Grilled Lemongrass Shrimp Vermicelli Noodle Bowls

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A cool, crunchy Vietnamese noodle bowl built the way the best shops do it: room-temperature rice vermicelli, a fistful of fresh herbs and lettuce, quick-pickled carrot and daikon, and hot-off-the-grill lemongrass shrimp. The real recipe is the assembly and the nuoc cham — a bright, balanced fish sauce dressing you pour over everything right before you eat.

Ingredients

• 1 cup carrot, julienned or coarsely grated
• 1 cup daikon radish, julienned
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup warm water

• 1/3 cup warm water
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 Thai chile, thinly sliced (optional)

• 1 1/2 lb large shrimp (26/30), peeled and deveined, tails off
• 2 stalks lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, tender core minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 10 oz dried rice vermicelli (bun)
• 4 cups shredded green leaf or romaine lettuce
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced or julienned
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
• 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
• 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 3 tbsp fried shallots (store-bought is fine)
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Make the pickles first so they have time to sit: in a medium bowl, stir the rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 cup warm water until dissolved. Add the julienned carrot and daikon, press them down to submerge, and let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes (or refrigerate up to 1 week).
2. Make the nuoc cham: in a jar or bowl, stir 1/3 cup warm water with 3 tbsp sugar until fully dissolved. Add the fish sauce and lime juice, then taste — it should be assertively sweet-sour-salty but drinkable, like a light broth. Adjust with a splash more water if it tastes too sharp, or a squeeze more lime if it tastes flat. Stir in the minced garlic and sliced chile and set aside.
3. Marinate the shrimp: pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels. In a bowl, combine the minced lemongrass, garlic, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, neutral oil, sesame oil and black pepper. Add the shrimp, toss to coat, and let sit 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature (no longer, or the texture turns soft).
4. Cook the noodles: bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil. Add the rice vermicelli, stir to separate, and boil 3 to 5 minutes (follow the package, but start tasting at 3) until tender with no chalky center. Drain and rinse thoroughly under cold running water for a full minute, tossing with your hands, until completely cool and no longer sticky. Drain very well and spread in a wide bowl or on a tray; let sit at room temperature. Do not refrigerate — cold noodles turn hard.
5. Prep the bowl components while the noodles drain: shred the lettuce, slice the cucumber, pick the mint, cilantro and Thai basil, chop the peanuts, and rinse the bean sprouts. Arrange everything within reach so assembly is fast.
6. Grill the shrimp: heat a gas or charcoal grill to high (about 450 to 500°F) and oil the grates. Thread the shrimp onto skewers or lay them in a grill basket. Grill 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, until opaque with visible char at the edges and the sugar in the marinade has caramelized. Do not overcook — pull them the moment they curl into a loose C shape.
7. No grill? Set an oven rack 4 inches below the broiler and preheat on high for 5 minutes. Spread the shrimp in a single layer on a foil-lined sheet pan and broil 2 to 3 minutes per side until charred at the edges. A ripping-hot cast-iron skillet over high heat works too: 90 seconds per side, in two batches so the pan stays hot.
8. Assemble each bowl in layers: a handful of shredded lettuce and bean sprouts on the bottom, then a generous nest of vermicelli (about 1 1/2 cups), then cucumber, a squeezed handful of drained pickles, and a big tangle of mint, cilantro and Thai basil. Pile the hot shrimp on top.
9. Finish with chopped peanuts, fried shallots and a lime wedge. Pour 1/4 to 1/3 cup nuoc cham over each bowl right at the table, then toss everything together thoroughly before eating so every strand picks up the dressing. Serve extra nuoc cham on the side.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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