Vietnamese Salt and Pepper Shrimp Rice Noodle Bowl (Bun Tom Xao)

Name: Vietnamese Salt and Pepper Shrimp Rice Noodle Bowl (Bun Tom Xao)
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 5 ounces uncooked rice vermicelli noodles; ½ cup lukewarm water; 3 tablespoons granulated sugar; ¼ cup fresh lime juice; 1 tablespoon rice vinegar; 5 teaspoons fish sauce (such as Three Crabs); 2 serrano chiles, thinly sliced; 4 cups (1/4-inch) slices green leaf lettuce; 3 cups diagonally cut slices seeded Kirby (pickling) cucumber (about 2); ¼ cup cilantro leaves; ¼ cup torn Thai basil leaves; ¼ cup torn mint leaves; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar; ¼ teaspoon salt; ¾ teaspoon white pepper; 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined; 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided; ⅓ cup (1/4-inch) slices green onions; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; ½ cup unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

13 Ratings
12 Reviews

Expect the noodles to clump and stick after they're cooked. Recipe author Andrea Nguyen devised a great trick to prevent them from sticking too much: Put an inverted small bowl in the bottom of the colander for the noodles to drape over.

By Andrea Nguyen

Recipe by Cooking Light March 2013

Gallery

Credit: Marcus Nilsson; Styling: Tiziana Agnello

Recipe Summary

hands-on:

45 mins

total:

45 mins

Yield:

Serves 4

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1
Cook rice vermicelli noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.

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Step 2
Combine 1/2 cup lukewarm water and granulated sugar in a medium bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add lime juice, vinegar, fish sauce, and chiles; set aside.
Step 3
Combine lettuce, cucumber, and herbs; set aside.
Step 4
Combine cornstarch, brown sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; stir until well combined. Add shrimp; toss to coat. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, and swirl to coat. Add half of shrimp; cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until shrimp are seared. Remove from pan. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to wok; repeat procedure with remaining shrimp. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to wok; swirl to coat. Add onions and garlic; stir-fry 30 seconds. Return shrimp to pan; stir-fry 1 minute.
Step 5
Arrange about 1 cup lettuce mixture in each of 4 large bowls, and top each serving with about 1 cup noodles and 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts. Divide the shrimp evenly among servings, and serve each with 1/4 cup sauce.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

462 calories; fat 17.6g; saturated fat 1.9g; mono fat 9g; poly fat 5.1g; protein 24.6g; carbohydrates 52.9g; fiber 4.4g; cholesterol 143mg; iron 3.2mg; sodium 802mg; calcium 146mg.

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MelisendePF

03/14/2023

This did take a while to prepare because of all the washing and cutting of the greens, making the noodles and sauce and chopping peanuts - so it's not for when you're rushed. The result was very good though I felt we could have used less greens. 4 days later I still have the salad portion while all the rest is gone.
I did the draining noodle trick and mine didn't stick together. I also made more dressing as it's my favorite part and only put in a couple slices of serrano as one of the diners can't stand eating anything hot. All around a very good dish.

lesliecarson

10/19/2015

I just discovered a tip to make this dish even more amazing. I mix the liquids and serranos and let the cucumbers soak for a while in the mixture. Even 10-20 minutes of this makes an improvement, a few hours and it's great. The cucumbers get crunchier and more flavorful and it all just marries so well. Love. It.

TexasEx2001

04/23/2015

Amazing!! I actually didn't have some of the ingredients - chilis, cilantro, lettuce....but I substituted some chili paste for the chilis and did without the rest and my husband was super happy! He ate 4 servings. Definitely on our rotation now.

dgoodjohn

01/31/2014

This has become a regular in our household. I did find that it's not the best meal for a quick cook or a mid-week rush. There are a few steps but it is well worth it!

mlstrom

03/25/2013

Delicious! Followed the recipe as directed, would do it again in a heartbeat! Definitely a keeper!

creamcheese

03/18/2013

Yum! Very happy with this. Made some adjustments only because I had different ingredients on hand: sauteed bok choy for lettuce and 1/2 of the shrimp for 1/2 pound of Korean fish balls. Though time-consuming to prepare (will never purchase not-deveined shrimp again, not worth the cheaper price!) was worth it. Yum, yum.

kayakGirl21

03/08/2013

This was so good, definitely a keeper for us. I didn't have any serrano's so I just added 1/2 t. of crushed red pepper and that gave the dressing plenty of heat. Tasted like something out of a restaurant.

irish01

03/04/2013

Great recipe - easy to put together in steps too. I mixed the sauce and prepped the vegetables earlier, and just had to cook the noodles and stir fry when it was time for dinner. Used regular basil since my store didn't have any Thai basil, but otherwise followed the directions

bjane1

03/03/2013

This was exceptional! Very flavorful. The shrimp was tasty and cooked perfectly. I used whole wheat vermicelli rather than rice. I can't wait to make this for guests!

TokyoJim

03/03/2013

I lived in SE Asia for two years and visit regularly. This recipe is spot on. It makes me really, really happy.

Phillygirl2

02/25/2013

Very good recipe. I've been on a steady restaurant diet of Thai and Vietnamese for the past 6 months and this recipe is as good or better than anything I've ordered out. Will definitely make again.

SCtoNC

02/25/2013

Yum. Our entire family enjoyed this! It was a great blend of flavors. We replaced the serrano chiles with a small amount of sirachya.

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