Sunday, October 30, 2011

Vietnamese BBQ Shrimp Vermicelli (Bun Tom Heo Nuong)

I absolutely love Vietnamese food. Who am I kidding, I love all kinds of food, but I do find myself eating ethnic cuisine when I go out to eat more than anything else. The portions are HUGE at Vietnamese restaurants, and all too often I leave an empty plate. While this dish is pretty healthy even if eaten in a restaurant, the portion is usually enough for three people, not just one, and the sauce usually has a lot more sugar in it than the way I have made it.
Bun can be made with any protein, but I have chosen shrimp, partially to quell a craving and partly to fill a request for shrimp recipes (I will post more shortly). Bun is a wonderful summer dish, and while it is the end of October it has been quite warm here in southern California, so I found it a wonderful complement to a warm autumn evening, and only 35 minutes from start to finish!



Bun Tom Heo Nuong for 2 (7 points each):

7 oz rice noodle sticks (Bun Que Lam)
8 oz peeled, deveined, tail on shrimp (the size I used yielded 20 shrimp, the size you use may be different)
1/2 cucumber, julienne
1 carrot, peeled and julienne
6 roamine lettuce leaves, chiffonade
4 napa cabbage leaves, chiffonade
1 c bean sprouts
2 T cilantro, chopped
2 T Thai basil, chiffonade
1 T mint leaves, chiffonade

Marinade:
2 t fish sauce
6 turns of a pepper mill
Dash of tumeric

Sauce:
3 T fish sauce
1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 T sugar
4 T fresh lime juice
1 T chili garlic sauce (the kind with the rooster on the jar) Use more or less depending on how spicy you like it.

Method:
 Toss shrimp in marinade, allow to marinate for 30 minutes, stirring them up every 10 minutes.

 While the shrimp is marinating, prep your vegetables and make your sauce. To make the sauce simply stir the warm water and sugar together until dissolved, then stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and chili sauce.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse in cold water and set aside. (The noodles are served at room temperature in this dish)

On a charcoal BBQ or an indoor grill pan grill the shrimp until opaque, and nicely marked, about 2 mins each side.

Toss together the lettuce, cabbage, cilantro, mint and basil, place equal amounts in the bottom of your bowls. Top with 1/2 the noodles, carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts and shrimp. Serve with the sauce on the side to be added by the diner, tossing it with the contents of the bowl.
 
*To chiffonade: Place the leaves one on top of the other and roll up, then slice thinly (like shredding).

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