Prepare to fall in love with a new dish in your life! It’s a traditional Vietnamese dish called “bún thịt nướng” (grilled meat with noodles) and it can be enjoyed for many occasions throughout any part of the day! I view it as the second most popular Vietnamese dish that unfortunately does not get a lot of attention. C’mon people! There’s more on the menu besides pho and spring rolls! lol
You can imagine my delight when Tastemade reached out wanting to highlight a family recipe of mine! Scroll down to the end to see the video below!
“Bún” translates to noodles and “thịt nướng” means barbequed/grilled meat. Traditionally this dish is served with pork, but I’ve seen restaurants do it with beef, chicken, shrimp, and even tofu for people who are vegetarians! You do you, boo!
So if you’re wanting to add new flavors, colors, and textures to your weekly routine, bún thịt nướng would be it! Best of all, it’s pretty dang healthy! Just imagine a bowl of springy rice vermicelli noodles sitting on a bed of lettuce, topped with grilled pork, and blanketed with vegetables and herbs. OMG SO MUCH HERBS because that’s how Vietnamese people roll! And please don’t be shy with the crushed peanuts and special fish sauce! Now let’s get right to the recipe!!! Hope you enjoy it!!
Also, I know it can get pretty intimidating going to an Asian market because there are so many brands, sauces, and aisles to choose from! See below the brands I normally turn to when making this recipe :). The only one I’m usually flexible with is the rice noodle because I like experimenting with new brands. The key is to get the regular size noodles, not too thin nor thick!
- 1-2 lbs of pork shoulder
- 2 package of rice vermicelli
- 3 Shallots, minced
- 3 Cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon of ground pepper
- 3 Tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 Tablespoon of thick soy sauce (has molasses-like texture and thicker)
- 4 Stalks onion
- 1/4 Cup oil
- 1.5 Cups water
- 3/4 Cup fish sauce
- 1/3 Cup white vinegar
- 1/2 Cup sugar, or as preferred
- 1 Lime
- 2 Cloves garlic
- 1-2 Spoons of ground fresh chili paste (optional)
- Slice cucumbers
- Chopped green leaf lettuce
- Balm (kinh gioi)
- Mint
- Thai basil
- Perilla leaves (tia to)
- Lightly salted peanuts, crushed
- Pickled carrots
- Daikon radish
- Egg rolls
- Marinate the pork - Chop, prepare and mix all marinade ingredients. Slice raw pork into thin slices (avoid lean meat because it will dry out) and submerge in the marinade. Place in the fridge for at least one hour.
- Prepare rice noodles - Add dry noodles to boiling water. Follow the package instructions, then strain to cool.
- Prepare the scallion oil garnish - Heat up scallions in a pan with oil until softened, no more than 1 minute. Set aside.
- Prepare the fish sauce by combining all ingredients.
- Skewer the pork and grill until it has a nice brown color to it on both sides.
- Assemble the bowl - Fill the bottom of the bowl with a bed of lettuce, then add the cold rice noodles. Top with grilled pork and garnishes. When ready to serve, add 1 to 2 spoonfuls of special Vietnamese fish sauce. Serve with egg rolls, if desired, and enjoy!
- Fish sauce - look for pink and white glass bottle with a picture of 3 crabs under the brand name "Viet Hung"
- Thick soy sauce - look for blue and yellow glass bottle labeled "THICK SOY SAUCE" under the brand name "Koon Chun"
- Ground chili paste - look for plastic bottle with the rooster logo in front under the brand name "Huy Fong"
