Vietnamese Rice Noodles With Lemongrass Shrimp

Vietnamese Rice Noodles With Lemongrass Shrimp
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(499)
Comments
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Nearly every little shop in Vietnam serves some version of this satisfying, simple dish. Bowls of room-temperature rice noodles are festooned with wok-fried or grilled shrimp (or beef, pork or chicken), scented with lemongrass, splashed with a sweet-and-spicy dipping sauce, and then served with pickled vegetables and tender, aromatic herbs.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

    For the Pickled Vegetables

    • 1cup finely julienned carrot
    • 1cup finely julienned daikon
    • 2teaspoons granulated sugar
    • ½teaspoon salt
    • 1tablespoon rice vinegar

    For the Dipping Sauce

    • 3tablespoons light brown sugar
    • 3tablespoons rice vinegar
    • 4tablespoons lime juice
    • 3tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce, like Red Boat
    • 3garlic cloves, minced
    • 1tablespoon minced or grated ginger
    • 1medium-hot red chile pepper, such as Fresno, finely chopped
    • 1red or green bird chile pepper, thinly sliced, or substitute half a thinly sliced serrano pepper

    For the Shrimp and Noodles

    • pounds shrimp, preferably wild, peeled and deveined
    • 2tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce
    • 1tablespoon light brown sugar
    • 3garlic cloves, minced
    • 3tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass, pale tender center part only
    • 1pound rice noodles, preferably rice vermicelli
    • 1 or 2small lettuce heads, with the leaves separated, rinsed and patted dry
    • 3cups mixed herb sprigs, such as cilantro, mint, basil, watercress and tender celery leaves
    • 2tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 4scallions, slivered
    • 4tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts
    • Handful of bean sprouts (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

774 calories; 13 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 116 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 16 grams sugars; 47 grams protein; 2215 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the pickled vegetables: Put carrot and daikon in a small bowl and sprinkle with sugar and salt. Add rice vinegar, toss well and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Make the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, ginger and chiles. Stir in ½ cup cold water and let mixture sit for 15 minutes. (Leftover sauce will keep up to 3 days, refrigerated.)

  3. Step 3

    Marinate the shrimp: Put shrimp in a shallow dish. Add fish sauce, brown sugar, garlic and lemongrass. Mix well to coat.

  4. Step 4

    Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Turn off heat and add rice noodles. Soak noodles, stirring occasionally, until softened, usually about 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Leave in colander at room temperature.

  5. Step 5

    Prepare a platter of lettuce leaves and herb sprigs for the table. Keep cool, covered with a damp towel.

  6. Step 6

    Put oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add shrimp without crowding (work in batches if necessary). Cook for about 2 minutes per side, until lightly browned.

  7. Step 7

    To serve, divide noodles among 4 large soup bowls, then top each with hot shrimp, pickled vegetables and a tablespoon or so of dipping sauce. Sprinkle with scallions and peanuts (and beans sprouts if using). Pass herb platter and remaining dipping sauce at the table, and encourage guests to customize bowls as desired.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
499 user ratings
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Comments

Vietnamese here. I’m quite impress with the recipes - the beef marinate is just like what I’ve had at home. You could simplify by skipping ginger for the dipping sauce - Fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic, chile and warm water are the necessary ingredients. One tip: Vietnamese normally top the meat/shrimp with scallion oil - you can make it quickly by adding chopped scallion, olive/veggie oil, little bit of salt, and microwave for 30s.

I would also recommend trying this recipe with a firm white fish on the grill. Try grilling marinated catfish fillets. https://kathynle.com/2012/05/29/bun-ca-nuong-grilled-fish-over-noodles-a...

FYI, straight up nuoc cham does not have ginger in it. The ginger variation is good for a variety of dishes, but it's not the original version. Also, I tend to go with either ginger or lemongrass in a dish but not both. I find that the flavors are confusing together.

If you, like me, think raw bean sprouts are too pungent, blanch them by throwing them into the hot water with the noodles for the last 30 seconds.

I added peanutbutter to the sauce, fried some tofu and used that to fill some summer rolls along some fresh spinach, the pickled vegetables and vermicelli. Really good!

Delicious but cutting the vegetables julienne took too much time. My julienne grater is in storage right now. I found 1 pound of vermicelli to be too much.

Delicious— my lazy bones even made sauce with chili crisp instead of fresh peppers (I know, I know) and it was still great. Also subbed tofu for shrimp.

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