Vietnamese Grilled Pork Chops With Chilled Rice Noodles
from http://www.seriouseats.com/,
Emily and Matt Clifton
FMM: We made this recipe with thick cut pork chops cooked out on the grill and sliced against the grain, and it was quite good. Brian heated the remaining marinade to use as a sauce on the meat along with the Nuoc Cham dipping sauce. The Nuoc Cham, which we added both garlic and Thai chilis to, added a lot of flavor to the meat and noodles. Daikon has a strong smell when pickled, but we liked the carrot and daikon pickle accent. It added another dimension to the dish along with the fresh cucumber. This is a nice, refreshing dish for a summer cookout. Leftovers would make good Bánh Mì Sandwiches or Bánh Mì wraps - they basically use the same ingredients.
Another way to serve this is is to make Lemongrass Pork with Vietnamese Table Salad: Cut pork crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide strips. Place pork and any juices from board atop noodles. To serve, fill butterhead lettuce leaves with pork, noodles, fresh herbs (Thai basil leaves, cilantro leaves, mint leaves, green shiso leaves), bean sprouts, and vegetables. Serve with Nuoc Cham sauce for dipping. (from http://www.epicurious.com/)
Also see Thit Heo Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork with Lemongrass)
Thit heo nuong xa—Vietnamese lemongrass grilled pork chops—are one of the easiest Vietnamese restaurant dishes to replicate at home. This is a dish that takes maybe half an hour of active work, at most. All you need is a few common ingredients for the marinade—shallots, lemongrass, garlic, sugar, pepper, and fish sauce—some thinly sliced pork chops, and a nice, hot fire. Thin-cut chops absorb marinade quickly and maximize surface area for browning. Blade-end pork chops are fattier, which means they'll turn out juicier and more tender on the grill, even when fully cooked through.
Traditionally served in restaurants with steamed white rice, sliced cucumber, and Nuoc Cham dipping sauce. This version, perfect for the summer is served with chilled rice noodles, sliced cucumber, lots of herbs, and plenty of pickled vegetables.
Why it works: A baking soda bath helps keep the pork tender and juicy later. Salt from soy sauce and fish sauce in the marinade also helps the meat retain juices during cooking.
For the Marinated Pork:
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 pounds (680g) thin-cut pork chops, preferably from the blade end, or boneless country-style pork ribs, cut into 1/4-inch strips
3 stalks lemongrass, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced (about 1 ounce; 30g after trimming)
3 tablespoons shallot (from 1 large shallot), roughly chopped (about 5 ounces; 130g)
4 medium cloves garlic, roughly chopped (about 3/4 ounce; 20g)
1/3 cup palm or light brown sugar (about 3 ounces; 85g)
1/3 cup (80ml) Asian fish sauce
2 tablespoons (30ml) soy sauce
1 teaspoon (2g) cornstarch
2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil
For Serving:
1 (14-ounce) package rice vermicelli, soaked in hot water, drained, and chilled (according to package directions)
1/4 cup (6g) coarsely chopped fresh mint and/or perilla (shiso) leaves
1/4 cup (6g) cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 cup thinly sliced Persian cucumbers (about 4 cucumbers; 100g)
Pickled Daikon and Carrots
1/2 cup (3 ounces) crushed unsalted peanuts
Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce)
Lime wedges
[Note: To keep the cooked rice vermicelli from sticking together, coat with a little sesame oil.]
For the Marinated Pork: In a large zipper-lock bag, combine baking soda with 1/2 cup (120ml) water and swish until baking soda is dissolved. Add pork, press out air, and seal bag. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Drain pork, rinse under cold running water, and pat dry. Rinse zipper-lock bag and reserve.
Meanwhile, if using a mortar and pestle, crush lemongrass, shallot, garlic, and palm sugar to form a rough paste. If using a food processor, combine lemongrass, shallot, garlic, and palm sugar and pulse, scraping down sides, to form a rough paste.
Transfer paste to a bowl and whisk in fish sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, and vegetable oil. Add pork, tossing to coat. Transfer pork to reserved zipper-lock bag, press out air, and seal. Marinate at room temperature, turning pork once or twice, for 30 minutes. Alternatively, refrigerate up to 12 hours.
If using a charcoal grill, light 1 chimney full of charcoal. When all charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange coals on one side of charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil grilling grate.
Grill pork directly over high heat, turning frequently and shifting to cooler side of grill if there are excessive flare-ups, until pork is charred and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes total.
Fill serving bowls with chilled noodles, then top with pork, herbs, cucumber, pickled carrot and daikon, and peanuts. Drizzle everything with nuoc cham and serve with lime wedges.
Serves 6
