Vietnamese bun (noodle) bowl with Grilled Lemongrass Pork

Serves 4

Rice flour

a bunch of Thai basil a bunch of fresh mint a bunch of cilantro

2 cups finely sliced lettuce

1 English cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, thinly sliced

½ cup chopped roasted peanuts

pickled carrots (recipe below)

Nouc Cham (recipe below)

1 ½ lbs grilled lemongrass pork collar or pork shoulder steak (recipe below)

Cook the rice noodles in boiling water five minutes then turn off the heat and let the noodles sit another 3-4 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water, drain and divide among four bowls. Top with some of all the garnishes and some of the pork. Toss and enjoy.

Pickled carrots: combine ¼ cup white vinegar + ¼ c sugar + ¼ tsp salt…stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add ½ cup julienned carrots and let sit at least 20 minutes before serving.

Nouc Cham: combine ½ c fish sauce + ½ c sugar + ¼ c lime juice + 2 cloves garlic minced + 2-3 tbsp sambal oelek (or 1-2 this chilies, minced) stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Lemongrass marinated pork : in a bowl combine ½ c sugar + ¼ c fish sauce + 2 stalks lemongrass, minced + 1 ½ tbsp. minced garlic + 2 tbsp minced shallots + ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper. Thinly slice pieces of pork collar or pork shoulder steaks into pieces about 4 inches long by ¾ inch wide and 1/8 inch thick. Toss with the marinade and put the meat on metal (or pre-soaked bamboo) skewers. Marinate about an hour and then grill over charcoal or cook under a broiler for 6-10 minutes or until the pork is lightly caramelized in places and cooked through.