Vietnamese Recipes

Lemongrass Pork with Vietnamese Table Salad
Bon Appétit | June 2005

yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

Dipping sauce
* 3/4 cup hot water
* 5 tablespoons fish sauce*
* 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 2 Thai bird chiles with seeds or 1/2 jalapeño chile with seeds, minced
* 1 garlic clove, minced

Pork
* 6 green onions (white and pale green parts only), chopped (about 1/2 cup)
* 3 tablespoons chopped lemongrass*
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons fish sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
* 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds boneless pork loin chops (each 1/3 to 1/2 ich thick)

Salad and noodles
* 1 small English hothouse cucumber, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
* 1 baby pineapple, peeled, halved, thinly sliced or 1/2 small pineapple, peeled, cut into 2 wedges, cored, thinly sliced
* 2 cups bean sprouts
* 1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves
* 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
* 1 cup fresh mint leaves
* 20 fresh green shiso leaves
* 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
* 1 8- to 9-ounce package dried rice vermicelli noodles
* 3 heads of butter lettuce, cored, leaves separated

Preparation

For dipping sauce:
Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Season sauce to taste with salt. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

For pork:
Mix first 6 ingredients and 2 tablespoons oil in 11x7-inch glass dish. Add pork chops to marinade, turn several times to coat evenly, then crowd together in single layer. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

For salad and noodles:
Arrange cucumber, pineapple, bean sprouts, all herbs, and carrot around edge of large platter. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)

Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender and turning white, separating often with tongs, about 4 minutes. Drain. Arrange in center of platter. Mound lettuce leaves in large shallow bowl.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill rack with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Grill pork with marinade still clinging to meat until slightly charred and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Transfer pork to cutting board. Let rest 10 minutes.

Cut pork crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide strips. Place pork and any juices from board atop noodles. To serve, fill lettuce leaves with pork, noodles, herbs, and vegetables. Serve with sauce for dipping.


Vietnamese Lemongrass Marinade

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Lemongrass, chopped (4-6 stalks) or 1/4 cup Dried lemongrass or 6 Strips lemon zest
3 Garlic clove(s) minced (1 tbs)
2 (to 3) shallots minced (3 tbs)
2 Serrano, jalape=A4o or Thai chilies, minced
2 tsp Brown sugar or to taste
3 tbl Fish sauce
3 tbl Lime juice
1 tsp Vietnamese or Thai hot sauce or chili oil or Tabasco sauce

How to cook :

Cut off the top 2/3 of each lemongrass stalk, trim off the outside leaves and roots, and slice the core thinly.
Puree the lemongrass, garlic, shallots, chilies, and brown sugar to a fine paste.
Work in the fish sauce, lime juice, and hot sauce.
Marinate fish or thinly sliced poultry or beef for 1-2 hours, turning once or twice.
Makes enough for 1-2 pounds seafood, poultry, or meat.