Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl

Name: Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 1.5 lbs pork shoulder or pork loin, thinly sliced; 2 lemongrass stalks, finely minced; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 shallot, minced; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tbsp granulated sugar; 2 tbsp neutral oil; 8 oz rice vermicelli noodles, cooked per package; 4 cups butter or green leaf lettuce, torn; 1 English cucumber, julienned; 2 carrot, julienned; 1/4 cup rice vinegar; 2 tbsp sugar (for pickling); 1/2 tsp salt (for pickling); 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro; 1/4 cup fish sauce (for nuoc cham); 1/4 cup fresh lime juice; 2 tbsp sugar (for nuoc cham); 1/4 cup warm water; 2 fresh red chili or red pepper flakes, sliced; 2 cloves garlic (for nuoc cham), minced

Vietnamese-style rice vermicelli bowl topped with caramelized lemongrass-marinated grilled pork, crisp lettuce, cucumber, pickled carrots, and a generous pour of nuoc cham dipping sauce. Plan ahead: the pork needs at least 30 minutes to marinate.

45 minMediumServes 4550 cal/serving

VietnameseLunchGrill and StovetopHigh ProteinDairy-FreeNut-FreeCorn-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

1.5 lbs pork shoulder or pork loin, thinly sliced
2 lemongrass stalks, finely minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallot, minced
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp neutral oil
8 oz rice vermicelli noodles, cooked per package
4 cups butter or green leaf lettuce, torn
1 English cucumber, julienned
2 carrot, julienned
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar (for pickling)
1/2 tsp salt (for pickling)
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fish sauce (for nuoc cham)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp sugar (for nuoc cham)
1/4 cup warm water
2 fresh red chili or red pepper flakes, sliced
2 cloves garlic (for nuoc cham), minced

Instructions

1

Make the nuoc cham: whisk together 1/4 cup fish sauce (for nuoc cham), 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 2 tbsp sugar (for nuoc cham), 1/4 cup warm water, 2 sliced fresh red chili or red pepper flakes, and 2 cloves minced garlic (for nuoc cham) until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
2

Quick-pickle the carrots: toss 2 julienned carrot with 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar (for pickling), and 1/2 tsp salt (for pickling). Let sit for at least 15 minutes.
3

Marinate the pork: combine 2 finely minced lemongrass stalks, 4 minced garlic cloves, 2 minced shallot, 3 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, and 2 tbsp neutral oil in a bowl. Add 1.5 lbs thinly sliced pork shoulder or pork loin and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
4

Cook 8 oz rice vermicelli noodles according to package instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and divide among 4 bowls.
5

Heat the grill or a grill pan over high heat. Grill the pork slices for 2-3 minutes per side until charred at the edges and cooked through to an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C). Let rest briefly.
6

Arrange 4 cups torn butter or green leaf lettuce and 1 julienned English cucumber over the vermicelli in each bowl. Add drained pickled carrots, grilled pork, 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, and 1/2 cup fresh cilantro.
7

Pour the nuoc cham generously over each bowl and toss lightly before eating.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

The Vietnamese Kitchen 30 recipes from this kitchen in one printable PDF. $5, no account.

Questions

What internal temperature should Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl reach?

For Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl, the target internal temperature is 145 F (about 65 C), given in step 5. A probe thermometer removes the guesswork.

How long should Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl marinate?

Step 3 reads: "Marinate for at least 30 minutes." Follow the time in step 3. Shorter still seasons the surface. Much longer is not better with acidic marinades, which turn the outside of meat or fish mushy.

What can I use instead of lemongrass in Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl?

The entry for Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl calls for 2 lemongrass stalks, finely minced. In its place: Use the zest of one lemon plus a thin slice of fresh ginger per stalk. It is brighter and less floral, but it fills the same space.

Is Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl spicy?

Moderately. The heat in Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl comes from 2 fresh red chili or red pepper flakes, sliced. For a milder plate, halve the chili; nothing else in the method changes. For more, add it at the table rather than in the pot, so everyone sets their own level.

How much protein is in Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl?

One serving (the recipe makes 4) has 34 g of protein in about 550 calories, alongside 58 g carbohydrate and 12 g fat, plus 3 g fiber and 640 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list. More like it: the high-protein lunch collection.

Can I start Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl the day before?

Yes. Step 3 is a built-in pause of 30 minutes: "Marinate for at least 30 minutes." Do everything up to that point ahead of time and pick up at step 4 when you are ready to finish.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.