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Discover the flavors of Vietnam with Bun Cha Gio – a vibrant vermicelli noodle salad topped with crispy spring rolls, crunchy vegetables, fresh herbs, and a tangy sauce.
Bun Cha Gio is a delightful Vietnamese dish that combines various textures and flavors into one harmonious bowl. At its core, it features vermicelli rice noodles (bun), crispy fried spring rolls (cha gio), fresh vegetables and herbs. The whole dish is then drizzled with a tangy fish sauce (Nuoc Cham), giving it its distinctive flavor.
In this recipe, you will learn how to prepare a vegetarian version of this vermicelli noodle salad. We use vegetarian spring rolls and substitute the fish sauce with a vegan alternative! 🙌
Bun Cha Gio is one of my absolute favorite Vietnamese dishes! When dining at a Vietnamese restaurant, I usually order Bun Cha Gio because I find the combination of the sweet and sour sauce with the rice noodles, pickled vegetables, and crispy spring rolls simply irresistible.
I hope you have as much fun preparing and enjoying this Vietnamese noodle salad as I do! 😍
Ingredients
You can find the exact quantities in the recipe.
- Rice Vermicelli Noodles: The base is made up of thin rice noodles. These Vietnamese noodles are light, slightly chewy, and provide a neutral canvas that absorbs the flavors of the other ingredients beautifully. I typically buy these fresh rice vermicelli from Bamboo Tree.
- Spring Rolls: We like them filled with vegetables. Fresh from the refrigerated section, they taste the best, but if you have more time, feel free to make homemade spring rolls using this recipe. You can also go for egg rolls.
- Do Chua: Vietnamese pickled daikon & carrots! A staple for this recipe, giving the salad a wonderfully tangy and crunchy flavor experience.
- Peanuts & Fried Onions: Irresistible as a topping!
- Cucumber & Lettuce: Adds color, freshness, and vitamins.
- Mint & Cilantro: For decoration and freshness!
- Nuoc Cham: This Vietnamese dipping sauce is typical for this salad and is made from fish sauce (we use No-Fish Sauce or soy sauce), lime juice, sugar, chili, and garlic.
Visual Step-by-Step Guide
To ensure the recipe is a success on your first try, I’ve created a visual guide with step-by-step pictures. This is especially recommended for beginner cooks.
- Cook the Rice Noodles: Cook the vermicelli rice noodles according to the package instructions, then drain well to prevent the salad from becoming watery! Tip: If you like the salad slightly warm, cook the rice noodles just before serving, when everything else is ready.
- Prepare the Spring Rolls: Prepare the spring rolls according to the package instructions. Diagonally cut them in half.
- Make the Nuoc Cham Sauce: Mix all the ingredients for the Nuoc Cham sauce in a small bowl and let it sit for a few minutes if possible.
- Assemble the Salad: Tear the lettuce leaves into pieces and place them in a large bowl. Arrange the rice noodles on top. Place the cucumber, carrots, daikon, and spring rolls on top. Sprinkle with peanuts and fried onions, garnish with fresh herbs, and drizzle the Nuoc Cham sauce over everything! Enjoy immediately!
To fully appreciate Bun Cha Gio, mix all the ingredients together in your bowl, ensuring that each bite has a bit of everything – the noodles, the crunch of the spring rolls & veggies, the freshness of the herbs, and the tanginess of the sauce. It’s a flavor explosion that will leave you wanting more!
Variations
- Protein: If you want to add some protein to the salad, you can top it with tofu. It’s often served with lemongrass tofu.
- Quick Do Chua: If you don’t have time to prepare Do Chua in advance, you can use this quick variant. Cut the carrot and daikon into matchsticks, mix with 1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, and ¼ tsp salt, and let it sit for 15 minutes.
- Bean Sprouts: Feel free to add some fresh bean sprouts for an extra crunch!
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📖 Recipe
Bun Cha Gio – Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Spring Rolls
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Ingredients
- 2 oz rice vermicelli
- 2 vegetarian spring rolls
- 3 leaves lettuce
- ¼ English cucumber cut into matchsticks
- 2 tbsp pickled daikon & carrot Do Chua, see notes
- 1 tbsp peanuts chopped
- 1 tbsp fried onion
- some cilantro & mint to garnish
Nuoc Cham
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce or soy sauce, the original recipe uses fish sauce
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp warm water
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- some chili finely sliced or minced
Instructions
- Cook the rice vermicelli according to the package instructions, then drain well to prevent the salad from becoming watery! Tip: If you like the salad slightly warm, cook the rice noodles just before serving, when everything else is ready.
- Prepare the spring rolls according to the package instructions. Diagonally cut them in half.
- Mix all the ingredients for the Nuoc Cham sauce in a small bowl and let it sit for a few minutes if possible.
- Assemble: Tear the lettuce leaves into pieces and place them in a large bowl. Arrange the rice noodles on top. Place the cucumber, carrots, daikon, and spring rolls on top. Sprinkle with peanuts and fried onions, garnish with fresh herbs, and drizzle the Nuoc Cham sauce over everything! Enjoy immediately!
Notes
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- Protein: If you want to add some protein, you can top it with tofu. It’s often served with lemongrass tofu.
- Do Chua is Vietnamese-style pickled vegetables! It tastes sweet, sour, and crunchy. Here’s the Do Chua recipe (best prepared the night before)!
- Quick Do Chua: If you don’t have time to prepare Do Chua in advance, you can use this quick variant. Cut the carrot and daikon into matchsticks, mix with 1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, and ¼ tsp salt, and let it sit for 15 minutes.
