Vietnamese noodles – Bun (rice vermicelli)

Bun is made of rice flour which is turned into small, circular and white threads wrapped up into small coils called Con Bun. Vietnamese rice vermicelli is a preferable as well as a popular dish. They are often the foundation for stir-fries and soups as well as fillers for assorted rice paper rolls.

The Vietnamese dish, bun cha consists of rice vermicelli noodles (bun), grilled pork pieces (cha) and a broth that is both a marinade for the meat and a dip. It is usually eaten as street food or in restaurants that focus entirely on the art of bun cha. The Vietnamese eat it exclusively as a lunch dish.

Bun is a thin white noodle made from rice. Fresh noodles are jiggly and sticky, and dried noodles are very white.

Bun are translucent noodles that are similar to cellophane noodles. Rice vermicelli are made from rice; while cellophane noodles are made from bean starch. Bun also come in different sizes. The most commonly used one is medium size. The extra-large one is used in Bun bo Hue (Vietnamese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup).

There are different varieties of vermicelli depending on their shape: bun roi (stirred vermicelli), bun mam (twisted vermicelli), bun la (vermicelli paper), and bun dem tram (shreded vermicelli). The rice noodles are normally paired with leafy greens, herbs and pickled veggies, making it a noodle salad of sorts.
Vietnamese noodles – Bun (rice vermicelli)