Bún Thịt Nướng - a Vietnamese grilled meat noodle recipe - is an excellent dish to help make the BBQ season a healthy season. More veggies and more spices, and more salt. Wait, wait...more salt? That’s the ingredient to keep an eye on in many Asian dishes. You may not see a salt shaker around, but there is always a bottle of sodium packed soy sauce, or in the case of Vietnamese food, a bottle of salty fish sauce.
Fish sauce – made from fermented fish and sea salt – is essential for making authentic Vietnamese food. It’s pungently delicious. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be cut down, or dare I say, left out, for a non-traditional version.
Enjoy this Vietnamese Grilled Pork Salad with a summery drink like watermelon-mint punch, and when you’re done, grill some bananas and top with creamy coconut milk for dessert. Life is good in the summer!
Fish sauce – made from fermented fish and sea salt – is essential for making authentic Vietnamese food. It’s pungently delicious. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be cut down, or dare I say, left out, for a non-traditional version.
I like fish sauce, so I added in a bit, but feel free to leave it out when making this Vietnamese Grilled Pork Salad. With the spices in our Vietnamese Spicy BBQ Seasoning, along with fresh red chili pepper, crushed peanuts, and refreshing herbs like cilantro and mint, there will be plenty of flavor in each bite.
Enjoy this Vietnamese Grilled Pork Salad with a summery drink like watermelon-mint punch, and when you’re done, grill some bananas and top with creamy coconut milk for dessert. Life is good in the summer!
Vietnamese Grilled Pork Noodle Salad recipe
by Season with Spice
4 servings
Ingredients for the pork (Thịt Nướng):
alb pork tenderloin or pork shoulders – cut into thin strips or thin slices
2-3 tsp of Season with Spice’s Vietnamese Spicy BBQ Seasoning
Small pinch of salt
2 tsp coconut palm sugar
2 tbsp peanut oil or vegetable oil
5 garlic cloves – finely chopped
Dressing:
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce (omit for lower sodium dish)
1 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
Ingredients for the noodle salad:
4 servings of rice vermicelli noodles*
Cucumber slices
Your choice of vegetables: yellow onion slices/ bean sprouts/ lettuce/ pickled carrots
1 bunch of fresh cilantro leaves – roughly chopped
1 bunch of fresh mint leaves – roughly chopped
1 fresh red chili pepper for garnish – cut into thin slices (optional)
Crushed roasted peanuts
Method:
1. In a large bowl, season pork slices with Vietnamese Spicy BBQ Seasoning, salt & sugar, making sure each piece is coated well with the seasoning. Set aside.
2. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. When cooked, drain and run under cold water. Divide noodles into each serving bowl. Top with cucumber slices and your choice of vegetables.
3. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, fish sauce (if using), brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil. Stir until sugar dissolves. Set dressing aside.
4. Turn on the grill to medium fire, close the top, and allow to warm up. When the grill is ready, add the oil into an iron skillet or grill pan. When the oil is hot, add the pork slices, close the grill top, and sear the meat until nicely browned on the edges. Turn the meat over, and then add chopped garlic. Close the grill top again, and cook the pork until all edges are brown and the garlic is crispy, but not burned.
5. To assemble, drizzle some of the prepared dressing over the noodles & veggies. Then place the spicy pork pieces on top. Add on the fresh cilantro, mint, and red chili pepper. Drizzle on more dressing. Then sprinkle on crushed peanuts. And finally, dig in!
Notes:
-*You can use flat rice noodles, angel hair pasta, or even soba noodles too
- For a low-sodium alternative, you can omit the fish sauce in the dressing and increase the amount of toasted sesame oil.
- If you don’t want to grill, it’s just as easy to cook the pork in a skillet or wok on the stove.
by Season with Spice
4 servings
Ingredients for the pork (Thịt Nướng):
alb pork tenderloin or pork shoulders – cut into thin strips or thin slices
2-3 tsp of Season with Spice’s Vietnamese Spicy BBQ Seasoning
Small pinch of salt
2 tsp coconut palm sugar
2 tbsp peanut oil or vegetable oil
5 garlic cloves – finely chopped
Dressing:
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce (omit for lower sodium dish)
1 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
Ingredients for the noodle salad:
4 servings of rice vermicelli noodles*
Cucumber slices
Your choice of vegetables: yellow onion slices/ bean sprouts/ lettuce/ pickled carrots
1 bunch of fresh cilantro leaves – roughly chopped
1 bunch of fresh mint leaves – roughly chopped
1 fresh red chili pepper for garnish – cut into thin slices (optional)
Crushed roasted peanuts
Method:
1. In a large bowl, season pork slices with Vietnamese Spicy BBQ Seasoning, salt & sugar, making sure each piece is coated well with the seasoning. Set aside.
2. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. When cooked, drain and run under cold water. Divide noodles into each serving bowl. Top with cucumber slices and your choice of vegetables.
3. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, fish sauce (if using), brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil. Stir until sugar dissolves. Set dressing aside.
4. Turn on the grill to medium fire, close the top, and allow to warm up. When the grill is ready, add the oil into an iron skillet or grill pan. When the oil is hot, add the pork slices, close the grill top, and sear the meat until nicely browned on the edges. Turn the meat over, and then add chopped garlic. Close the grill top again, and cook the pork until all edges are brown and the garlic is crispy, but not burned.
5. To assemble, drizzle some of the prepared dressing over the noodles & veggies. Then place the spicy pork pieces on top. Add on the fresh cilantro, mint, and red chili pepper. Drizzle on more dressing. Then sprinkle on crushed peanuts. And finally, dig in!
Notes:
-*You can use flat rice noodles, angel hair pasta, or even soba noodles too
- For a low-sodium alternative, you can omit the fish sauce in the dressing and increase the amount of toasted sesame oil.
- If you don’t want to grill, it’s just as easy to cook the pork in a skillet or wok on the stove.
