That is such a beautiful method to make use of economical pork shoulder in an thrilling new method! A lemongrass marinade infuses with lovely Vietnamese flavour whereas a tiny quantity of baking soda is the key to tenderising so the pork steaks are as tender as premium chops.
Use this pork to make bun thit nuong, the favored Vietnamese noodle bowls (coming Friday!), or serve with coconut rice and Asian Slaw for a beautiful dinner.
Vietnamese lemongrass pork
I’ve been desirous to recreate the chargrilled lemongrass marinated pork you discover “all over the place” on the streets of Vietnam for years – nevertheless it at all times got here out dry. Lastly discovered the key to conserving it juicy, so I needed to share the recipe instantly! 😂
Throughout Vietnam, variations of this lemongrass pork are served in varied types. On rice, soups, in rice paper rolls, even in Banh Mi. Whereas all are scrumptious, my favorite are the favored Vietnamese noodle bowl salads, bun thit nuong. Skinny rice noodles, topped with this pork, pickled greens, lettuce, a smattering of peanuts, lime and served with nuoc cham, that sauce served with “the whole lot” in Vietnam.
On Friday, I’ll share the total noodle bowl recipe. I wished to publish the marinated pork individually as a result of I believe it’s worthy of your consideration!
Right here’s a photograph of the pork rice noodle bowls. I really took this picture in Vietnam – it’s a dish I purchased from a road vendor in Saigon and took again to my lodge to take a photograph:
Oh look! And stated vendor in Saigon. 🙂 They cooked the pork on skewers over charcoal. I’m doing a house model – steaks on a range. So you may make this any night time of the week – rain, hail or shine!
Why you want this Vietnamese pork in your life!
Wonderful worth – It’s made utilizing economical pork shoulder that’s tenderised so it’s juicy like premium pork chops!
Flavour plus worth – The meat is sliced and pounded thinly for optimum flavour penetration and so much less meat goes additional.
One thing completely different however but really easy, with elements you may get from the native outlets.
Versatile – Serve at your subsequent BBQ with coconut rice and Asian slaw. Or wait till Friday to make Vietnamese noodle bowls!
Deliciousness issue is extraordinarily excessive for comparatively small effort
And since I do know somebody will ask – sure you may make this with hen, right here it’s! 🙂
What you want
Right here’s what it’s good to make this.
Pork shoulder – Usually, this economical, robust minimize of pork is gradual cooked till it turns into fall-apart tender. At the moment, we’re utilizing it in a very completely different method. Sliced thinly, then marinated with baking soda which tenderises it so when it’s cooked hard-and-fast like steak, it’s tender like a dear pork chop. (Hyperlinks once more for glowing reader critiques who’ve found the marvel of this system with hen and beef!).
Baking soda – also called bi-carb / bi-carbonate. As famous within the level above, that is what tenderises the robust pork shoulder meat.
Lemongrass – For unmistakable, irreplaceable lovely Vietnamese flavour!
Limes – For tang. A Vietnamese meals favorite.
Sugar – For candy and caramelisation.
Soy sauce and fish sauce – The saltiness. I like to make use of each to get the correct flavour stability. Solely fish sauce = too fishy. Solely soy sauce = lacks complexity of flavour.
Garlic – Heaps!
Oil – To extend the quantity of the marinade so there’s the correct flavour infusion for the quantity of meat we’re utilizing. (Initially I simply had extra of all the opposite elements however the pork was too salty).
Learn how to make Vietnamese lemongrass marinated pork
The important thing to this recipe is to slice and pound the pork as thinly as you possibly can. This serves a number of functions:
head begin tenderising the flesh
opens up the fibres to permit the marinade to penetrate completely
will increase floor space and flattens the pork to enhance floor space char – for optimum actual chargrilled street-food flavour!
permits us to make this with economical pork shoulder fairly than expensive pork tenderloin or chops.
Slice the pork shoulder into eight thinnish items – offers us a head begin on the pounding. I discover it best to do that by slicing the pork on 45 diploma angle however when you have the correct formed piece, you possibly can simply minimize straight down.
PRO TIP: To get even(ish) items with out pulling out the scales, minimize the pork shoulder in half, then every half in half once more, then every in half once more. Voila – 8 items!
Pound to 5mm / 0.2″ thickness thick utilizing a meat mallet (the jagged facet) or rolling pin. Cowl with go-between or freezer baggage to forestall damaging the meat. (Go-between is a objective made plastic sheet, offered alongside cling wrap. Additionally helpful for stacking meals within the freezer with out sticking collectively).
Put up pounding skinny pork!
Marinade – Combine the marinade elements in a bowl.
Coat pork Add the pork and use tongs to coat properly.
Marinate 24 hours – Switch to a ziplock bag and marinate for twenty-four hours.
Why combine individually first? To make sure actually good, even distribution of the small quantity of bi-carb throughout various floor space. I wouldn’t ask you to soiled a bowl unnecessarily 🙂
Why a ziplock bag? As a result of it retains the meat fully coated in a comparatively small quantity of marinade. In case you favor a container, use a small one so the meat is as snugly fitted as doable and toss the pork a few times in the course of the marinading time.
Excessive warmth cooking – Prepare dinner for 1 1/2 minutes in a scorching forged iron skillet OR in your BBQ over excessive warmth. Then prepare dinner the opposite facet for 1 minute. Tremendous fast to prepare dinner as a result of it’s so skinny!
Goal for a pleasant char – The pork will char rapidly due to the sugar within the marinade and that’s what we would like, that genuine chargrilled flavour.
STILL TENDER! Technically, with 2 1/2 minutes of excessive warmth blasting, the skinny pork must be overcooked and dry inside, to not point out the robust pork shoulder hasn’t been gradual cooked because it ought to so it must be horridly robust. Nope! The within continues to be juicy, and it’s extra tender than you ever imagined pork shoulder could possibly be, due to the baking soda (learn extra on this above within the elements part).
NOTE: Meat tenderised utilizing the baking soda technique will likely be pink inside even when it’s cooked to properly carried out! It’s simply what occurs. It occurs with beef too. 🙂
As talked about above, I’ll share the Vietnamese Pork Noodle Bowls recipe on Friday. However suppose past the noodle bowl! Serve it with a facet of coconut rice, Vietnamese purple fried rice or plain jasmine rice with a facet salad. Attempt one among these:
And simply earlier than I log off, yet another sneak preview of this Friday’s noodle bowl:
It’s so good! ADORE the contrasting textures of the contemporary greens and herbs with the flavourful marinated lemongrass pork all doused in nuoc cham, the Vietnamese chilli-garlic sauce served with “the whole lot”.
What do you suppose?? Have I satisfied you to offer this Vietnamese pork a go? I hope so!!! If something, it’s price experiencing the magic of the marinade and the way tender it makes pork shoulder steaks. Attempt it!! – Nagi x
Watch the best way to make it
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Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork steaks (tenderised!)
Prep: 15 minutes
Prepare dinner: 6 minutes
Foremost
Vietnamese
Servings4
Faucet or hover to scale
Directions
Lower pork – Lower into 8 equal, thinnish slices of pork. I discover it best utilizing the knife on a forty five° angle, however when you have the correct form piece you possibly can simply minimize straight down.
Pound every steak to 5mm / 0.2″ thickness utilizing the scary facet of a meat mallet (jagged, not flat), utilizing go-between (Notice 5) or a freezer bag to keep away from damaging the meat. (You should utilize baking paper for rolling pin or the flat facet of the mallet.)
Marinade – Combine the marinade elements in a bowl, it can fizz when the baking soda is added! Add pork then toss properly to coat utilizing tongs. Switch to a ziplock bag and marinate for twenty-four hours.
Take away pork from the marinade and brush off the lemongrass items.
Prepare dinner – Warmth a forged iron skillet over excessive warmth till you see wisps of smoke. Add 1 1/2 tbsp oil, then prepare dinner half the pork for 1 1/2 minutes on one facet and 1 minute on the opposite facet till properly charred. Take away onto a plate and prepare dinner the remaining pork.
Make bun thit nuong Rice Noodle Bowls (under) or with coconut rice and an Asian Slaw!
Bun thit nuong – Vietnamese noodle bowls with grilled pork
Recipe Notes:
Vitamin Info:
Energy: 360cal (18%)Carbohydrates: 15g (5%)Protein: 16g (32%)Fats: 26g (40%)Saturated Fats: 3g (19%)Polyunsaturated Fats: 7gMonounsaturated Fats: 16gTrans Fats: 0.1gLdl cholesterol: 51mg (17%)Sodium: 1578mg (69%)Potassium: 354mg (10%)Fiber: 0.2g (1%)Sugar: 12g (13%)Vitamin A: 14IUVitamin C: 6mg (7%)Calcium: 35mg (4%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
I like Vietnamese meals!
See?
Lifetime of Dozer
When Dozer was within the paper over the Easter break. Particularly, the Good Weekend Journal!
In case you want to proceed to imagine I’m an harmless angel, please don’t learn the article.
