Bún Thịt Nướng

by Jessica Nguyen

‘Bún’ means vermicelli noodles and ’thịt nướng’ translates to grilled meat, so it simply means ‘Grilled Meat Noodles’. I grew up on this dish and love to make it, especially during the week and as the weather gets warmer.

This Vietnamese dish traditionally uses pork shoulder, but I decided to make it with boneless chicken thighs, as it’s a lot easier to cook, especially as a mid-week meal.

Serves- 2 with 4 extra marinated chicken thigh fillets
Ingredients- 16
Cooking Time- 40 minutes
Skill Level- Easy

Ingredients

Lemongrass Chicken

  • 1 tray (6) Lilydale Chicken boneless thigh fillets
  • 2 stalks of lemongrass
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons of fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of sesame oil

Assembly

Pickled Carrot, optional

  • 2 carrots, peeled
  • ½ cup of white sugar
  • ½ cup of white vinegar
  • ½ cup of warm water

Spring Onion Oil

  • 2-3 stalks of spring onions, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons of neutral oil (vegetable/canola)
  • Pinch of salt

Watch the process

Method

  1. Peel 2 stalks of lemongrass removing the outer layers and cut off any woody bits. Blitz in a food processor until finely chopped into stringy pieces.
  2. In a bowl, create your marinade by mixing the lemongrass, 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic, 3 Tbsp of fish sauce, 1 Tbsp of sugar, 1 Tbsp sesame oil, salt and pepper. 
  3. Add in 6 chicken thighs, massaging the marinade all over and allow to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to the day before.
  4. Cook 200g of vermicelli noodles in boiling water for 4 minutes or until they have softened and separated. Drain into a colander and rinse under warm water to remove any excess starch. Allow to dry and cool.
  5. Cut 1 large Lebanese cucumber by cutting into 1/8ths lengthwise and then finely slicing. Divide into two bowls.
  6. Wash your herbs and lettuce and finely chop. Add to the bowls.
  7. To make the spring onion oil, place 2-3 stalks of finely chopped spring onions into a bowl and add 3 Tbsp of a neutral oil and a generous pinch of salt. Place into a microwave for 30 seconds until the oil is fragrant and the spring onions have softened into the oil. Set aside.
  8. Divide your vermicelli into each bowl.
  9. To make the pickled carrots, place ½ cup of white sugar, ½ cup of warm water and ½ cup of white vinegar into a jar and mix to dissolve. Peel and julienne the 2 carrots into fine strands. I’ve used a spiralizer to do this quickly and then cut the lengths with some scissors. Place into the mixture and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes to soak.
  10. Heat your barbeque, weber or pan till hot and cook your chicken for 4 minutes or so each side or until the skin gets charry and nice grill marks. Cook on the other side and then remove and allow to rest.
  11. Slice your chicken into thick slices and place into the bowl.
  12. Add a few spoonful's of the spring onion oil and spoon over a few tablespoons of the nuoc cham. Add a spoonful of the optional pickled carrot.
  13. Toss together like a salad so everyone can be friends and enjoy. 

 

If you want to try more of my Vietnamese Recipes, you can find some of my most popular dishes below; 

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