Bun Thit Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork with Vermicelli)
Another weekend goes by…and again before she leaves, Kim asks what I would like to eat for later in the week? How lucky am I? 🙂
We had a ton of fresh herbs and vermicelli left over from eating bun nem nuong, so we decided to mix it up a bit…slightly at least, by make bun thit nuong (vermicelli with grilled pork). Besides pho and bun bo hue, this has got to be one of the most common and favorite dishes at Vietnamese restaurants. Most restaurants might have at least 10 variations…with egg roll, shrimp, shrimp and egg roll, etc. It’s not hard to figure out why this is– so versatile and easy to prepare, the savory lemongrass marinaded grilled pork with refreshing herbs and vermicelli is always a sure thing.
We’ve eaten this so many times at family gatherings, barbecues, and restaurants but never really made it ourselves. So we gave a call to Kim’s aunt and decided to make this for Sunday dinner.
Spread out the meat loosely mesh and grill until nicely golden brown and slightly charred. To prevent from over drying since the meat is so thinly slice, keep lid on the grill. Remove from mesh basket into platter or bowl and toss with roasted sesame. Of course your can use an indoor grill or even saute in a pan if these options aren’t available.
Equipment
Ingredients
Thit Nuong
- 1.5 lb pork butt thinly sliced just under 1/4 inch
- 1/4 cup Lemongrass finely minced
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbs fish sauce
- 1 tbs ground pepper
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 2-3 shallots minced
- 3 tbs sesame oil
- 1 tbs thick soy sauce
- 2 tbs sesame toasted
Bun Thit Nuong
- 1 package vermicelli thin rice noodles
- 1 bunch fresh herbs mint, perilla, basil, etc
- 1 cucumber diced matchstick size
- 1 head lettuce thinly chopped
- 1/4 cup peanuts roasted and coarsely crushed
- 2 tbsp scallion oil see notes
- ½ cup nuoc cham
Instructions
Thit Nuong
- Marinade the pork by combine in large mixing bowl the lemongrass, shallots, garlic, sugar, fish sauce, pepper, dark soy sauce, sesame oil. Add pork and mix well and marinade for at least 1-2 hrs up to overnight.
- Cut any large pieces of sliced pork into managable 2-3 inch strips. Again, not too small as you do not want it to dry out and also so that it doesn’t fall through the grilling basket or too hard to skewer. Pan fry or grill over gas grill or preferably over charcoal grill on medium to high heat until done with bit of char.
Bun Thit Nuong
- Place vermicelli in boiling water and cook according to package directions. Stirr regularly so it won’t stick to the bottom of the pot. To check for doneness, take a strand and taste. Should be still slightly firm but easily breaks apart. Drain and flush with cold water to stop cooking process and rinse excess starch.
- In large bowl, combine vermicelli with grilled pork (thit nuong) lots fresh herbs, cucumbers, beansprouts, pickled carrots and daikon, crushed roasted peanuts, scallion oil and dress with nuoc mam cham (dipping fish sauce).
