Contents
Vietnamese Vermicelli With Chile Sauce and Pork Recipe
These noodle bowls are beautiful to behold, as well as a festival for the taste buds. They've got all the traditional southeast Asian flavors: sour, sweet, salty, and spicy. Even the temperatures of the ingredients are interesting.
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons boiling water (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice (from 1 large lime)
- 2 small Thai chile peppers, fresh or dried
- 10 ounces uncooked rice vermicelli (bun)
- 4 cups lightly packed, torn romaine lettuce
- 3 cups fresh herb leaves, coarsely chopped (one or more: cilantro, Thai basil, mint)
- ½ English cucumber
- 2 ounces daikon radish
- 1 medium carrot
- 4 medium scallions
- 1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil
- 8 ounces lean ground pork
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup chopped unsalted peanuts
Instructions
Before you make the salad, start by prepping the sweet chili sauce. Grab a small bowl and stir together the boiling water, sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice until the sugar dissolves. Slice the chiles into paper-thin slices and stir them into the sauce.
In a large, covered stockpot, bring about 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the vermicelli and return the water to a boil, stirring gently several times to separate the block of vermicelli into strands. Begin testing for doneness after noodles have boiled about 2 minutes. When the vermicelli is tender, pour it into a strainer and rinse with cool water.
Divide the lettuce and herbs into 6 dinner-plate-sized bowls. Julienne the unpeeled cucumber, radish, and carrot, and divide among the bowls.
Slice the scallion greens and set them aside. Trim off the roots and cut the white part (bulb) of the scallions into large pieces.
In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the scallion bulbs and allow the oil to infuse with their flavor as they cook. Adjust the heat to prevent burning, and remove the scallions when they begin to brown.
Add the ground pork and sugar and saute for 10 to 12 minutes, breaking it up into large pieces with a spatula, until browned.
Add 1/4 cup of the prepared sweet chile sauce to the skillet and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan, until it has evaporated. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with black pepper.
If necessary, loosen the vermicelli in the strainer by rinsing it again with some cold water. Arrange the noodles on top of the vegetables in the prepared bowls. Top each bowl with 1/6 of the ground pork, scallion greens, and chopped peanuts. Stir the sauce briskly and drizzle 2 1/2 tablespoons over each bowl. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 458Total Fat 20gCarbohydrates 53gProtein 20g
