Vietnamese Noodle Salad With Lemongrass Beef (Bun Bo Xao)

By
Connie Veneracion
Connie Veneracion
Connie Veneracion
Food writer and blogger living in the Philippines and specializing in Southeast Asian home cooking and travel.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 06/30/21
Tested by
Danielle Centoni
Danielle Centoni
Tested by Danielle Centoni
Danielle is a James Beard Award-winning food writer and editor based in Portland, Oregon. She has authored five cookbooks and contributed recipe testing to six additional cookbooks. Danielle has worked as a staff editor and writer for the Oakland Tribune and Eater Portland, among others. Danielle has been writing for The Spruce Eats since December 2018. 
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Vietnamese Noodle Salad With Lemongrass Beef (Bun Bo Xao)

The Spruce / Cara Cormack
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 2 mins
Total: 22 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
614 Calories
27g Fat
56g Carbs
36g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 614
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g 34%
Saturated Fat 8g 41%
Cholesterol 104mg 35%
Sodium 866mg 38%
Total Carbohydrate 56g 21%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 24g
Protein 36g
Vitamin C 7mg 35%
Calcium 86mg 7%
Iron 3mg 19%
Potassium 577mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Bún bò xào is a noodle salad, but in Southeast Asia, bún bò xào would be considered a light meal rather than a starter course as a salad—as it's often defined in the West. Bún bò xào has everything that a balanced meal requires. It has meat, it has carbohydrates it has lots of vegetables and fresh herbs.

Bún bò xào is served in layers. At the bottom of the bowl are the cooked rice noodles (bún) cooled to room temperature. The noodles are topped with vegetables, both pickled and fresh. Next comes the beef (bò) that had been marinated with lemongrass then stir-fried (xào). The garnishes come last. Crushed roasted peanuts, fried crisp shallots, and lots of fresh herbs that may include cilantro, lemon basil, mint, perilla (shisho leaves), or all of them. A generous splash of nước mắm pha (more popularly known as nước chấm, the generic term for dipping sauce) is added, the contents of the bowl are tossed together and the bún bò xào is ready to be enjoyed.

Bún bò xào is comforting and familiar yet nuanced enough to be mysterious at the same time. It's all about the contrasting hues and textures of the ingredients which are happily brought together by nước mắm pha without which the salad is nothing but a discordant lump of colors and shapes.

"Bursting with flavors and textures, this dish is ideal for busy nights—especially when it’s too hot to do much cooking. I used shiso, Thai basil, mint, and cilantro for the herbs, and two Thai chiles instead of a finger chile. Instead of store-bought nuoc mam pha, I mixed up a batch in just minutes." —Danielle Centoni

Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Lemongrass Beef Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces (about 250 grams) beef sirloin

  • 1 tablespoon nước mắm (fish sauce)

  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic

  • 1 tablespoon finely sliced lemongrass (use only the tender center of the white portion of the stalks)

  • 8 ounces (225 grams) thin rice noodles, prepared according to package directions, then drained and cooled

  • 1/3 cup julienned cucumber

  • 1/3 cup pickled carrot and radish

  • 1 finger chile, or 2 Thai bird chiles, thinly sliced, optional

  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil

  • 2 cups fresh herbs, such as cilantro, lemon basil, mint, perilla, or a combination of 2 or more

  • 1 tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts

  • 2 tablespoons fried crisp shallots (available in Asian stores)

  • 1/3 cup nước mắm pha, for serving

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Vietnamese Noodle Salad With Lemongrass Beef (Bun Bo Xao) ingredients

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  2. Cut the sirloin against the grain into slices a little less than a quarter of an inch thick.

    Cut the sirloin against the grain into slices

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  3. Then, cut each slice into chunks about 1/2-inch wide. Place into a medium bowl.

    beef cut into small pieces

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  4. Mix the beef chunks with the nước mắm (fish sauce), garlic, and lemongrass.

    Mix with the beef strips the nước mắm (fish sauce), garlic, and lemongrass

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  5. Divide the noodles between 2 bowls. Top with the julienned cucumber, pickled carrot and radish and finger chilie (if using). 

    Top the noodles in the bowls with the julienned cucumber, pickled carrot and radish and finger chili

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  6. Heat the peanut oil in a wok to smoking point. Stir-fry the beef for about 2 minutes.

    Heat the peanut oil in a wok with the beef

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  7. Divide the beef between the 2 bowls.

    Divide the beef between the two bowls

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  8. Top with fresh herbs, peanuts, and fried shallots.

    Top the bowls with fresh herbs, peanuts, and fried shallots

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  9. Serve with nước mắm pha on the side.

    Vietnamese Noodle Salad With Lemongrass Beef (Bun Bo Xao) in bowls

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack