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epic prep: bún vermicelli bowl with tofu

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bún vermicelli bowl with tofu | everybody likes sandwiches

A couple weeks ago, we found ourself in our old neighbourhood and decided to visit the Union, a restaurant that I’ve visited a few times with friends, but never with my husband. We ordered drinks and I ordered their bún vermicelli bowl with fish and it blew me away with how fresh everything tasted. I vowed that I’d try to recreate the dish (minus the fish) at home.

bún vermicelli bowl with tofu | everybody likes sandwiches

This is the result and oh-m-gee, it’s fantastic, fresh and pretty dang healthy too! And yet, it’s pretty freaking epic in terms of prep. Because this is a glorified salad, there are a lot of vegetables that need prepping. I may have went a little overboard adding in purple cabbage and snow peas as they’re not traditional bún ingredients, but they needed to be used up stat. Plus, they added extra crunch which is always good and the purple cabbage provided a visual feast for the eyeballs.

bún vermicelli bowl with tofu | everybody likes sandwiches

There’s also plenty of other components besides the vegetables. Like the sweet-tart nuoc cham dipping sauce. The little bowl that comes alongside your dishes at Vietnamese restaurants is always my favorite part of the meal and I was surprised at how easy it was to make. If you want to keep it vegan use 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce instead of fish sauce. The traditional pickled veg is super easy as well – if you don’t have daikon, skip it or use regular radishes instead. No need to keep things strictly traditional!

bún vermicelli bowl with tofu | everybody likes sandwiches

For protein, I opted for tofu since I had some in the fridge. I fried it up, but I think next time, I’d marinate and bake it instead. Or I’d use some grilled chicken or pork instead. My salt & pepper tofu was delicious, but frying – even a very shallow fry – makes a lot of mess and things got a little bit smokey. I had to get Cornelius to open up all the windows on a rainy and cold night to air out the place. I’ll try a different protein or a different method in dealing with the tofu next time. And while I think you can play around with ingredients, please, please, please do not skip the fresh mint!! Even if you think you’re not a mint fan, add the mint. Just tear in a few leaves into your bowl – it makes a huge difference in flavour.

bún vermicelli bowl with tofu | everybody likes sandwiches

So you’ve been warned. There’s a lot of components but that just means that you’re dinner is going to be a whole lot more interesting, right?! Warm noodles, slippery fried scallions, fresh bites of mint and herbs, crunchy watery bean sprouts and salty peanuts. Serious flavour happenings! Why not share all this good stuff with a crowd? Call up some friends and chow down on a little bún vermicelli bowl. Or go nuts and pile it onto a plate like someone I know did above. It also makes for very happy leftovers – no prep!

bún vermicelli bowl with tofu | everybody likes sandwiches

While I’m not marking this recipe as gluten free or vegan/vegetarian, it can easily be made either of these things with a few tiny tweaks! Enjoy!


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