Vietnamese Beef and Rice Noodle Salad {Gluten Free + Dairy Free}

One of the many things I loved about living in Sydney was the profusion of authentic Asian restaurants (my favs being Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean) – I would eat there at least once a week because it's super yum, quick, cheap and most of the time, healthy. Since we left in April and have been traveling around, things have been a bit different though.

Getting your Asian food fix in Paris is pretty easy (you can go Rue Sainte Anne for Japanese and Korean restaurants, and say, to Belleville for Vietnamese) but forget about it in Tel Aviv or Krakow (not sure about Edinburgh but we didn't see any!). I'm not talking about fusion food hey, I'm talking real deal authentic Asian food cooked by native people.

I'm merely a native haha but I thought it would be nice for me to have a "close enough" recipe when I need a quick fix and no access to a good restaurant.

This salad is a distant cousin to the Vietnamese "bun bo", which is essentially a salad made of rice vermicelli, lots of fresh herbs, carrots, cucumber... and beef (either ground or grilled). It's fresh, it's tasty and it's filling. You should give it a go, I'm sure you'll love it! Enjoy 🙂

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Vietnamese Noodle Salad {Gluten Free}

Course Main Course

Cuisine Vietnamese

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4 people as a main

Calories 385 kcal

Ingredients

• 4 cups sliced romaine hearts
• 1 medium cucumber sliced in half moons
• 1 medium carrot grated
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup finely chopped thai basil optional
• 4 scallions thinly sliced
• 1 lbs - 450 g lean ground beef
• ⅓ cup lime juice
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar you can also use brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce or your favorite hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 oz. /120 g vermicelli rice noodles
• ¼ cup toasted peanuts chopped

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, add romaine, carrot, cucumber, herbs and scallion. Toss well and set aside.
2. Add ground beef to a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown the meat, using your spoon to break it up into small pieces, for about 5-7 minutes or until all meat is cooked through and golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. Using the same pan (from the meat), add lime juice over low heat to deglaze the pan. Add coconut sugar, fish sauce, sriracha and salt. Use your spoon to scrape any crispy bits stuck to the pan and stir until sugar has just dissolved. Add liquid to the bowl of cooked meat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
4. In the meantime, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add rice noodles and cook for 3 minutes (or according to box instructions). Then, immediately drain and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch. Let drain.
5. Add rice noodles to salad mixture, then pour saucy meat mixture overtop. Toss very well to coat, making sure all leaves are dressed. Top with toasted peanuts and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

Vietnamese Noodle Salad {Gluten Free}

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 385 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 70mg23%

Sodium 1335mg58%

Potassium 872mg25%

Carbohydrates 42g14%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 29g58%

Vitamin A 9260IU185%

Vitamin C 17.4mg21%

Calcium 83mg8%

Iron 4.4mg24%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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