Name: My Easy Beef Bobun
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Yield: 2 people
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 1 soy sauce; 1 lemongrass; 2 garlic; black pepper; coconut blossom syrup (optional); 200 oz ofbeef tenderloin; 1 onion (small); 3 sesame oil (or cooking oil); 250 oz ofrice vermicelli; 1 lettuce (not too big); 1 cucumber; 2 carrots; 4 vegetable spring rolls; 3 nuoc-mâm sauce; 50 oz ofroasted peanuts; quelques cilantro; mandoline

amuse-bouche main courses bowl quick meals salads traditional cuisine using up leftovers

Updated on 04 May 2025 by

matt

8 reviews 4.2 : Very good

Cuisine

Vietnam

Diet

Lightweight

Level

Elementary

Calories

610 kcal

Preparation

30 minutes

Cooking

10 minutes

Wait

30 minutes

I made this beef bo bun recipe and we really enjoyed it, so I’m sharing it here!

Beef bo bun is an iconic dish in Vietnamese cuisine, somewhere between a salad and a full meal. It’s a fresh, flavorful, and balanced dish that can serve as a complete meal for a quick lunch on the go!

It combines cold rice vermicelli with crisp raw vegetables, aromatic herbs (mint, cilantro), spring rolls (optional), and, most importantly, beef marinated and stir-fried with lemongrass, which gives it its distinctive character.

Drizzled with a slightly sweet and spicy nuoc-mâm sauce, bo bun offers delightful contrasts in texture and flavor: hot and cold, the melt-in-your-mouth tenderness of the meat, the crunch of the vegetables, and the sweet-tart tang of the seasoning.

It’s a complete meal, as nourishing as it is refreshing, perfect for a light yet flavorful meal.

I highly recommend it, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😋

For

people

Add to shopping list

For the beef marinade
1 soy sauce
1 lemongrass
2 garlic
black pepper
coconut blossom syrup optional

For the stir-fried beef
7 ¾ oz of beef tenderloin
1 onion small
3 sesame oil or cooking oil

For the rest of the bobun
8.8 oz of rice vermicelli
1 lettuce not too big
1 cucumber
2 carrots
4 vegetable spring rolls
3 nuoc-mâm sauce
1.8 oz of roasted peanuts
quelques cilantro

Kitchen utensils
mandoline

Beef marinade
- 1
  Finely chop the lemongrass. Peel and remove the germ from the garlic, then crush it with a garlic press or finely chop it.
  In a small bowl or airtight container, combine the lemongrass, garlic, soy sauce, and coconut blossom syrup, then season with pepper.
- 2
  Slice the beef tenderloins into strips and toss them with the marinade.
  Toss well so that the beef is coated on all sides.
  Let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature (the beef will toughen if grilled while cold).
How to Make Bobun
- 3
  Scrub the carrots, rinse them, and grate them.
- 4
  Peel the cucumber and cut it into sticks. You can use a mandoline to speed up the process.
- 5
  Rinse, dry, and shred the lettuce.
- 6
  Rinse, dry, and finely chop the cilantro.
- 7
  Lightly crush the peanuts, then set them aside.
- 8
  Peel, remove the root end, and finely chop the onion. Set it aside for cooking the beef.
- 9
  Arrange the bowls or soup plates with the raw vegetables neatly arranged side by side.
Preparing the spring roll sauce
- 10
  Mix the nuoc mam with an equal amount of water, and add some grated carrots.
  Divide the sauce among small individual bowls.
Baking and final assembly
- 11
  Place the rice vermicelli in boiling water for 2 minutes and drain them.
- 12
  If you have spring rolls, heat them up in a pan with just a little oil.
- 13
  Sear the beef strips over high heat in hot (but not smoking) oil for 2 minutes.
- 14
  Fill the bowls with the rice noodles, the spring rolls cut into pieces, and the thin slices of beef.
  Sprinkle with peanuts and fresh herbs, and serve immediately, along with small bowls of spring roll dipping sauce.