Vietnamese Noodle Bowl with Grilled Pork (Bún Thịt Nướng)

Hello lovely humans! I’ve been away for a while, but I’m back with a few more lovely recipes to share, starting with this one! Vietnamese Noodle Bowl with Grilled Pork, known as Bún Thịt Nướng.

I fell in love with Vietnamese food when I first had a bowl of pho 🍲. My boyfriend and I pretty much eat it during any season, as I love the complexity of the broth, and the simplicity of the toppings. It’s just so heartwarming, I wish I can bathe in it 🛁 jk that’s gross lol, but seriously, it’s become my favourite bowl of soup of all time.

But! We’re not here to talk about pho. I’m here to tell you about the wonderful dish that is Bún Thịt Nướng, which is a Vietnamese noodle bowl, and I’ve used a marinated grilled pork to top it with, along with quick pickled carrots, and Nước Chấm - a Vietnamese special dipping sauce.

I love this recipe, especially in the summer because I find it to be a refreshing dish with complex flavours, yet so simple and easy to make!

I’m not much of a salad eater myself, but this feels like eating a salad as it feels refreshing to eat, but much heartier with the rice noodles and the added protein from the grilled pork.

A cool thing about this recipe, too, is that you can swap out the pork for your choice of protein as well - like chicken, or beef, or even tempeh and other TVP!

You can also cook this indoors in a grill pan, or just simply sear in a pan - but I highly encourage you if you can, to do this outdoors on the grill while there’s still a bit of summer left! Heck, do it in the early fall! It’s still good!!

Well, that’s it for me for now - Enjoy this one you guys! I know I did!

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Vietnamese Noodle Bowl with Grilled Pork (Bún Thịt Nướng)

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time:15 mins

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

For the Pork:

1 lbs pork chops or pork tenderloin

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoons sesame oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp ginger

1 lemongrass stalk, bruised with the back of a knife

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 tsp sambal oelek/chili garlic sauce, optional

Quick Pickled Carrots:

1 large carrot, julienned

1/4 cup rice vinegar

¼ cup water

2 tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nước Chấm):

2 tbsp water

3 tbsp fish sauce

3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp mirin or sweet rice vinegar

3 cloves garlic minced

1 red chili chopped, optional

¼ tsp salt

For assembly:

Romaine lettuce, thinly sliced

Cooked vermicelli noodles (cooked as per package directions)

Quick pickled carrots (see recipe above)

Fresh cilantro

Fresh mint

Fresh Thai basil

Slices of cucumber

Crushed peanuts

Grilled Vietnamese pork (see recipe above)

Nước Chấm (see recipe above)

DIRECTIONS: For the pork:

1. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, sambal (if using), salt and pepper. Add pork, and let marinade for at least 30 minutes. Several hours or overnight is best.

2. When ready to cook, grill on high heat for 4-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through slightly charred and internal temperature reads 165°F

If cooking in a saute pan, add 1 tbsp oil, and cook on medium-high heat for 6 minutes per side, or until cooked through and internal temperature reads 165°F.

3. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

To make the quick pickled carrots: 1. Place julienned carrots in a heatproof bowl or jar and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a small pot over medium heat, combine the rice vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture is hot. (Alternatively, microwave in a heat-proof bowl for 1 minute) 3. Pour pickling liquid over carrots, then place in fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. Several hours is best.

To make the Vietnamese dipping sauce (Nước Chấm): 1. Using the same pot used for the pickling liquid, combine water, fish sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, mirin, chopped chilis (if using), and salt. Stir to dissolve sugar and let flavours marry.

(Alternatively, heat for 15-20 seconds in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl and stir to dissolve sugar)

Assembly: 1. Divide equally the cooked vermicelli noodles among 4 bowls, top each with a portion of pickled carrots, grilled marinated pork, lettuce, herbs, cucumber, and chopped peanuts. 2. Drizzle with the Nước Chấm and enjoy! Eat with chopsticks and feel authentic.