Keeping it cool this August, here’s a recipe for one of the more delicious “salads” the world offers, what the Vietnamese generically call “bun,” pronounced “boon” (written more exactly, “bún thịt nướng — plus the many Vietnamese accents that aren’t in our font base). Itap much more than a salad, actually, and in its variations — only one such is given here — easily can stand for the main meal of the day.
If you wish to avoid any heat at all (I’m referring to Fahrenheit here), you might cook the pork ahead; slice it when assembling the bun. And to prepare the super-convenient Vietnamese rice “vermicelli,” all you need is some boiling water. Steep them for just a minute or two until they are limp. Thatap it.
And get over any hang-up over eating fish sauce. Itap always a mere underlying flavor — and a terrific, umami-laden one at that — never sticking out or making the overall dish “fishy” tasting. Plus, itap Italian — well, Roman, really — and was the principal salty sauce for the ancient Greeks, Romans and Turks, known then as liquamen or garum. The Asians made it too, perhaps even earlier.
The Vietnamese are smarter than we, however. They kept it going; we took garum and evolved it into ketchup.
Easy Vietnamese Pork Bun Bowls
Recipe from Elizabeth Lindemann at
Serves 4
This recipe uses a few shortcuts to make it quick and easy without sacrificing flavor. It’s fresh, healthy, gluten free, and adaptable to be vegan/vegetarian.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, thinly sliced
For the marinade:
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons sugar or honey
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- Black pepper, to taste
For the dipping sauce (nuoc cham):
- 6 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons sugar or honey
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- Crushed red pepper, to taste
- 4 cups chopped fresh lettuce
- 1 package rice vermicelli noodles, cooked and cooled
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced or cut julienne
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- Pork, prepared as above
- Chopped peanuts, for garnish (optional)
Directions
Add the pork and all the marinade ingredients to a large freezer bag or container. Allow to marinate for at least 24 hours or up to three days (you can also freeze it for a longer time).
Cook the pork on high heat in a heavy skillet, such as cast iron. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until seared and fully cooked through.
Meanwhile, divide the bowl ingredients into four bowls, layering the lettuce, noodles, carrots, cucumbers, and herbs.
Mix together ingredients for dipping sauce/dressing and divide amongst four small bowls or ramekins. Top each bowl with equal amounts of pork and garnish with chopped peanuts. Pour dipping sauce on top of each bowl just before eating.
For a vegetarian/vegan version, use tofu instead of pork and use a vegetarian friendly substitute for the fish sauce such as this one from Cooks Illustrated: “In a saucepan, simmer 3 cups of water, 1/4 ounce dried sliced shiitake mushrooms, 3 tablespoons salt, and 2 tablespoons soy sauce over medium heat until reduced by half. Strain, cool, and store in the fridge for up to three weeks.”