Bún thịt nướng is a simple meal from Vietnam consisting of cold rice vermicelli mixed with fresh vegetables and topped with hot barbecued pork. Served with nuoc cham sauce, it is a good summer dish — light, lowfat, healthy and cool.
Bun Thit Nuong
Course: Pastas and NoodlesCuisine: VietnamBún thịt nướng is a simple meal from Vietnam consisting of cold rice vermicelli mixed with fresh vegetables and topped with hot barbecued pork.
Ingredients
Pork butt, partially frozen, then thinly sliced — 1 pound
Shallots or scallions, minced — 3
Garlic, minced — 2 cloves
Thai or serrano chile peppers, minced — 1 to 3
Sugar — 2 teaspoons
Fish sauce — 2 tablespoons
Lime, juice only — 1
Salt and pepper — to taste
Carrots, julienne or grated — 3
Rice vermicelli — 1 (8-ounce) package
Oil — 2 tablespoons
Mung bean sprouts — 2 cups
Greenleaf or romaine lettuce, shredded — 1/2 head
Cucumber, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced — 1/2
Cilantro — 1/2 bunch
Mint — 1/2 bunch
Roasted peanuts, roughly chopped — 1/4 cup
Nuoc cham — 1 cup
Directions
- In a large bowl, mix together the pork, shallots or scallions, garlic, chile peppers, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Add the carrots and blanch for about 30 seconds. Remove the carrots with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking.
- Place the rice vermicelli in a heat-proof bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let them set for 5 to 8 minutes until softened through. Drain, rinse in cold water and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a saute pan or wok over medium-high flame. Remove the pork from its marinade and saute quickly until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Add equal amounts of the carrots, sprouts and lettuce to each 2 or 3 deep serving bowls. Place equal amounts of rice noodles on top of the vegetables. Then place a spoonful of pork on top of the noodles to cover them about 1/3 of the way. Place the sliced cucumber neatly over another 1/3 of the noodles. Finally, lay sprigs of cilantro and mint over the remaining 1/3 of the noodles.
- Sprinkle peanuts over each dish and serve with nuoc cham to pour over the noodles to taste.
Bun Thit Nuong Notes and Variations
- Bun thit nuong cha gio: Add a deep-fried imperial roll to the top of the dish with the barbecue pork.
- Bun bo nuong: Substitute beef for the pork.
- Bun ga nuong: Substitute chicken for the pork.
- Bun tom nuong: Substitute peeled whole shrimp for the pork.
- A Japanese-style mandolin slicer works well to julienne the carrots. You can also shred them with a box grater, in which case blanching is unnecessary.
- Thai basil is also good as an herb garnish for this dish.
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