Easy to Make Noodle Bowl Recipe (Gluten and Dairy Free)

I miss dining out! Due to COVID restrictions and being from a small town we haven't been able to venture to the city in quite a while. My favourite thing to do in the city is to get yummy meals from our favourite restaurants. One of the dishes I miss ordering the most is Vietnamese style noodle bowls from a small little place in Thunder Bay, ON called the Golden Wok. They are so good. Brent introduced me to it when we first started dating and I have just loved going there ever since. So over the past year or so I have been working on perfecting the home made Vietnamese noodle bowl so we can partake in one of our favourite restaurant ordered treats.

Ingredients:

BBQ Pork Marinade:

• 1 lbs Pork Loin sliced thinly

• 2 tbsps of Sesame oil

• 1/4 cup of (Gluten Free) soya sauce

• 3 tbsps of rice vinegar

• 3 tbsps brown sugar

• 3-4 cloves of garlic

• 1-2 tbsps ginger

Noodle Bowls:

• 1 package of Vermicelli noodles

• 1 - 2 carrots

• 1/2 an english cucumber

• 1 avocado

• 1-2 cups of spinach or green leaf lettuce

• 1 package of shrimp (peeled)

• 3 spring rolls/bowl

• chopped up cilantro

• chopped peanuts

Sauce:

• 2 tbsps of fish sauce

• 3 tbsps of water

• 1 tbsp of lime juice or to taste

• 1 tbsp sugar

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Directions:

Marinade -- Slice pork loin into thin strips. Combine ingredients in a bowl, cover and let sit in refrigerator for 30 mins.

Veggies -- Prep veggies, slice carrots, cucumber, avocado and spinach or green leaf lettuce into thin strips. You can also add peppers if you life. You can add any veggies you like really. Feel free to get creative here. Once veggies are cut up put aside. You can also cut up your cilantro for the garnish at this stage.

Spring rolls -- I use store bought, as I have not yet learned to make these from scratch. These ones are pretty good -- https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/wong-wing-vegetable-spring-rolls/6000001851447.

They take about 20 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees fahrenheit. Flip them halfway through to make sure they are evenly cooked.

Pork -- Sauté pork in a frying pan on medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until pork is cooked through. Flip halfway through to make sure pork is evenly cooked.

Shrimp -- In a large bowl thaw out frozen shrimp by running it under cold water until it is soft. Set aside.

Noodles -- Boil water in a large pot. Once boiling, add vermicelli noodles. Once noodles are soft, remove from water with a strainer over the sink and set aside.

Sauce -- In a small bowl add ingredients for sauce. Stir well. Should have a sour, tangy taste. Add more lime juice as needed.

Prep Noodle Bowls -- In two large soup bowls add in green leaf lettuce, carrots, cucumber and avocado. Add the noodles on top and then the pork. Spring rolls go on next. Garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts. Add sauce, grab a pair of chop sticks and enjoy!

What restaurant dishes did you miss the most while you were in lock down? Share in the comments.