Bun (Vietnamese Herb Noodle Salad)

Submitted by Sommer Clary

"Bun is a traditional Vietnamese herb noodle salad that is dressed with Nuoc Cham Sauce. Many families have their different ways of preparing the sauce, but I like this one the best. If you have a difficult time finding the Thai chili, the Persian cucumbers, or the Thai basil, you can substitute them with a Serrano chili, an English cucumber (1 instead of 2), and sweet Italian basil."

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photo by Sommer Clary

Ready In:: 25mins
Ingredients:: 18
Serves:: 8-10

ingredients

Nuac Cham Sauce
¹⁄₄ cup lime juice
¹⁄₄ cup fish sauce
¹⁄₄ cup water
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 thai chili, finely chopped
shredded carrot (optional)
Salad
1 lb rice vermicelli noodles
¹⁄₂ cup sliced garlic, fried
1 ¹⁄₂ cups fresh mung bean sprouts
2 Persian cucumbers, julienned
1 ¹⁄₄ cups fresh cilantro leaves
1 ¹⁄₄ cups fresh mint leaves
1 cup thai basil leaves, roughly chopped
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts, crushed

directions

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and add the noodles; let sit for 2 minutes.
Remove noodles from hot water and shock them by placing them in a bowl of ice water. Drain in a colander.
Place the noodles onto a serving bowl and cover with the cucumber, scallions and herbs. Garnish with black pepper, garlic and peanuts.
Before serving, pour the Nuac Cham sauce over all and toss before serving.