Bun Chay with Crispy Tofu, Enoki Mushroom, and Avocado Sauce

This Bun Chay recipe is inspired from my recent trip to Vietnam. We had an amazing meal in Ho Chi Minh City at a restaurant called Vo Roof top. They had several unique Bun Chay (pronounced boom – chai) bowls and summer rolls to choose from and I had to try their fried tofu bowl with avocado sauce. In my recipe, I am using the air fryer to crisp the tofu but I have the secret to make it crunchy and delicious as you would expect from a deep fryer.

The food in Vietnam is so delicious and there are a lot of options to choose from. If you are vegetarian or gluten free, there are still so many options because rice noodles are plentiful and so is tofu or vegetable options. Bun is vegan, but the nuoc cham is fish sauce based, like may of the sauces in Vietnam. It is usually served on the side, so as long as you don’t us the sauce, it’s vegan! Check out my Vietnam itinerary post to learn more about our trip and the amazing foods we had.

If you are not familiar with bun chay, it’s a noodle salad made with rice noodles and variety of vegetables. It is generally served lukewarm or cold, so it’s a nice option when it is too hot for the other Vietnamese favorite, Pho. The nuoc cham dressing is a mixture of fish sauce, rice vinegar and chilis which is the essence Vietnamese cooking with sweet, sour, salty, and a hint of spice.

My version is a bit spicier and is a different take on the traditional bun chay adding the avocado sauce inspired from our meal in HCMC. This is a healthy, quick, and delicious summer time meal, perfect for warm weather.

Serves 2

Tools:

An air fryer for the tofu would be ideal and a blender or a food processor for the avocado sauce.

Ingredients:

For the bowl:

8 ounces of rice noodles, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes or until soft and drained

4 scallions, chopped

2 carrots, peeled into ribbons

2 Persian or pickling cucumbers, julienned

For the Crunch:

1/2 cup cornstarch

Salt and pepper

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

The Tofu:

1 block of firm tofu, frozen, thawed, and refrozen for a spongey consistency (trust me it’s worth it) drained

2 tbl soy sauce

1 tbl sesame oil

The Enoki Mushrooms:

1 enoki mushroom, bottom removed and separated

The Avocado Sauce:

1 avocado

2 tbl rice vinegar

1 garlic clove

1 tbl fish sauce

The Spicy Nuoc Cham:

Juice of 1 lime

1 tbl honey

2 tbl fish sauce

1 tbl rice vinegar

1 thinly sliced red Thai chili

Instructions:

1. Start with the tofu. Preheat the air fryer to 400F. Add 2 tbl soy sauce and 1 tbl sesame oil to cubed tofu and gently mix.
2. Mix cornstarch with white pepper, salt, pepper, and paprika and add to the tofu. Gently stir to combine.
3. Air fry the tofu mixture for about 15 minutes or until crunchy.
4. Add the enoki mushrooms to any remaining cornstarch mixture and pan fry in a non stick pan for 2-3 minutes per side.
5. For the avocado sauce, combine avocado, rice vinegar, garlic, and fish sauce in a blender or food processor and pulse to mix.
6. You know the drill, for the nuoc cham sauce, combine the lime, honey, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and chili in a bowl. Stir to combine.
7. Now all you have to do is assemble your bun chay bowl. Place a mound of noodles in the bowl, top with carrots, cucumbers, tofu, mushrooms, and a heaping tablespoon of avocado sauce. Top with scallions and serve the nuoc cham sauce on the side.

If you like this Vietnamese inspired dish, try my Pho and noodle stir fry! Or, if you are looking for more vegetarian recipes, try my peanut noodle stir fry.