This recipe for Vietnamese Rice Vermicelli Noodles with Spring Rolls (Bun Cha Gio) is simple, fresh, crunchy and delicious. It's a light yet substantial meal, perfect for summer or anytime.

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One of my favourite things to eat is Vietnamese rice noodle salad.

It's light, herbacious, and delicious -- especially with freshly fried cha gio.

What is cha gio?

In Vietnamese, "cha gio" refer to spring rolls, otherwise known as egg rolls.

Vietnamese-style cha gio are made of a mixture of meat and vegetables such as ground pork, carrot, wood ear and vermicelli noodles, wrapped in a spring roll wrapper and deep fried.

They are different than goi cuon, which are Vietnamese "summer/salad" rolls.

What is bun cha gio?

Bun means rice noodle in Vietnamese.

Bun cha gio refers to a Vietnamese rice noodle dish with fried spring rolls.

The rice noodles are paired with leafy greens, herbs and pickled veggies, making it a noodle salad of sorts.

Why you'll love this recipe

This Vietnamese noodle salad recipe is very straightforward -- the bulk of the cooking comes from boiling the noodles and frying the spring rolls.

After that, it's a matter of assembling it together in a bowl.

It's versatile -- you can easily swap out the spring rolls for any protein or tofu.

Ingredients you'll need

rice vermicelli noodles: these naturally gluten-free noodles are made with rice flour and water, and can range in varying thickness; for this noodle salad bowl, I like using a medium thickness rather than a thin vermicelli that's used in Sarawak Laksa
spring rolls (cha gio): you can make them at home or find them frozen and uncooked in Asian supermarkets; fry the spring rolls in hot oil until golden and crunchy
lettuce: you can use shredded ice berg or green leaf lettuce
herbs: Vietnamese mint and perilla leaves are common, but you can use whatever you like -- here I used mint and cilantro
bean sprouts: lightly blanched
cucumber: sliced
do chua: is a Vietnamese pickled daikon and carrot; adds a little tang and crunch to the noodle bowl
nuoc cham: is a Vietnamese all-purpose condiment/dressing made with fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chilies

How to make it

Fry the spring rolls in hot oil until crisp, golden in colour and crunchy.

Drain on paper towel.

Note: if using frozen spring rolls, fry from frozen -- do not defrost.

Cook the rice vermicelli noodles according to the package directions.

Rinse and drain the noodles.

Arrange the rice noodles, lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, herbs and do chua on a serving bowl.

Add the fried spring rolls.

Drizzle nuoc cham over the noodles and serve immediately.

How to serve

Bun Cha Gio is best served freshly assembled.

For optimal taste and texture, drizzle the nuoc cham over the noodles/veggies and not the spring rolls, so that they remain crunchy.

It's optimal to fry the spring rolls right before enjoying.

Otherwise, you can fry the spring rolls ahead of time (1 hour prior) and keep them warm in a 250F oven.

How to store

If you need to store Bun Cha Gio, place the components separately in the fridge until ready to serve.

Variations

Change up the Rice Vermicelli Noodle bowl and add:

chargrilled pork (bun thit nuong)
beef (bun thit nuong bo)
prawns (bun thit nuong tom)
fatty pork (bun cha)
vegetables/tofu (bun chay)

Other Vietnamese recipes you may like

Be sure to check out these recipes:

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

Homemade Banh Mi Baguette

Do Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Daikon & Carrot)

Cold Cut Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich)

Vietnamese Salad Rolls (Gỏi Cuốn)

Vietnamese Coffee French Toast

Cà Phê Sữa đá (Vietnamese Iced Coffee)

Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!

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5 from 9 votes