Chill out with this no-cook Vietnamese noodle bowl recipe

As we head into the dog days of summer, it’s time for low-heat and no-heat cooking. The trouble is, I am not satisfied with high-fat charcuterie and cheese, and a simple salad doesn’t seem filling enough. Even with the hot temps, I want a proper meal. My solution is a Vietnamese noodle bowl. It’s essentially a hearty vegetable-packed salad with protein and noodles. Using rotisserie chicken keeps the oven off, and the rest of the recipe is mostly knife work.

Selecting the noodles can be confusing because of language differences, varying store inventories and multiple cuisines with similar ingredients.

My trusted source for all things Vietnamese is Andrea Nguyen, an award-winning Vietnamese American cookbook author, food writer and author of the popular website Viet World Kitchen. She calls this dish “bun salad” and suggests using a thin rice vermicelli, known as bun, which is slightly larger than angel hair pasta.

Crisp, bursting with fresh flavor, and seasoned with an umami-rich dressing known as nuoc cham, this easy Vietnamese noodle bowl is a hearty and delicious no-cook meal you’ll go to again and again.

Vietnamese Noodle Bowl with Rotisserie Chicken

Some rice vermicelli packages suggest simply soaking the noodles before using. Nguyen suggests boiling them. She says the noodles will be more tender and better absorb the zippy dressing. I’ll admit to sometimes taking the shortcut and simply soaking the noodles in hot water.

• 1 (6.75-ounce) package rice vermicelli
• ½ cup water
• 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 4 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Thai or serrano chile, thinly sliced
• 4 cups pulled chicken from 1 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded
• 4 cups mixed greens
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1 English cucumber, sliced
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves
• ¼ cup mint leaves
• 2 green onions, both white and green parts, thinly sliced

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Or, follow the directions on the package and soak the noodles in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain well.
2. Make the nuoc cham: In a small bowl, combine the water, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, garlic and sliced chile.
3. Place the pulled chicken in a second bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of the nuoc cham and toss to coat.
4. Assemble the serving bowls: Divide the drained noodles, dressed chicken, salad greens, carrots, cucumber, cilantro and mint among 4 bowls. Garnish with green onions. Serve the remaining nuac cham on the side.