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–+ servings

Best Vietnamese Vermicelli Noodle Bowl with Grilled Pork

Servings 4 servings
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
4.91 from 150 votes
A classic Vietnamese recipe! Vermicelli rice noodles topped with grilled pork, crunchy veggies, and garnishes, served with a flavor bursting sauce. Make this classic Asian dish at home!
ByMinShien

Equipment

Ingredients
 

Grilled Pork

  • 2 lbs pork shoulder
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3-4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp shallots
  • ~2 inch lemongrass bottom white part
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil

Noodles

  • 7-8 oz dried rice vermicelli noodles

Vegetables and Garnishes

  • 1 1/2 cups cucumber shredded
  • 1 1/2 cups carrots shredded
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • A few leaves lettuce
  • A handful cilantro
  • A handful mint leaves
  • 1/2 cup peanuts chopped
  • 1 fresh lime

Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or to taste

Instructions
 

Grilled Pork

  • Remove some of the fat from pork shoulders (but it is not necessary to remove all the fat), and slice pork into thin slices. Bring them into a large ziplock bag.
  • Combine and blend the rest of the ingredients listed under "Grilled Pork" in food processor/blender to create marinate, and add to ziplock bag. Make sure pork is evenly coated with marinate. Marinade pork for at least 1 hour, or up to a few hours.
  • Grill pork on a grill pan or outdoor grill. Pork can be pan-fried on a skillet as well. Grill under indirect heat (if using charcoal grill), or medium/low heat (if using grill pan, electric grill, or skillet) to make sure the insides of the pork is completely cooked - check by using a meat thermometer. Note that because there is sugar in the marinate, pork will brown/burn quickly on the outside.

Pickled Vegetables

  • Bring hot water and sugar (as listed in "Vegetables and Garnishes" ingredients) together in a bowl to dissolve sugar. Add rice vinegar. Stir to combine.
  • Add shredded cucumber and shredded carrots to bowl with vinegar mixture. Or, if desired, separate vinegar mixture into two bowls and separately pickle cucumber and carrots.
  • Press the carrots and cucumber down so that they are completely submerged in the mixture. Pickle for 30-60 minutes.
  • Drain vinegar mixture.

Other Vegetables and Garnishes

  • Prep/chop the rest of the vegetables and garnishes - lettuce, cilantro, mint leaves, and peanuts. Slice lime into a few wedges.

Noodles

  • Cook noodles based on package instructions. It usually cooks quickly! If noodles needs to sit for a while before combining with the other ingredients, rinse them in cold water to prevent them from sticking to each other, continuing to cook, and turning mushy.

Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

  • Combine hot water and sugar to completely dissolve sugar. Then add the other sauce ingredients. Stir to combine.

Combine

  • Bring noodles to bowl, and top with grilled pork, vegetables, and garnishes. Serve with sauce, and enjoy!

Notes

Tip: I typically start by marinating pork and pickling the carrots and cucumber. While waiting on the marinate and pickling, I work on chopping/prepping vegetables, creating the sauce, and cooking the noodles.

Nutrition

Calories: 821kcal | Carbohydrates: 103g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 1787mg | Potassium: 1002mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 8115IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 4mg