AI-generated photo.
Vietnamese · Signature, South · Vietnam
Bun mam
Bun mam (bún mắm), a South dish from Vietnam.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Bun mam is cooked in South as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Simmer a salty fish-sauce broth with lemongrass and eggplant and pour it over noodles with shrimp. Fish sauce carries the fermented-fish note. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
64
Health score
Light & nourishing
Moderate
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 13%
- Carbs 71%
- Fat 16%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Watch · High protein
Protein is about 7.4 g, under the 25 g mark.
Watch · Low sodium
About 807 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Suits · Dairy-free
No milk ingredients in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Watch · Gentle when sick
The heat is more than a gentle bowl wants.
Watch · Kid-friendly
The heat is above a mild mark.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Dry rice noodle164 kcal
- Neutral oil31 kcal
- Shrimp, peeled19 kcal
- Eggplant5 kcal
- Pineapple5 kcal
- Mung bean sprouts3 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 29.9. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving is about 231 kcal. Two portions would be about 462 kcal if you want a fuller plate.
Allergens. Fish, Shellfish
Make it healthier
Use half the salt
Salt adds no calories in this table, so the calorie figure stays put while sodium falls.
About 231 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Swap shrimp for the same weight of firm tofu or chickpeas when you want a meatless pot.
The seasoning and the method stay. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 231 kcal | 12% |
| Protein | 7.4 g | 15% |
| Carbohydrate | 40.2 g | 15% |
| Fiber | 1.6 g | 6% |
| Total sugars | 2.5 g | 5% |
| Fat | 4.1 g | 5% |
| Saturated fat | 0.7 g | 3% |
| Cholesterol | 34 mg | 11% |
| Sodium | 807 mg | 35% |
| Potassium | 154 mg | 3% |
| Calcium | 32 mg | 2% |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 4% |
| Magnesium | 26 mg | 6% |
| Zinc | 0.7 mg | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 0 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 8.4 mg | 9% |
| Vitamin D · estimate | 0.5 mcg | 3% |
| Vitamin E · estimate | 0.5 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin K · estimate | 13 mcg | 11% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0 mg | 3% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0 mg | 2% |
| Niacin (B3) · estimate | 1.7 mg | 11% |
| Vitamin B6 · estimate | 0.2 mg | 9% |
| Folate · estimate | 18 mcg | 5% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.3 mcg | 11% |
Low-confidence marks sit on glycemic load or on vitamins the USDA row left blank. Those vitamins are filled from a food-group reference and labeled as estimates. Reported USDA values, including zeros, are kept. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Sodium is on the higher side. The swaps below pull it down.
- Much of the energy comes from a fast starch such as white rice, white flour, or sugar.
- Fish here is a commonly eaten, lower-mercury choice when fully cooked. Follow your own pregnancy fish guidance.
- Shellfish should be fully cooked. This is an allergen for many people.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Heavy pot
- Scale
- Wooden spoon
- Ladle
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Dry rice noodle6 oz180 g
Shrimp, peeled6 shrimp100 g
Eggplant0.5 eggplant80 g
Fish sauce1 tbsp14.55 ml
Pineapple0.25 cup40 g
Mung bean sprouts0.33 cup40 g
Thai chili1 chili2 g
Lemongrass1 stalk10 g
Kosher salt0.5 tsp3 g
Neutral oil1 tbsp15.38 ml
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Swap shrimp for the same weight of firm tofu or chickpeas when you want a meatless pot.. The seasoning and the method stay.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set out a scale and the equipment for Bun mam. Heat to a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh dry rice noodle, shrimp, peeled, eggplant, fish sauce, pineapple, mung bean sprouts, thai chili, lemongrass, kosher salt, neutral oil. Bun mam is cooked in South as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Simmer a salty fish-sauce broth with lemongrass and eggplant and pour it over noodles with shrimp. Fish sauce carries the fermented-fish note. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat 5 min
AI-generated photo.
2Bun mam is cooked in vietnam. Add the herb at the end so it stays green and fragrant.
AI-generated photo.
3Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Bun mam, until the edges take a little color. Tomato sauce is ready when it looks darker and a spoon leaves a brief line.
Build the base
AI-generated photo.
4Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Bun mam at a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C. Start checking at 28 minutes. Bun mam is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
Simmer 28 min
- 🇻🇳 VietnamSoutheast Asiasig-vietnam-bun-mam-step-4
Bun mam, step 5
Step 5 · Bun mam
5Check the center of Bun mam, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
- 🇻🇳 VietnamSoutheast Asiasig-vietnam-bun-mam-step-5
Bun mam, step 6
Step 6 · Rest 5 min
6Rest Bun mam for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in vietnam, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Bun mam in this shot order and no other: a cooling rack and a waiting towel; brine covering every vegetable in the jar; liquid going in and lifting the fond; steam rising off the finished plate. Slate words for the editor: umber, iron, zester, sear, hearthside, vapor, kiln, yarrow, mortar, caramel.
Rest 5 min
How you know it is done
Bun mam is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
If it goes wrong
- Bun mam looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes.
- Bun mam turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
Storage
Cool Bun mam, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Bun mam belongs to South. The method above is the one that makes it recognizable.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Simmer a salty fish-sauce broth with lemongrass and eggplant and pour it over noodles with shrimp. Fish sauce carries the fermented-fish note.
Allergens in the required list: Fish, Shellfish.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.