Mar 6, 2007
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Grilled Pork with Rice Vermicelli

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Grilled Pork with Rice Vermicelli Credit: Zubin Shroff

(Bún Cha)

SERVES 4

Fish sauce is the soy sauce of Southeast Asia, part of almost every meal. It can be found in most Vietnamese markets along with rice vermicelli and the Vietnamese herbs called for in this recipe.

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:
4 1/2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
3 tbsp. Vietnamese fish sauce
3 tbsp. sugar
1 small, fresh, hot red chile (thai or serrano), stemmed
   and sliced into thin rounds

FOR THE PORK:
1 small yellow onion, peeled and grated
2 tbsp. Vietnamese fish sauce
3/4 tsp. sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 lbs. boneless pork butt, trimmed of fat and thinly
   sliced, then cut into 2"
× 1" pieces
1/4 lb. dried rice vermicelli
1/2 head boston lettuce leaves, torn into pieces
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, torn into pieces
1/2 bunch mint leaves, torn into pieces
Vietnamese herbs (optional), such as kinh giới and tiá tô,
   torn into pieces

1. For the dipping sauce: Stir together lime juice, fish sauce, 1/4 cup water, sugar, and chiles in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Adjust flavor with up to 1/4 cup water. Set aside.

2. For the pork: Mix together onions, fish sauce, and sugar in a medium bowl; season with pepper to taste. Add pork and mix. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add rice vermicelli, cover, and turn off heat. Soak noodles until soft, 3–4 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again. Set aside.

3. Preheat the grill. Remove pork from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Grill pork over medium-hot fire until slightly charred and cooked through, about 1 minute per side. Transfer meat to a platter.

4. To serve, divide pork among four shallow bowls, then spoon sauce over meat. Arrange noodles, lettuce, and herbs in each of four deep bowls. Eat the pork and sauce with the noodles, lettuce, and herbs.

Grilled Pork with Rice Vermicelli

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #36

Ratings & Reviews (4)

noAvatar
Very nice. I used pork tenderloin instead of pork butt, and substituted lemon juice for the lime juice. All in all, a wonderful meal.
noAvatar
Oh, 1/4 pound of vermicelli for 4 people is not reasonable. Perhaps one pound, and even that I doubt is sensible.
noAvatar
This sounds so delicious. We have some similar flavors to Vietnamese food -- in our own Filipino dishes. I'm going to enjoy trying this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
noAvatar
This is crazy delicious. In fact, it's so delicious that it is a little dangerous. I kept anticipating coming home to eat it. The combination of flavors is awesome!!!
Grilled Pork with Rice Vermicelli 5 5 4 4

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