Vietnamese Noodles

Ingredients

Meat and Marinade

• 1.6lb chicken thigh fillets , skinless and boneless or breast (or pork, beef or any seafood)
• 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped or minced
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (Note 3)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (all purpose or light)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 stalk lemongrass , white part only, bruised them sliced into pieces easy to pick out later (Note 1)

Nuoc Cham

• 1/4 cup fish sauce (Note 3)
• 4 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
• 1/2 tbs thai garlic chili sauce (Note 5)
• 3 tbsp lime juice

Noodle Bowl

• 7 oz vermicelli noodles , dried
• 2 carrots , julienned
• 2 cucumbers julienned (optional: remove seeds)
• 5 cups iceberg lettuce , finely sliced
• 3 cups bean sprouts
• Handful of mint leaves
• Handful of cilantro/coriander
• Sliced chili (for garnish - optional)
• Lime wedges (to serve - optional)

Instructions

1. Combine Meat and Marinade ingredients and set aside for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours. (Note 4)
2. Combine the Nuoc Cham ingredients and mix well to dissolve the sugar. Adjust to your taste (spiciness, lime, sweetness) and set aside.
3. Soak the vermicelli noodles in hot water for 3 minutes (or according to packet instructions), then drain and rinse under cold water to stop the noodles from sticking together.
4. BBQ Chicken for 5 minutes on each side,  rest for 5 minutes. Then slice into thin pieces.
5. To serve individually: Place noodles in bowl. Then either top or lightly toss through the vegetables and herbs, and top with chicken pieces. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of Nuoc Cham Sauce (be generous, ~ 4 tbsp per serving) and serve with lime wedges.
6. To serve to share (my preferred way): Place meat and vegetables on a large platter with the sauce, and the noodles in a bowl, and let your guests help themselves.

Recipe Notes

1. To prepare the lemongrass, peel the tough outer layers off to reveal the softer white part on the bottom ~1/3 of the lemongrass. Bruise using the back of the knife (see video). Don't slice too finely or finely chop, you want the pieces large enough so you can just brush them off (lemongrass is kind of tough, it has to be very finely chopped / cooked for a long time to eat).

You could sub with 1 tbsp lemongrass paste.

2. Make this kid friendly by just serving the chilli on the side. To make it GLUTEN FREE, ensure you use GF tamari. 

3. Fish sauce is a key ingredient in a lot of Asian cooking. Don't worry, it doesn't taste fishy when combined with other ingredients! It's an incredible flavour enhancer that has more depth than salt or soy sauce and is very cheap to buy at supermarkets or Asian grocery stores (even better value!).

4. Freezing: Pop the chicken in the fridge as soon as it's in the marinade. Then let it defrost in the fridge - it will marinate during this time.

5. This can be substituted with any spicy chilli. Adjust to your taste.

6. DIY Noodle Bowl Spread: Pile all the components on a large platter or separate bowls and let guests serve themselves. That's how I typically serve this.