Warm rice vermicelli, quickly seared beef and fresh herbs come together with cucumber, lettuce, peanuts and crispy shallots. A light, sweet-and-sour nước chấm brings everything together without turning it into a soup.
Bún bò Nam Bộ is a Vietnamese noodle salad that pairs warm, savoury beef with cool vegetables and herbs. The name refers to bún, rice vermicelli; bò, beef; and Nam Bộ, the southern region of Vietnam. The ingredients are brought together in a bowl and mixed with nước chấm at the table. So it is not a broth-based soup: the dressing adds flavour and moisture, but the noodles should not be swimming in it.
Rice vermicelli is thin and soft, making a gentle base for the bold toppings. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions, then briefly rinse them with cold water. This stops them from cooking further and helps keep them from sticking together. Drain them well; excess water will dilute the dressing. Thinly sliced beef cooks quickly over high heat. Cook it in batches if your pan is small: too much meat at once releases moisture, so it steams rather than browns.
The flavour is all about contrast. Nước chấm combines fish sauce, lime, sugar and water into a bright, salty dressing; garlic and chilli add extra fragrance and heat. Add the dressing gradually rather than pouring it all over the bowls at once. This keeps the lettuce crisp and lets you adjust the balance. Fried shallots and peanuts add a crunchy bite, while cucumber, lettuce and raw bean sprouts bring freshness. Mint and coriander make the whole dish fragrant and fresh.
Choose a tender cut of beef that is easy to slice thinly against the grain, such as steak or eye of round steak. If slicing is difficult, firm up the meat briefly in the freezer; it does not need to be frozen. Fish sauce is best for the dressing, as it gives the dish its distinctive savoury flavour. You can use lemon instead of lime, though the freshness will be slightly different. Thai basil is a lovely extra herbaceous note if you can find it, but mint and coriander are enough.
Serve the bowls as soon as the beef is cooked, with the warm noodles underneath and the raw ingredients on top. Put extra nước chấm, peanuts and shallots on the table so everyone can finish their bowl to taste. It is best not to mix leftovers in advance: store the noodles, vegetables and dressing separately in sealed containers in the fridge and eat within two days. Keep the cooked beef chilled too, and reheat it separately until piping hot before serving.
Slice the beef thinly against the grain. Toss with 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar, the black pepper and half the garlic. Leave to stand for 10 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Cook the rice vermicelli according to the package instructions. Drain, briefly rinse with cold water and drain well.
To make the nước chấm, stir the remaining fish sauce and sugar with the lime juice and warm water until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the remaining garlic and the chilli.
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Fry the shallot rings for a few minutes until golden brown and crispy, stirring regularly, then remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels.
Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a large wok or frying pan over high heat. Cook the beef in a single layer, in two batches if needed, just until cooked through and browned at the edges. Remove the beef from the pan as soon as it is ready.
Divide the noodles, lettuce, cucumber and bean sprouts among four bowls. Top with the warm beef, then add the mint, coriander, fried shallots and peanuts. Spoon over nước chấm to taste and gently mix at the table.
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