Bun Thit Nuong

(Vietnamese rice noodles with pork and vegetables)

Bún thịt nướng is a simple meal from Vietnam consisting of cold rice vermicelli mixed with fresh vegetables and topped with hot barbecued pork. Served with nuoc cham sauce, it is a good summer dish — light, lowfat, healthy and cool.

2 to 3 servings

Ingredients

Pork butt, partially frozen, then thinly sliced -- 1 pound
Shallots or scallions, minced -- 3
Garlic, minced -- 2 cloves
Thai or serrano chile peppers, minced -- 1 to 3
Sugar -- 2 teaspoons
Fish sauce -- 2 tablespoons
Lime, juice only -- 1
Salt and pepper -- to taste
Carrots, julienne or grated -- 3
Rice vermicelli -- 1 (8-ounce) package
Oil -- 2 tablespoons
Mung bean sprouts -- 2 cups
Greenleaf or romaine lettuce, shredded -- 1/2 head
Cucumber, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced -- 1/2
Cilantro -- 1/2 bunch
Mint -- 1/2 bunch
Roasted peanuts, roughly chopped -- 1/4 cup
Nuoc cham -- 1 cup

Method

In a large bowl, mix together the pork, shallots or scallions, garlic, chile peppers, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate for 15-30 minutes.
Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Add the carrots and blanch for about 30 seconds. Remove the carrots with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking.
Place the rice vermicelli in a heat-proof bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let them set for 5-8 minutes until softened through. Drain, rinse in cold water and set aside.
Heat the oil in a saute pan or wok over medium-high flame. Remove the pork from its marinade and saute quickly until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add equal amounts of the carrots, sprouts and lettuce to each 2 or 3 deep serving bowls. Place equal amounts of rice noodles on top of the vegetables. Then place a spoonful of pork on top of the noodles to cover them about 1/3 of the way. Place the sliced cucumber neatly over another 1/3 of the noodles. Finally, lay sprigs of cilantro and mint over the remaining 1/3 of the noodles.
Sprinkle peanuts over each dish and serve with nuoc cham to pour over the noodles to taste.

Bun Thit Nuong Variations

Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio: Add a deep-fried imperial roll to the top of the dish with the barbecue pork.
Bun Bo Nuong: Substitute beef for the pork.
Bun Ga Nuong: Substitute chicken for the pork.
Bun Tom Nuong: Substitute peeled whole shrimp for the pork.
A Japanese-style mandolin slicer works well to julienne the carrots. You can also shred them with a box grater, in which case blanching is unnecessary.
Thai basil is also good as an herb garnish for this dish.