Vietnamese Beef Noodle Salad (Bún Bò Xào)
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With summer in full swing, my herb garden is thriving. Now is the perfect time to use those fresh, aromatic herbs before they disappear and become costly at the grocery store.
One Vietnamese dish that uses up the herbs beautifully and makes for a refreshing dish during the summer is Vietnamese beef noodle salad (Bún Bò Xào).
What is Bún Bò Xào?
Bún Bò Xào is a Vietnamese noodle salad featuring thinly sliced marinated beef, vermicelli rice noodles, and fresh vegetables.
This dish is elevated with aromatic herbs, toasted peanuts, and crispy fried shallots, all brought together with Vietnam’s mother’s sauce, Nước Chấm, for a perfect blend of sweet and savory flavors.
Bún Bò Xào is a simpler beef version of a more popular dish, Vietnamese rice noodles with grilled pork, shrimp, and egg rolls (Bún Tôm Thịt Nướng Chả Giò).
What You Will Need
Beef: You can choose from beef chuck, flank, tenderloin, ribeye, or sirloin. Opt for a cut with some fat for the best flavor and moist texture. In this recipe, I'm using flank steak.
Oyster sauce and fish sauce: An umami flavor bomb that we will use to marinate the beef. I like to use Lee Kum Kee premium oyster sauce and Viet Huong three crabs fish sauce.
Sugar: Sugar is used to balance the saltiness of the oyster and fish sauce. I prefer using dark brown sugar for its deep caramelized color, but you can use any sweetener of your choice, including different shades of brown sugar.
Oil: A bit of oil helps the marinade coat the beef slices more evenly. I’m using vegetable oil, but you can use other neutral oils such as avocado oil for a healthier version.
Lemongrass: I occasionally use lemongrass, but you can omit it if you don’t have any, as I did in this recipe.
Garlic and yellow onions: These aromatics will make sautéing the beef smell amazing.
Unsalted butter: We will melt the butter and sauté the beef in its buttery aroma for better flavor.
Other Accompaniments
Rice vermicelli noodles: The carb base of this dish. I’m using medium-sized round rice noodles. Three Ladies/JiangXi Rice Stick is my favorite brand.
Fresh vegetables: Leafy lettuce, cucumber, your favorite Vietnamese herbs, and bean sprouts are a few of the fresh options that you can add to your bowl.
Pickled daikon and carrot (Đồ Chua): If you already have pickled daikon and carrot already made in the fridge, use it for a more traditional topping. Otherwise, feel free to omit.
Roasted peanuts: A traditional topping for many Vietnamese salads that provide a crunch.
Fried shallot (Hành Phi): Fried shallots also provide a nice crunch to the salad. You can get them at the Asian grocery store or make your own.
Scallion oil (Mở Hành): This Vietnamese scallion oil is mixture of thinly sliced scallions/green onions, a bit of seasoning and oil used to dress the rice noodles.
The ultimate Vietnamese dipping Sauce (Nước Chấm): The sauce that brings it all together. If you love Vietnamese food, you must have this on hand in the refrigerator. Here’s how to make your own so you can use it for many other Vietnamese dishes.
How to Make It
This dish is very easy to put together. Just keep in mind that it comes with a lot of little parts.
If you already have fried shallots, pickled daikon and carrot, scallion oil, and the iconic Vietnamese mother sauce, then this dish can come together rather quickly.
All you need to do is cook the beef and noodles then assemble.
Step 1: Prepare the Beef
Slice your choice of beef against the grain, about ¼” thick, and set aside in a medium bowl.
In a small bowl, mix oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, oil, garlic, and onions. Adjust seasoning to taste if necessary.
Pour this mixture over the beef, gently toss until evenly combined, then set aside to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
Step 2: Prepare the Noodles and Toppings
Cook the vermicelli rice noodles according to package instructions.
Thinly slice the lettuce, cut the cucumbers into thin strips, wash the herbs, and coarsely chop the toasted peanuts.
Step 3: Cook the Beef
Heat a large skillet and melt the butter. Add the marinated beef and pan-fry for about 3 minutes total on high heat.
Step 4: Assemble the Bowl
Add a handful of vermicelli rice noodles to a bowl and a spoonful of scallion oil on top of the noodles. Add beef, lettuce, herbs, cucumber, pickled daikon and carrot, roasted peanuts, and fried shallots. Serve the sauce on the side in a small bowl.
When ready to eat, drizzle the sauce over the noodles, toss until combined and enjoy.
Related Recipes
If you enjoy this recipe, you might also enjoy these traditional light and refreshing recipes:
Vietnamese Beef Noodle Salad (Bún Bò Xào)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare the Beef: Slice your choice of beef against the grain, about ¼” thick, and set aside in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, mix oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, oil, garlic, and onions. Adjust seasoning to taste if necessary. Pour this mixture over the beef, gently toss until evenly combined, then set aside to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Prepare the Noodles and Toppings: Cook the vermicelli rice noodles according to package instructions. Thinly slice the lettuce, cut the cucumbers into thin strips, wash the herbs, and coarsely chop the toasted peanuts.
- Cook the Beef: Heat a large skillet and melt butter. Add the marinated beef and pan-fry for about 3 minutes total on high heat.
- Assemble the Bowl: Add a handful of vermicelli rice noodles to a bowl and a spoonful of scallion oil on top of the noodles. Add beef, lettuce, herbs, cucumber, pickled daikon and carrot, roasted peanuts, and fried shallots. Serve the sauce on the side in a small bowl. When ready to eat, drizzle sauce over everything in the bowl, toss everything together, and enjoy.
