Vegan Bún Cha
This Vietnamese noodle salad is packed full of salty, sweet and spicy flavours. My favourite part has to be the fresh herbs though, they add so much flavour! As the weather in Australia is starting to warm up, this is the perfect dish for a light dinner.
There is so much room in this recipe to make the dish your own and include your favourite flavours. I often mix it up and include some red capsicum, radishes or fresh tomato, depending on what I’ve got in the fridge.
This is also a wonderful dish to make for friends or family that might be going through a tough time. I made a big batch and dropped it off at a friend’s house last year after she got home from surgery. She loved it! It doesn’t require any reheating and is packed full of nutrients, just what we need when we don’t have the strength to cook for ourselves.
Serves 4
Ingredients
Tofu
450-500g firm tofu
1 1/2 tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
Dressing
30g (3 tbsp) palm sugar
2 garlic cloves
1 long red chilli (seeds removed if you want to reduce the heat level)
3 tbsp white rice vinegar
5 tbsp lime juice (~ 1 1/2 large limes)
2 tbsp vegan fish sauce
1/4 cup water
Everything else
200g brown vermicelli noodles
1 cup red cabbage
1 cup lettuce
1 lebanese cucumber
1 carrot
1 cup each of fresh coriander + mint
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup vietnamese mint (optional)
2 spring onions, sliced, to serve
2 tbsp roasted, unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped, to serve
2 tbsp fried shallots, to serve
Extra lime wedges, to serve
Method
Tofu - Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Drain and press the tofu between paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Cut into 3x1.5cm pieces and place in a medium sized bowl. Add the cornflour, salt and pepper, then toss to coat. Drizzle over the olive oil, toss again and place onto a lined baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip the tofu over and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden.
Dressing - finely chop the palm sugar and garlic cloves. Slice the chilli. Place the palm sugar, garlic and chilli in a medium sized bowl and pour over the vinegar and lime juice. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and then add the vegan fish sauce and water. Stir to combine and set aside.
Noodles - Cook the vermicelli according to the packet instructions, then drain under cold water and divide amongst four serving bowls.
Finely shred the red cabbage and lettuce. Slice the cucumber into ribbons using a vegetable peeler, sharp knife or mandolin. Cut the carrot into matchsticks. Finely chop all of the fresh herbs.
Arrange the tofu, vegetables and herbs on top of the vermicelli. Top with the sliced spring onions, roughly chopped peanuts and lime wedges. Divide the dressing amongst the four bowls and serve immediately.
Alternatively, you can throw everything into a large bowl and mix with tongs.
