Flashback one year ago: Noah and I were roaming the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam (see some pictures here & here!) eating bowls of Bún Chà for lunch, after breakfasts of Pho Ga (chicken pho – and yes, it’s breakfast food!). Before traveling to Vietnam, I had only had pho a few times, and hadn’t ever tried Bún.
Typically, Bún Chà is a dish of rice vermicelli noodles topped with herbs and lettuces, grilled pork, spring rolls, and a sweet dish of sauce to pour over the bowl (nước chấm). The sauce is quite pungent (thanks to the fish sauce), but it’s sweet, a bit sour, and delicious.
I used this base recipe for the sauce and adjusted it to my taste, subbing zucchini noodles into the mix for a veggie-heavy dish that is light and refreshing during this season of treats.
- 2 medium zucchinis
- 1 large carrot
- Several leaves of romaine lettuce
- ½ cucumber
- 2 sprigs of mint
- 1 handful cilantro
- 10 leaves of basil
- Handful of roasted peanuts
- 1 jalapeño
- Protein of choice: shrimp, tofu, seared beef, chicken
- ½ lime
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (substitute soy sauce if vegan)
- ½ garlic clove
- Using a spiralizer or julienne peeler, cut zucchini into thin zucchini noodles. Set them out on paper towels sprinkled with a bit salt while you prepare the other items.
- To prepare the other vegetable toppings, spiralize the large carrot or cut it into very thin matchsticks. Finely shred romaine lettuce and thinly slice the cucumber after removing the seeds inside.
- Carefully slice up the herbs and chop the peanuts for topping. Slice jalapeño.
- If topping with a protein, cook up your shrimp, tofu, beef, or chicken. I used about 6 shrimp per bowl, but it is also nice to add some fresh sliced tofu.
- Make the Nuoc Cham sauce by squeezing the ½ lime and combining it with the sugar, water, fish sauce, and minced garlic. Whisk the sauce together in a large bowl and add the zucchini noodles, tossing to combine right before serving.
- To serve, prepare the two bowls or set out all the toppings. Divide the zucchini noodles between two bowls, letting extra sauce drip off, and top with carrot, lettuce, cucumber, herbs, jalapeño , peanuts, and the shrimp or other protein. Serve immediately.
I love any recipe that is a ‘bowl’ solely for the reason that I can throw whatever sounds good inside – I topped mine with sautéed shrimp and plenty of peanuts for protein and some salt. The zucchini noodles absorb the sauce and all the veggies will make you feel awesome after eating, instead of the sluggish feeling I usually get after eating a bowl of noodles.
I use this spiralizer on the smaller setting for this recipe and would recommend it as a cheap option. This spiralizer has much better reviews and I am upgrading soon! (affiliate links).
I encourage you to give this Vietnamese Zucchini Noodle Bowl a try amid the leftover Halloween candy and Thanksgiving recipe testing you are doing. It’s the perfect weekend lunch, and you can keep multiple portions in the fridge for the week if you keep the sauce and zoodles separate until serving.
Marisa
Deanna Segrave-Daly (@tspbasil) says
That’s one beautiful bowl of veggies. I got to get me a spiralizer….
Marisa says
Don’t hold out any longer, Deanna! It’s been worth it for me and I was originally skeptical 😀
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Yum! You always have the prettiest meals and they always make me hungry!
Marisa says
Thanks Rebecca!
Alex Caspero MA,RD (@delishknowledge) says
Yum! I love me some pho but have never tried this before! Any salad full of this many vegetables and herbs is a winner in my book!
Marisa says
I love pho too – most Vietnamese restaurants have bun, so you should definitely try it and then come back here to recreate!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
I’ve actually never tried pho or bun cha but apparently I need to get on it because this looks amazing! So light and colorful!
Marisa says
Please go have Vietnamese food (without me, sadly) and come back and let me know how delicious it was 🙂 We go to our favorite restaurant about 2 times a month for pho – it’s so warming in the winter!
Cassie says
Neeeed. I know exactly where my Spiralizer is, too!! Now I just have to go buy some veggies and fish sauce! Vietnam is THE BEST. xoxoxo
Marisa says
Let me know if you make this!! Seriously turned out so delicious. You might be able to sub something for the fish sauce but I would recommend getting the sauce for authentic flavor.
Hannah says
What do you think you could sub for fish sauce as a vegan alternative? This looks amazing.
Marisa says
Hi Hannah! The purpose of adding fish sauce to recipes is to add umami flavor/savoriness. I know there are some vegan fish sauce recipes online, but you could also just try a bit of miso paste or forgo the fish sauce – the recipe will still be delicious!
rachel says
love that your using zoodles! yum!