Vietnamese BBQ Pork Rice Bowl

This is one of my favorite meals. It’s a comfort food and reminds me of the home cooked meals I grew up with. My husband has grown to also love it and will finish off every last bite. I’m lucky enough to have my mom live nearby and because her love language is food, she drops off home cooked items every so often. This includes Vietnamese BBQ pork (or thit nuong). But, you can also make it fairly easily. Another side note? You’ll notice a lot of Asian recipes use things such as fish sauce and different types of soy sauces. These are household staples for me but if you don’t have them, you can find them at HMart or an Asian grocery store. A lot of times, Asian recipes might seem intimidating because of the different ingredients used but this meal is a quick assemble if you prepare the meat the night before.

Ingredients:

• 5 lb pork shoulder (sliced thin)
• 2 shallots
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup of minced lemongrass
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon pepper
• 1 cup white rice
• Garnish: romaine lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, mint, crispy onions (I use the one from Cock Brand which can be purchased at HMart or your Asian grocery store)

For Nuoc Mam:

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar or fresh squeeze lime juice
• Optional: minced 1 clove garlic and 1 thai bird eye chili

Recipe:

• In a food processor, quickly mince the garlic, shallots, and lemongrass together
• In a bowl mix sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper to taste – mix until sugar is dissolved
• Marinate the thinly sliced pork for at least 1 hour but for best results, overnight
• Add meat to wooden skewers, folding the pieces and placing on top of each other until the skewer is almost full
• Grill the meat on your outdoor grill or if you live in a NYC apartment like me, grill over an indoor tabletop grill on your stove. Flip the skewers on each side until evenly browned and slightly charred
• Cook white rice with water (1 cup of rice to 1 cup of water in a rice cooker)
• Chop your vegetables. Romaine lettuce, mint, and cucumbers should be julienned.
• Place white rice at the bottom of a serving bowl. Top with bbq pork, romaine lettuce, mint, cucumber, bean sprouts, and crispy onions
• Top with nuoc mam sauce, which is made by combining the sugar, water, fish sauce, and white vinegar (or lime juice) in a bowl and mixing until the sugar is dissolved.

:

• In a food processor, quickly mince the garlic, shallots, and lemongrass together
• In a bowl mix sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper to taste – mix until sugar is dissolved
• Marinate the thinly sliced pork for at least 1 hour but for best results, overnight
• Add meat to wooden skewers, folding the pieces and placing on top of each other until the skewer is almost full
• Grill the meat on your outdoor grill or if you live in a NYC apartment like me, grill over an indoor tabletop grill on your stove. Flip the skewers on each side until evenly browned and slightly charred
• Cook white rice with water (1 cup of rice to 1 cup of water in a rice cooker)
• Chop your vegetables. Romaine lettuce, mint, and cucumbers should be julienned.
• Place white rice at the bottom of a serving bowl. Top with bbq pork, romaine lettuce, mint, cucumber, bean sprouts, and crispy onions
• Top with nuoc mam sauce, which is made by combining the sugar, water, fish sauce, and white vinegar (or lime juice) in a bowl and mixing until the sugar is dissolved.