In the summertime (okay, actually, really, all the time) I am all about the steaks. I think my steak-deprived childhood has turned me into a steak fiend. But really, it’s hard not to love steak, especially when there are so many delicious ways to eat it. One particularly delicious way is in bún, a Vietnamese bowl of grilled meat, vermicelli and dipping sauce.
This is by no means a traditional bowl, with the avocados and tomatoes, but it really, really works. The sweet acidity of the tomatoes goes well with the steak and the creaminess of the avocados pairs nicely with the texture of the vermicelli. Dump a boat load of fish sauce on top and you are on your way to deliciousness.
I didn’t marinate the steak at all, just because I think all a good piece of meat needs is salt and pepper. More traditionalbún is usually made with thinly sliced meat that’s marinated, but steak was calling to me at the store.
If you’re looking to fire up the grill (or cast iron pan) this weekend but want something just a wee bit different, give this steak and vermicelli bowl a go. If you’re anything like me, you won’t be disappointed!
i am hot, i am cold: i am steak and vermicelli bun!
Vietnamese Steak and Vermicelli Bowl / Bún Thịt Nướng Bò Recipe
serves 2
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 boneless rib eye steak (or steak of choice)
- oil
- 2-4 bundles of vermicelli
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 pint mini heirloom or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 2 mini cucumbers, shredded
- mixed fish sauce to taste, see below
An hour before you want to eat, bring your steak to room temperature. When ready to cook, pat your steak dry with paper towels and generously season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron pan on high until nearly smoking. Add a tiny slick of oil and place your steak in the middle of the pan and cook, without moving for 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and let rest for 10 minutes while assembling your bowls.
Cook the vermicelli according to the package, rinse in cold water and drain well. Divide amongst two bowls. Top with tomatoes, avocado and shredded cucumbers. Cut the steak against the grain and arrange on the noodles. Serve with fish sauce, to taste.
Mixed Fish Sauce Vinaigrette / Nước mắm Pha Recipe
makes about 2 cups
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 red bird’s eye chili
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- juice of 1/2 lime (or to taste)
- 1 3/4 cups of water
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
Crush the garlic, chili and sugar together in a mortar and pestle until the garlic and chili are crushed to tiny pieces and the sugar is spicy and fragrant. Dissolve the sugar, garlic and chili mixture with the water then add the lime juice. Mix well then add the fish sauce. It’s best to let the fish sauce sit in the fridge for a day or so for the flavors to meld before using.
49 Comments
Christina says:
June 20, 2014 at 2:12 am
Hello from Greece! Beautiful blog, awesome photos, easy gourmet recipes… Glad to come across your blog, I just purchased your cookbook and am really looking forward to cooking and tasting your recipes! How about a Greek-inspired recipe for your next post? :)
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:17 pm
thank you so much christina!
something greek inspired is an awesome idea!! :D
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Millie l Add A Little says:
June 20, 2014 at 7:45 am
This looks AMAZING!! Definitely want to try this out – looks light but full of fresh flavours!
http://youtube.com/addalittlefoodReply
steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:18 pm
thanks millie!
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:19 pm
thank you annie!
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cynthia says:
June 20, 2014 at 8:45 am
Oh my gosh, this looks so good. These vermicelli bowls call my name in the summertime — and this unique take on it sounds perfect. (And oh my god, that fish vinaigrette! Yes, MANY boat loads please!!!)
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:22 pm
mmm yes, i think i could eat fish sauce on everything :D
Matt Robinson says:
June 20, 2014 at 9:22 am
Bookmarked and happening here soon, love everything about this!!
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:22 pm
thanks so much matt!
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molly yeh says:
June 20, 2014 at 9:25 am
YES STEAK. i’ve gotta get nick to eat more of it… and this is the prettiest supper in a bowl ever.
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:22 pm
i making up for all the uneaten steaks of my youth by eating as much steak as possible now. i’m pretty sure this is insanely unhealthy, but oh wells!
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Lan | morestomach says:
June 20, 2014 at 9:30 am
the addition of the tomato + avocado is intriguing, definitely something i’d be down with trying compared to the usual bun thit nuong.
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:23 pm
i thought it would be a bit weird, but it turned out being AWESOME!
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June 20, 2014 at 9:30 am
I used to love eating this at home whenever my mom made it when I was growing up! This looks so delicious!
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:23 pm
thanks polly! :)
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:23 pm
thank you so much cheyenne!
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June 20, 2014 at 11:43 am
OMG this actually made me drool a little bit. Gotta go grab lunch. Wish it was this.
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:23 pm
hahhah you have the BEST comments michelle!
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Sophie says:
June 20, 2014 at 11:55 am
Love how you let the steak shine with just a little S&P! Rock on. Bun Thit is one of my faaaaorites, especially in the summer (cooking the noodles and meat early in the day before it’s hot, chowing down on cool, refreshing dinner later!) and this twist with avo and tomatoes sounds wonderful. Can’t wait til tomato season is in full swing here! I love the colors you’ve got going on with yours :)
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:24 pm
yup, nothing beats a big bowl of bun on a hot day :)
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Farah @ The Cooking Jar says:
June 20, 2014 at 2:24 pm
You’re right. I think it does work. At first I was…eh, but the combination of textures and flavors really do compliment each other. And I just have to say….that cooked whole steak picture: I want to marry it :)
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:24 pm
i was a bit iffy, but i gave it a go and it really worked!
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Josh says:
June 20, 2014 at 5:07 pm
Yo, bun is like my favorite comfort food in the world – it’d be last meal for sure. Not that I’m planning on doing anything that would warrant me having a last meal… but you know, just in case.
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:30 pm
don’t worry josh, if it ever comes up…i got your back! last meal: bun!
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:31 pm
thank you marcella! xoxo
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June 21, 2014 at 2:40 am
This look so good! Summer is the perfect season to enjoy some delicious, juicy meat, and this is such a great alternative way to serve it. We celebrated Midsummer yesterday and I barbecued picanha for the first time ever – hands down my favorite cut of beef. Seasoned with salt and pepper and served with grilled vegetables. Perfect.
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:31 pm
i’m so jealous of your super long days sini! your picanha and grilled veggies sound so delicious!
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Leah Davis says:
June 22, 2014 at 12:08 pm
Yum! This sounds really delicious. I would like to incorporate more Asian ingredients into my cooking so this is definitely on my list! How spicy is the red bird’s eye chili?
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steph says:
June 22, 2014 at 6:33 pm
hmm, they’re quite spicy, but if you deseed them, not so much. just be careful after slicing or deseeding – don’t rub your eyes. i did this once and it burned like crazy!
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J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats says:
June 22, 2014 at 7:19 pm
Wasn’t deprived of steak as a child but we did eat ALL our steak very well done. Had no idea what I was missing out on until I was 15 and realized medium rare steaks were a whole different world. So now I think I am making up for all those shoe-leather steak I ate as a kid.
Oh and avocado goes well with everything. EVERYTHING. Haha.
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SimonBao says:
June 24, 2014 at 2:20 pm
I am not questioning whether that dish is tasty, it probably is. But the dish should not be described as Vietnamese. It is not. It does indeed include some of the ingredients that go into an authentic Vietnamese Bun noodle bowl, but that never makes a dish Vietnamese. Never in my life have I seen a Bun Thit Nuong bowl like this, and it cannot be called by that name. That dish is missing essential ingredients – where are all the VNese salad herbs, the bean sprouts, the pickles – and arbitrarily tosses in avocado and cherry tomatoes. And instead of the necessary marinated, deeply flavored, grilled proteins, meats or seafood or tofu, we get very plain pan-seared steak.
I think it’s great when folks do riffs on their favorite Vietnamese dishes, all for that, encourage it every chance I get. But at the same time it’s quite WRONG for bloggers and cooks to mislabel and misidentify foods that are assuredly NOT Vietnamese. To some extent that may have been understandable in 1987, but it is not understandable in 2014.
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Linh Kieu says:
July 3, 2014 at 1:15 pm
I am Vietnamese, born and raised in Hanoi, and I think it is perfectly fine for her to call in Vietnamese. Basically the main flavor profile is there – diverting from it by adding a few things or cutting a few things based on one’s own preference doesn’t un-Vietnamese it. Plus the herbs and bean sprouts and pickles are not “essential”. There’s a reason they are served separately on the table in Vietnam, so that people can customize.
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zea mae says:
June 30, 2014 at 11:45 pm
like it. :)
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Boyuan Dong says:
July 2, 2014 at 7:32 pm
It look like beautiful. This steak cook medium or well done.
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Linh Kieu says:
July 3, 2014 at 1:09 pm
This is great! I am Vietnamese and I love seeing recipes that break away from the traditional. Never thought about adding avocados to bun though – will definitely try it. Thank you!
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Peater Bao Vinh says:
July 30, 2017 at 12:33 pm
Oh… I LOVE steaks so much…
Last year, I had gogeous steaks to celebrate the same birthday with my “Platonic” “friendship” “buddy” Durian Dee (Thuy Duong Nguyen Truc) at ruth’s chris steak house in Dallas and it was so delicious. I’m still in LOVE with the taste of steaks… I cannot gorget…
Well, it’s time to cook by myself. Of course, this time, Vietnamese style!!!Reply
