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Bun Bo Nam Bo (Southern Beef Noodle Salad)

Name: Bun Bo Nam Bo (Southern Beef Noodle Salad)
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 12 oz vermicelli noodles, cooked; 1.5 lbs beef sirloin, thinly sliced; 2 cups bean sprouts; 1 head lettuce, torn; 1 cup fresh mint; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro; 1 cucumber, julienned; 1/4 cup fried shallots; 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, crushed; 2 stalks lemongrass, minced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 3 tbsp lime juice; 2 tbsp sugar; 2 Thai chilies, minced; 3 tbsp oil

Bun Bo Nam Bo (Southern Beef Noodle Salad) reads umami 7.9, funk & ferment 5.6 and salinity 5.4 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Vietnamese main, about 35 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 9.4 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 4.3 / 10
Sour & Bright — 6.5 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.4 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.7 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 5.0 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.9 · Funk & Ferment 5.6 · Salinity 5.4 · Citrus 5.0 · Sourness 5.0 · Richness 4.8 · Marine & Briny 4.4 · Herbaceous 4.3 · Sweetness 4.0 · Allium 3.6 · Heat 3.4 · Nutty 2.7 · Floral 1.6 · Earthy 1.3 · Fruity 0.8 · Warm Spice 0.8 · Bitterness 0.8

What's in it (16)

12 oz vermicelli noodles, cooked
1.5 lbs beef sirloin, thinly sliced
2 cups bean sprouts
1 head lettuce, torn
1 cup fresh mint
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 cucumber, julienned
1/4 cup fried shallots
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, crushed
2 stalks lemongrass, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp sugar
2 Thai chilies, minced
3 tbsp oil

Time & effort: about 35 min (20 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 136.8 kcal, 10 g protein, 3.9 g fat, 15.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Marinate beef in lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, and sugar, then stir-fry quickly over high heat until just cooked.
Cook vermicelli noodles and cool, then arrange in bowls with lettuce, bean sprouts, herbs, and cucumber.
Top with seared beef, drizzle nuoc cham over everything, and finish with fried shallots and crushed peanuts.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Goi Ga (Chicken Salad) — Vietnamese
Drunken Noodles with Chicken (Pad Kee Mao) — Thai
Dale Taldes Slippery Lemongrass Pork Noodles — Thai
Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Stir-Fry — Vietnamese
Thai Basil Salmon with Coconut Rice — Thai

Keep reading: what umami, funk & ferment, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.