Bun Bo Nam Bo (Vietnamese Beef Rice Noodle Bowl)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 37 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Bun bo nam bo - literally 'southern beef noodles' - is a Hanoi take on southern Vietnamese flavors, assembled as a dry noodle bowl rather than a soup.
Read more
The dish layers cold rice vermicelli with stir-fried beef marinated in lemongrass and garlic, then tops it with a generous pile of fresh herbs: cilantro, Thai basil, mint, and perilla. Crushed roasted peanuts and fried shallots scatter on top, contributing crunch and a background sweetness. The binding element is nuoc cham - the sweet-sour-salty-spicy sauce built from fish sauce, lime, sugar, garlic, and chili - poured over and tossed through at the table. The beef is seared on maximum heat for under a minute so it stays medium-rare inside while the lemongrass marinade caramelizes along the edges. The pleasure of the bowl is in its temperature contrasts: cold noodles, cold herbs, warm beef, and room-temperature sauce all meeting in each chopstick-lifted tangle. Found on nearly every street in Hanoi's Old Quarter, it is the reliable lunch for office workers who return to their preferred stall day after day.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Heat
Cook 180g rice vermicelli in boiling water for 3 minutes, just until tender.
Rinse immediately under cold water, rubbing lightly to remove starch, then spread in a sieve so excess water drains away.
- 2Season
Mix 1.5 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp lime juice, and 2 tsp sugar.
Stir until no sugar grains remain, then set the dressing aside to add just before serving.
- 3Season
Slice 200g beef about 2mm thick against the grain.
Coat it evenly with 0.5 tbsp fish sauce, rest for 10 minutes, then let excess seasoning drip from the surface.
- 4Step
Dry 60g lettuce and 15g mint well so the bowl does not become watery.
Put the lettuce and cold noodles in serving bowls first, keeping the herbs ready so they stay fresh until assembly.
- 5Control
Heat the pan over high heat until very hot, then spread the beef in single-layer batches.
Remove it when the edges are brown and no raw red surface remains, before it overcooks.
- 6Step
Top the cold noodles with the warm beef, mint, and 25g crushed roasted peanuts.
Pour on the nuoc cham only right before serving, then toss lightly so the noodles stay springy and the temperature contrast remains clear.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Chilled rice noodles topped with warm beef, lettuce, mint, and peanuts
- Finish cue
- Cook 180g rice vermicelli in boiling water for 3 minutes, just until tender.
- Avoid this
- Remove it when the edges are brown and no raw red surface remains, before it overcooks.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
37min, 8 ingredients
Category median
35min, 9 ingredients
Based on 233 recipes
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