Grilled Pork with Rice Noodles and Herbs

Name: Grilled Pork with Rice Noodles and Herbs
Yield: serves 4 as a one-dish meal, or 6 to 8 with 2 or 3 other dishes
Ingredients: 1 large shallot, chopped; 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar; 3/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1 tablespoon Caramel Sauce (page 316) or honey; 2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce; 3 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil; 2 1/3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, well trimmed (about 2 pounds after trimming) and cut across the grain into strips about 3 inches long, 1 inch wide, and a scant 1/4 inch thick; 2/3 pound small dried round rice noodles, cooked in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, drained, and flushed with cold water; 1 1/2 cups Basic Dipping Sauce made without garlic (page 308); Vegetable Garnish Plate (page 313), preferably with the addition of red perilla and Vietnamese balm

December 14, 2011

The ingredients for this recipe resemble those for rice noodle bowl with beef (page 224). But instead of having big assembled bowls, diners compose their own small bowls, soaking the tender, sweet, salty pork in sauce, tearing up lettuce and herbs, adding some noodles, and then nibbling on their creations. Traditionally, a meal of bún cha is unhurried and encourages long conversation. A famous Hanoi rendition of this northern Viet specialty combines sliced pork belly and pork patties made from chopped shoulder, but I prefer a less complicated and healthier version that uses marinated pork slices. A grill best mimics the traditional brazier used in Vietnam, but the pork slices can also be roasted in the top third of a 475°F oven until nicely browned (about 9 minutes on each side).

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