill or Griddle: Used to cook the pork; the griddle is great if you’d rather cook indoors.
- Meat thermometer: To make sure the pork is cooked through.
Ingredients
There are a number of components to the vermicelli bowl, but don’t let it intimidate you! I’m going to break it down by section and hopefully you’ll find it fairly straightforward!
Grilled Pork
- Pork shoulder: Provides the best flavor for this dish. Pork shoulder is traditionally used, but you can use other cuts such as pork loin or pork butt. Chicken, beef, or leaner cuts of meat work too — for a vegan or vegetarian option, use firm tofu.
- Soy sauce: An Asian staple!
- Fish sauce: A little goes a long way. THIS is what takes the dish from good to GLAMOROUS.
- Brown sugar: The sweetness needed to balance out the flavors.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic and avoid substituting with garlic powder for best flavor.
- Shallots: If you can’t find shallots, white or yellow onion will work in a pinch.
- Lemongrass: Feel free to omit it if you cannot find it. Alternately, grate a bit of ginger to enhance the dish.
Noodle Bowl
- Noodles: We’re using thin vermicelli rice noodles for this recipe. You should be able to find this at Asian grocery stores, and some mainstream stores in the Asian section.
- Veggies: I typically use a combination of shredded carrots, shredded cucumbers, bean sprouts, chopped lettuce, cabbage, radishes. Use one, two or as much as you like! Pick your favorites!
- Fresh herbs: Use fresh! Dried herbs do not taste the same. This brings a very distinct flavor to the noodle bowl. Mint, Thai Basil and cilantro are some common varieties.
- Garnishes: Peanuts and lime wedges are the most common finishing touches for this bowl.
Sauce
The sauce, also known as “nuoc cham” in Vietnamese, it is a simple sauce with a punch made out of:
- Fish sauce: This bring saltiness as well as a lot of amazing umami flavors
- Lime juice: Contributes to the tangy flavors of the bowl
- Sugar: Sweetness to balance out the salty and the tangy
- Water: Used to dilute the sauce.
- Red pepper flakes: Adjust according to preferred level of spiciness
How to make Vermicelli Bowl?
Grilled Pork
This Vietnamese grilled pork is marinated in a ridiculously flavorful sauce. My husband calls this the star of the dish; I say every component is just as crucial.
Throw all the marinade ingredients into a food processor or blender, and blend them up.
If you don’t have a food processor or blender, chop up the shallots, garlic and lemongrass and mix everything together with a whisk.
I typically marinade the pork first as it takes about an hour for the flavor to really sink into the meat.
Grill pork on a grill pan, griddle or outdoor grill. If you don’t have a grill, pork can be pan-fried on a skillet as well.
Grill under indirect heat (if using charcoal grill), or medium/low heat (if using grill pan, electric grill, or skillet) to make sure the insides of the pork is completely cooked.
There is sugar in the marinate, so pork will brown/burn quickly on the outside. So check on it every now and then, and lower heat as needed!
Vegetables and Garnishes
Once the meat is on the grill, go ahead and chop/prep the rest of the veggies and garnishes, then pickle the carrots and cucumber.
The trickiest part of this vermicelli bowl recipe is the prep work, especially if you are dealing with a large variety of vegetables. But remember, prep time can be saved by buying pre-cut veggies.
Pickling them gives them an extra oomph, and that tangy vinegary flavor goes perfectly with the noodles, pork and the rest of the garnish.
It doesn’t have to be pickled for a long time – about 30-60 minutes is sufficient.
Vermicelli Rice Noodles
As for the noodles, we’ll be using thin vermicelli rice noodles.
I typically buy them dry, but you can also find refrigerated ones at Asian grocery stores.
Some require boiling briefly, and some just need soaking in hot water briefly. My recommendation is to follow the package instructions — what we’re trying to do is soften the noodles.
Sauce
If you think we are just eating the noodles plain, you are very much mistaken. Plain is not the word to describe this dish! In fact, I will argue it’s quite the opposite.
We are about to make a sweet, tangy, salty sauce which comprises of fish sauce, lime juice (squeezed from fresh limes), brown sugar, water and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. And you betcha we are going to smother the noodles with that yum sauce.
Bring Your Vermicelli Bowl Together!
The last step is to bring all the components of Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl together – the chewy rice noodles, the crunchy lettuce, carrots, and cucumbers, the peanuts, sticky caramelized grilled pork, and that tangy savory sweet sauce drizzled all over.
It’s a flavor bursting experience with incredible textures – every time I take a bite my foodie heart is just so very happy.
Substitutions and Variations
If you cannot find these ingredients, here’s what you can do to substitute it:
- Rice vinegar: Use white vinegar instead!
- Shallots: Use white, yellow or sweet onions instead!
- Lemongrass: Simply omit this, or get it in paste form.
- Brown sugar: Granulated sugar works fine too
Feel free to add other ingredients to make this vermicelli bowl your own!
- Veggies: A variety of vegetables can be used to assemble your Vietnamese rice noodle bowl. Other good options include radishes, cabbage, bean sprouts, spinach.
- Herbs: Other herbs such as Thai basil and cilantro work well too.
- Other protein: The marinade also works well on chicken, shrimp, beef, or even crispy tofu.
Make Ahead and Storage
To make ahead, store the sauce separately and pour onto Vietnamese noodle bowl only when you’re ready to eat.
This can be eaten cold, at room temperature or warm– I’ve enjoyed it all three ways!
How To Serve
This Vietnamese vermicelli noodle bowl is pretty flexible when it comes to serving it.
For a casual weeknight dinner, I like to serve it family-style with a big platter of noodles in the center, with the grilled pork, veggies, herbs, and nuoc cham in individual bowls or ramekins on the side. That way everyone can build their own bowl exactly how they like it (more sauce for me, please!).
If you’re hosting a crowd, individual bowls prepped ahead of time make things easier! Just portion out the noodles, top with pork and veggies, and let guests add their own sauce and garnishes at the table.
A few pairings worth trying: Vietnamese Egg Rolls on the side, a fried egg on top for extra richness, or a few extra lime wedges for anyone who wants it extra tangy.
And however you serve it, don’t skimp on the sauce! That’s where all the flavor is!
Tips and Tricks
- Pat dry veggies: Make sure to use paper towel and pat dry veggies before adding to bowl. There’s really nothing worse than wet, soggy veggies in your Vietnamese noodle bowl!
- Avoid overcooking noodles: Once noodles are soft, promptly drain the warm water. Rinsing it under cold water can help stop the cooking process and prevent it from being soggy and sticking together.
- Make ahead tip: Vietnamese Noodle Bowl makes a delicious easy and tasty meal prep option. Store noodles, veggies, and pork in separate air-tight containers, and store sauce separately in another container.
- Saucing it right: When combining sauce to your noodle bowl, drizzle a little bit of sauce at a time until you reach your desired taste so that you are not over-saucing it.
- Customize it: There is no right or wrong way to make a Vietnamese noodle bowl. Add or subtract the veggies, herbs, protein, or sauces to fit your taste. Try new things and have fun with it!
- Fresh herbs: Fresh herbs can take your Vietnamese noodle bowl to new heights! Fresh herbs such as mint, cilantro, and Thai basil can add a unique and vibrant flavors to this dish.
- Slice the pork thin for faster cooking: If you are short on time, thinly slice pork, just do a quick marinade and pan sear them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store each component separately, and only combine rice vermicelli noodles, veggies and garnishes, meat and sauce, when ready to eat. Store each item individually in a sealed container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
I love adding some Vietnamese Egg Rolls or fried egg to it as well! Yum!
Yes! You can absolutely roast it in the oven. Flip it halfway through and reapply marinade. If you want the golden brown texture (which is yummy!), try broiling it for 2-3 minutes at the end.
When cooking pork, especially in medium/high heat, the sugar in the marinade will caramelize. As a result, you will see black burn-like spots on your pork. It adds to the yum! If you want to reduce the burn-like spots, reduce the heat and cook pork slowly.
I get it. Fish sauce has a strong smell and takes some getting used to, but the taste is like magic. Your noodle bowl will be missing out on a signature flavor without fish sauce.
Use thin vermicelli rice noodles. They are sometimes labeled Vietnamese rice noodle or rice vermicelli at the store, which you may also recognize in Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup). They are similar to noodles used for Pad Thai and Pad See Ew, but are thinner. They’re also different from mung bean thread noodles, even though they look very similar! Bean thread noodles are usually clear and transparent when cooked.
You should be able to find them at Asian grocery stores and some mainstream stores in the Asian section, as well as through my affiliate link.
Pile everything onto the rice vermicelli noodles (grilled pork, veggies, garnishes). Then splash that yum sauce all over it. Then you decide how you want to proceed. Mix it all up; Or, mix some portion of it up, eat, and mix more of it up. I suggest pouring lots of sauce to it because that flavorful liquid is GOLD.
Fish sauce and rice vermicelli noodles are naturally gluten-free, but double-check your soy sauce label. Some brands contain wheat. Swap in a gluten-free tamari if needed.
Yes! Swap the pork for firm tofu, and use a vegetarian fish sauce alternative or extra soy sauce in both the marinade and the nuoc cham.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
More Asian Recipes!
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- Thai Red Curry with Chicken
- Malaysian Curry Puff
- Mee Goreng Mamak (Malaysian Fried Noodles)
- Chinese Braised Pork Belly
- Chinese Barbecue Pork (Char Siu) and Bok Choy Rice Bowl
Best Vietnamese Vermicelli Noodle Bowl with Grilled Pork
Ingredients
Grilled Pork
- 2 lbs pork shoulder
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp shallots
- ~2 inch lemongrass bottom white part
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
Noodles
- 7-8 oz dried rice vermicelli noodles
Vegetables and Garnishes
- 1 1/2 cups cucumber shredded
- 1 1/2 cups carrots shredded
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- A few leaves lettuce
- A handful cilantro
- A handful mint leaves
- 1/2 cup peanuts chopped
- 1 fresh lime
Sauce (Nuoc Cham)
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice or to taste
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or to taste
Instructions
Grilled Pork
- Remove some of the fat from pork shoulders (but it is not necessary to remove all the fat), and slice pork into thin slices. Bring them into a large ziplock bag.
- Combine and blend the rest of the ingredients listed under "Grilled Pork" in food processor/blender to create marinate, and add to ziplock bag. Make sure pork is evenly coated with marinate. Marinade pork for at least 1 hour, or up to a few hours.
- Grill pork on a grill pan or outdoor grill. Pork can be pan-fried on a skillet as well. Grill under indirect heat (if using charcoal grill), or medium/low heat (if using grill pan, electric grill, or skillet) to make sure the insides of the pork is completely cooked – check by using a meat thermometer. Note that because there is sugar in the marinate, pork will brown/burn quickly on the outside.
Pickled Vegetables
- Bring hot water and sugar (as listed in "Vegetables and Garnishes" ingredients) together in a bowl to dissolve sugar. Add rice vinegar. Stir to combine.
- Add shredded cucumber and shredded carrots to bowl with vinegar mixture. Or, if desired, separate vinegar mixture into two bowls and separately pickle cucumber and carrots.
- Press the carrots and cucumber down so that they are completely submerged in the mixture. Pickle for 30-60 minutes.
- Drain vinegar mixture.
Other Vegetables and Garnishes
- Prep/chop the rest of the vegetables and garnishes – lettuce, cilantro, mint leaves, and peanuts. Slice lime into a few wedges.
Noodles
- Cook noodles based on package instructions. It usually cooks quickly! If noodles needs to sit for a while before combining with the other ingredients, rinse them in cold water to prevent them from sticking to each other, continuing to cook, and turning mushy.
Sauce (Nuoc Cham)
- Combine hot water and sugar to completely dissolve sugar. Then add the other sauce ingredients. Stir to combine.
Combine
- Bring noodles to bowl, and top with grilled pork, vegetables, and garnishes. Serve with sauce, and enjoy!
Soooo delicious. Highly recommend
Thank you!
nice keep up the good work
How many servings will this recipe make? Especially the yum sauce!
Thank you
This recipe makes 4 servings! Sauce included!
This is our go to recipe for lemongrass pork bowls. We make them at least twice a month and always double the recipe for left overs for our family.
I love that this has become a regular for you! Thank you for sharing!
Love this dish! I get this often at a local Pho place. This recipe nails the flavors of the crispy pork. I pick out a pork shoulder in the supermarket and have them cut it on the slicer into 1/3″ slabs and use one slab per person. I grill the pork on my gas grill for extra crispiness! I like Thai Basil and mint with this. I like to add bean sprouts or shredded iceberg lettuce.
It sounds so delicious! Thanks for sharing!
This was an absolute hit!!! The flavor was sooo good!
Yay! So glad to hear!
This was amazing! Just like the restaurant version. Will be making this often, thank you
Thank you so much!
I use this recipe all the time, and it’s always amazing!
I love hearing that! Thank you!
I have made this numerous times and it always comes out amazing!! My daughter and wife love it! Note..you can substitue the lemongrass with lemon zest and a some lemon juice if you cant find it.
Thanks for the tip, Frank! Happy to hear you and your family have been enjoying this recipe.
I love this dish. I find it a bit time consuming but well worth it.
I’m glad you love it!!
YUM! I love a good Asian noodle dish and this one takes the cake. The caramelized pork and fresh herbs and the SAUCE! We ate this for the days!
So glad to hear that you all loved it!
We are a huge fan of vermicilli bowls! what other protein do you recommend replacing the pork to lighten up the meal?
Chicken would be great using the same marinade!
this recipe is fantastic!! I can’t count the number of times I have made it. my kids and grandkids all love it and say it’s like we are eating from a Vietnemese restaurant. I use chicken thighs instead of pork and cut each thigh into 3 smaller pieces, then marinate and bbq… soooo good!! thank you!! …ypu have saved us so much money, no more need to go out for a Vietnemese bowl 😋
Yay! Love hearing that! Thank you for trusting the recipe and making it <3