Bún Thịt Nướng (Vietnamese Grilled Pork with Rice Noodles)
A recipe for Bún Thịt Nướng (Vietnamese Grilled Pork with Rice Noodles)! This refreshing meal pairs rice noodles with marinated and grilled pork, fresh herbs, pickled vegetables, and nước chấm (a seasoned fish sauce) for serving.
2small shallots(3-4 tablespoons), peeled and minced
1stalk lemongrassbruised with the flat side of a knife, fibrous layers discarded, and finely minced
4garlic clovesfinely minced
2green onionsfinely chopped
3tablespoonsfinely chopped cilantro
1teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
1poundpork shoulderthinly sliced into 2-3 inch strips
Pickled Carrots and Cucumbers:
2medium carrotspeeled and julienned
1large cucumberpeeled and julienned
1cuprice wine vinegar
1teaspoongranulated sugar
Nước Chấm (Seasoned Fish Sauce):
1/2cupfish sauce
1/2cupwater
1/3cupgranulated sugar
1/4cupdistilled white vinegarlemon, or lime juice
2garlic clovesminced
1-2red Thai chilesstem removed and minced
Mo Hanh (Scallion Oil):
1/4cupcanola oil
1/2cupchopped scallions
For assembling:
8ouncesBun rice noodlescooked and refrigerated
Fresh lettucethinly sliced
Fresh bean sprouts
Fresh cilantro
Roasted peanutscrushed
Instructions
To prepare the pork marinade:
To prepare the pork marinade: In a large bowl or large ziploc bag, combine soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, and brown sugar. Mix in shallots, lemongrass, garlic, green onions, cilantro, and black pepper. Add the pork, tossing to coat thoroughly.Refrigerate 30-45 minutes.
To prepare the carrots and cucumber:
Toss the julienned carrots and cucumber in a medium bowl. Add enough rice wine vinegar to cover. Sprinkle with sugar. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To prepare the nước chấm:
In a medium bowl, whisk together fish sauce, water, sugar, and vinegar until sugar dissolves. Whisk in garlic and chiles. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble.
To make the scallion oil:
In a small skillet, drizzle canola oil over low heat. Once heated, add the chopped scallions and cook just until the green parts begin to wilt, but are still bright, 2-3 minutes.
To assemble:
Place a grill, grill pan, or large skillet over medium high heat. Lightly grease with oil. Remove the pork from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature 5-10 minutes.
Once the grill/skillet is heated, grill the meat in a single layer in batches until browned, 1-2 minutes. Flip to brown the other side, another 1-2 minutes. Repeat with remaining pork.
Divide cooked rice noodles among serving bowls. Top with lettuce, cilantro, and bean sprouts, then carrots/cucumber and grilled pork. Brush the pork with the green onion oil. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve immediately with nuoc cham.