Bún Rice Noodle Salad with Vietnamese Restaurant Style Grilled Lemongrass Pork

It was a hot summer day, one of those days that make you doesn't feel like doing anything at all. My only resolution to cooking that day was to use the grill outdoor as I hate to overheat the house. Thank God we got the ac fixed, the house is nice and cool now, we intend to keep it that way.

Near supper time, I was at a lost as to what I can cook when suddenly I remember a summer Vietnamese dish: Bún! For the uninitiated, Bún is a Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad. I love how refreshing this dish is as it combined lots of lettuce, shredded cucumber, onions and fresh herbs, all nicely mixed with heaping tablespoon full of nuoc cham dipping sauce.

So whom do I go to when I need great Vietnamese recipe which I can count on? Andrea Nguyen of the famed blog Viet World Kitchen, of course! If you have never tried the Vietnamese Bún before, go ahead and try it now. It is so healthy and refreshing, I can really eat this all summer long.

Bún Rice Noodle Salad with Vietnamese Restaurant Style Grilled Lemongrass Pork



Recipe adapted from Andrea Nguyen
(Serves 2)

Ingredients
2 pieces of dried rice noodle, soaked in cold water for an hour to soften
1 cup of fresh Vietnamese herbs, basil, mint or other herbs you prefer
1/2 cucumber, seeded and finely shredded
1 cup raw beansprouts, washed and dried thoroughly
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
A few whole Thai chilli peppers, thinly sliced

For the pork
2 piece of boneless center-cut pork chops, about 1-inch thick
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp chopped shallot
1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp oil 

For the Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 small garlic clove, finely minced
2 small Thai chilli, thinly sliced


Directions

 Step 1: Prepare the pork marinade. Finely chopped the lemongrass, garlic and shallot.

Step 2: In a bowl, combine oil, brown sugar, dark soy sauce and fish sauce.

Step 3: Mix in chopped lemongrass, shallot and garlic. Stir to mix well.

Step 4: Submerge pork chops into the marinade. Leave to marinade for 45 minutes at room temperature. You can also leave pork chops in refrigerator. Just remove pork chops 30 minutes prior to grilling.

Step 5: Make the nuoc cham sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Step 6: To assemble, boil a pot of water. Cook rice noodle in water for 2 minutes, drained and set aside.

 Step 7: Preheat an outdoor grill to 450F. Grill pork chops till cooked, about 7-8 minutes on each side. Let rest and slice thin. Place some noodle salad at the bottom of a bowl. Top with lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, herbs, onion and pork slices. Add in nuoc cham sauce.

 Toss well and served.