I LOVE Vietnamese Bun for dinner! It’s one of the go-to recipes I’ve used for years. It actually came from one of the very first vegetarian cookbooks I bought, and it quickly became one of our favorite meals.

These days, whenever I come home with a grapefruit and mango and place them in the corner together to let the mango ripen a bit, my whole family knows we’ll be having “grapefruit dinner” sometime soon. [Isn’t it funny how you name certain dinners? We’ve always called it “grapefruit dinner. You’ll know why in a minute.]

A Vietnamese Bun is made from rice vermicelli wrapped into small, circular coils called a Bun. They are the base for many dishes.

What I love about them is how flexible it makes dinner. It’s a great base to start from, then add toppings based on what you have at home (or bring home, like my grapefruit and mango.)

Okay, are you hungry? Me too! I may have to go shopping soon. 😉 If you give it a try, let me know. It may quickly become your favorite too.

Vietnamese Bun

• 2 grapefruits
• 2 limes
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 cup carrot, chopped
• 1 cup daikon, chopped (use radishes if can’t find daikon)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

• 1 block extra-firm tofu, sliced ?” thick
• Coconut oil
• ¼ cup soy sauce

• 8 ounces rice vermicelli noodles
• 1 medium cucumber, sliced
• 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped – separate white from green
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 bunch lettuce greens, chopped

Cut the grapefruits into sections, reserving the juice. Keep the grapefruit sections separate. Strain the grapefruit juice into a bowl. Grate the limes for lime zest and set aside. Juice both limes and add them to the grapefruit juice. Combine with minced ginger, sugar, and soy sauce. Stir until combined.

Chop the daikon and carrot and place in a bowl. Add rice vinegar and sesame seeds. Stir, and set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook vermicelli noodles according to package.

Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green onions and stir, cooking until brown. Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels and season liberally with salt.

Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil and cook tofu until brown on both sides. You may have to work in batches depending on the size of your skillet. When complete, return all tofu to skillet and drizzle with soy sauce. Flip to ensure both sides receive caramelized soy sauce. Turn off heat.

Now it’s time to assemble. Place greens on a plate for your base. Then build a bun of rice noodles in the middle of the lettuce. Then get creative with plating the tofu and veggies. Finish by sprinkling the cooked green onions and lime zest over the top. Spoon the grapefruit and lime juice sauce liberally.

Enjoy!