This refreshing Vietnamese summer roll noodle bowl is a sensation for the taste buds and is perfect for a light evening meal or lunch with friends. This tasty noodle bowl is full of fresh vibrant ingredients topped off by a delicious spicy peanut dressing.
We spent two months in Vietnam last year and the food was amazing, often simple but the abundance of fresh herbs used such as Vietnamese mint, Thai basil, and coriander really brought the food alive.
Each meal is easily made adaptable to individual tastes by being able to serve yourself as much fresh herbs or chili as you like - or don't like!
This Vietnamese Noodle Salad is inspired by the traditional Vietnamese Summer Rolls but is a deconstructed option that is easier to throw together - you still get the amazing flavour without having to do the time-consuming rolling!
Summer rolls were one my favourite go-to staples on our trip and were always slightly different depending on what county of Vietnam you were visiting.
The great thing about Vietnamese food - including this noodle bowl - is that it doesn't leave you feeling stuffed! After eating a meal you feel satisfied and nicely refreshed.
Ordering food for our toddler in Vietnam could be a little challenging at times, but we were very lucky that he grew to absolutely love rice noodles! And why not?...... Noodles can be quite fun for a little guy!
He still can't get enough of rice noodles, so when I made this noodle salad the other day he was happily stuffing his face with it.
Tips on how to make this Vietnamese Noodle Bowl child-friendly.....
When I make my toddlers' salad portion I omit the fresh chilies and go a bit easier on the herbs. He only likes a small amount of fresh herbs, so I chop them up a little finer so they blend in a bit more with the noodles.
I will either make another peanut sauce for him without the spice (chilies ) or if that's too much effort then he has the salad sans sauce but just with a splash of lime juice.
Additional Recipes Notes
Additional Recipes Notes- I have used organic whole peanut butter to make the spicy peanut dressing, this will give the sauce a darker colour than the standard peanut butter you can buy at the supermarket. In my opinion, it tastes nice and gives the dressing a richer flavour but standard peanut butter will also work well.
- I have also omitted Hoisin sauce, this sauce is traditionally in the peanut dipping sauces in Vietnam but it often contains sugar and additives so I have left it out, the dressing still tastes good!
This recipe was inspired a) By our trip to Vietnam and b) by Steph in Thyme who has a vegetarian summer roll salad on her blog. Stephanie's blog has lots of great gluten-free vegetarian and vegan recipes.
If you are looking for other tasty Asian-inspired recipes you may like to try:
Chicken and Vegetable Miso Soup
Tofu Noodle Bowl with Peanut Sauce
I hope you enjoy this summer roll bowl recipe! Please let me know how you got on in the comments below, and leave a star rating, I love hearing from you!
For more tasty recipes and to see what I’ve been getting up to you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter.
Have a lovely week!
Hope x
Vietnamese Summer Roll Bowl
Ingredients
Salad
- 200 gm Vermicelli rice noodles
- 400 gm Prawns shrimp shelled, deveined and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 carrots peeled into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
- 1 cup mango chopped into matchsticks
- 1 cup cucumber chopped into matchsticks
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- ½ cup mint leaves ordinary or Vietnamese
- ½ cup coriander cilantro leaves
- ½ cup Thai basil leaves
- 2 medium sized birds eye chilies *Optional omit for children
Spicy Peanut Dressing
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- ¼ cup peanut butter * I used Chantal Organics Whole Peanut Butter
- 1 lime juice of
- 1.5 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce* See note below
- 2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or honey
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped chili* Optional omit for children
To serve
- ½ cup roasted peanuts roughly chopped
- 4 lime wedges
- dash Fish sauce added to taste.
Instructions
Salad
- Prepare the vermicelli noodles as per the instructions on the packet, then rinse and drain the noodles.
- Melt coconut oil in a skillet or fry pan, saute the crushed garlic on a medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Turn the heat up high and then then add the prawns(shrimp) to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until the prawns are just cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Arrange the noodles, prawns and rest of the ingredients to make a salad or toss together in a bowl.
Spicy Peanut Dressing
- Melt the coconut oil in a skillet or fry pan, saute the crushed garlic for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients for the dressing, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens. This should take about 5 minutes. Add more water to make consistency thinner if desired.
To serve
- To serve squeeze the juice of a lime wedge over each individual portion of salad, pour over the peanut dressing and top with the chopped peanuts. Add more fish sauce to taste if desired.
Notes
- I used organic whole peanut butter which gives the spicy peanut dressing a darker colour than standard peanut butter.
- Soy sauce can be used instead of tamari if you are not gluten-free.
- I have also omitted Hoisin sauce, this sauce is traditionally in the peanut dipping sauces in Vietnam but it often contains sugar and additives so I have left it out, the dressing still tastes good!
Nutrition
Nutrtition Information
This nutritional information is an estimate only and is provided as a courtesy to readers. It was auto-generated based on serving size, number of servings, and typical information for the ingredients listed in the recipe card. Please feel free to use your preferred nutrition calculator. Please consult your doctor about any specific dietary requirements.
Disclosure – I have not been paid, sponsored or endorsed for any products I have recommended in this blog post.
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