Vermicelli Bowl with Chicken (Bun Ga Nuong)
Grill-charred lemongrass chicken, cool vermicelli, herb-pickle pile and nuoc cham.
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The bowl wants char - push the chicken past 'cooked' to 'edges burnt and sticky' from the honey marinade. That smoky-sweet caramelization is the whole point of bun ga nuong.
Ingredients
Everything below makes 4 servings.
- 1½ lbboneless skinless chicken thighs
- 8 ozrice vermicelli noodles
- 3lemongrass stalkstender white part finely minced
- 5garlic clovesminced
- 2 mediumshallotminced
- 3 tbspfish sauce
- 1 tbspsoy sauce
- 2 tbsphoney
- 2 tbspneutral oil
- 1 largecarrotsjulienned
- ¼ lbdaikon radishjulienned
- ⅓ cuprice vinegar
- 3 tbspgranulated sugar
- 2limejuiced
- 1Thai chiliminced
- 1 headbutter lettuceleaves torn
- 1 mediumcucumberjulienned
- ½ bunchfresh mintleaves picked
- ½ bunchThai basilleaves picked
- ½ bunchfresh cilantroleaves and tender stems
- 3scallionsthinly sliced
- ¼ cuproasted peanutsroughly chopped
- 2 tbspfried shallots (store-bought)
- ½ tspkosher salt
In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.
Nutrition
Per serving, as written.
- 520calories
- 36gprotein
- 58gcarbs
- 14gfat
Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.
Instructions
Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.
- Mince lemongrass (tender white part), garlic, 1 medium shallot. Reserve the rest of the shallot for the pickle and nuoc cham.
- Julienne carrot, daikon, cucumber; tear lettuce, pick mint, basil, cilantro, slice scallions, chop peanuts.
Marinate
In a bowl, toss chicken with lemongrass, half the garlic, minced shallot, fish sauce, soy sauce, honey, oil, and salt. Massage to coat; let sit 15 min.
15 min · hands offQuick-pickle and nuoc cham
Whisk rice vinegar, sugar, lime juice, remaining garlic, Thai chili, and 1/4 cup water until sugar dissolves. Pour half over julienned carrot and daikon for the pickle (rest 10 min). The other half IS the nuoc cham.
10 min · hands offCook vermicelli
Boil vermicelli per package - usually 3-4 min. Drain, rinse cold, divide into 4 bowls.
4 min · hands onChar chicken
Heat grill pan over medium-high with remaining oil. Add chicken in a single layer (don't crowd - work in batches if needed). Sear 4 min per side, lid-down if you have one, until edges are deeply charred. Let rest 3 min, then slice into bite-size pieces.
9 min · hands onBuild bowls
Over the vermicelli, pile lettuce, cucumber, drained pickle, mint, basil, cilantro, scallions on one side; sliced chicken on the other. Shower with peanuts and fried shallots. Pour generously with nuoc cham before eating.
4 min · hands onMake it yours
Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.
Use thin-sliced pork; same marinade, sear 4 min per side.
Use 1 lb peeled shrimp; marinate only 10 min and grill 3 min total. Saves about 5 minutes.
Press 10 min, cube, marinate 15 min, sear until golden all sides.
Cook 1.5 cups jasmine rice instead of vermicelli. Adds about 5 minutes.
What keeps
Cooked chicken and pickles and nuoc cham all keep 4 days separately. Cook vermicelli per bowl (they get gluey reheated).
Reheat chicken gently in a covered pan with a splash of water.
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