Vietnamese Vermicelli Noodles with Pork (Bún Thịt Nướng)

One of my favorite dishes to make that I'm especially proud of is my Bún Thịt Nướng. Being Vietnamese, I naturally grew up eating a lot of Vietnamese food. However, learning how to make it myself as an adult has been particularly challenging. Asian fusion is my preferred style of cooking for a reason. It allows me to make Asian foods while having the flexibility to tweak the ingredients as needed. Authentic Asian food, on the hand, requires more thoughtfulness around flavor and spices true to the country of origin.

While I know there are potential cultural flaws to my recipe below, it's as close as I can come to what I know as Bún Thịt Nướng. I hope to continue to fine-tune this so I can eventually make it for my parents! They are picky when it comes to authentic Vietnamese food!

Vietnamese Vermicelli Noodles with Pork (Bún Thịt Nướng)

Prep Time: 65+ min

Cook Time: 30 min

Servings: 4

Pork Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs pork shoulder (cubed)

• 3 tbsp shallots (minced)

• 2 tbsp garlic (minced)

• 1/8 cup fish sauce

• 1/2 tbsp black pepper

• 1/4 cup sugar

Noodle Ingredients:

• ~8 oz vermicelli dry rice noodles

Pickled Carrots and Daikon Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup carrot (thinly sliced)

• 1/4 cup daikon (thinly sliced)

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

Toppings:

*add, remove, or adjust based on personal preference

• Green lettuce (chopped)

• Mint (chopped)

• Green onions (chopped and soaked in olive oil)

• Crushed peanuts

• Egg rolls (optional)

• "Dipping fish sauce" (nuoc mam cham) (store-bought or homemade)

• Note: I always use my dad's homemade version, but here's an example recipe from HUNGRY HUY you can try!

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Pork Directions:

• In a medium bowl, mix together shallots, garlic, fish sauce, black pepper, and sugar.

• In a separate large bowl, add pork. Pour marinade over and make sure pork is evenly coated.

• Marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

• While pork is marinating, work on noodles and pickled carrots and daikon (see directions below).

• After pork has marinated for ~1 hour, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

• ​Note: Traditionally, the pork is grilled over charcoal. However, conventional oven can be used.

• Transfer pork to a baking tray and place in the oven (close to the top rack).

• Bake for about 20-25 minutes (until pork is browned and looks almost fully cooked).

• Adjust oven setting from bake to broil (on high) for about 3-5 minutes (or until edges of meat are charred). Careful not to burn!

Noodles Directions:

• Boil a pot of water on high heat.

• Add rice noodles and cook until noodles are white and tender. (Follow directions on packaging)

• Drain water and let cool.

Pickled Carrots and Daikon Directions:

• Place carrots and daikon in a small bowl.

• In a small pot, add water, sugar, and white wine vinegar. Stir all ingredients.

• Place the pot over high heat. Once boiled, stir the mixture again, remove the pot from stove.

• Pour mixture over carrots and daikon.

• Let sit for about 10 minutes, then drain liquid and let cool.

To Assemble:

• Each person is served with an individual large bowl.

• For each bowl, add lettuce and mint. Layer on rice noodles and pork.

• Add pickled carrots, peanuts, green onions, and egg rolls to garnish. (Add, remove, or adjust toppings based on personal preference).

• When ready to serve, pour over about 2-4 spoonfuls of "dipping fish sauce" (nuoc mam cham) per bowl.