Bún Thịt Nướng (Grilled Lemongrass Pork and Vermicelli Noodles)

Recipe chosen by Dr Tien Huynh (born in Vietnam)

 Ingredients

2 tbsp sugar
80 ml (⅓ cup) fish sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp freshly ground pepper3 large stalks of lemongrass
6 spring onions, white part only, finely sliced, pounded in mortar and pestle to a paste
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
3 large stalks of lemongrass
500 g pork neck, finely slice across the grain into 3 mm pieces
12 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 20 minutes, or 12 wooden chopsticks sliced down the middle
2 tbsp vegetable oil 
250 g rice vermicelli noodle (cooked to packet instructions)
5 mint leaves, sliced
5 perilla leaves, sliced
5 Vietnamese mint leaves, sliced
1 Lebanese cucumber, halved and sliced
2 handful beansprouts
½ cup dipping fish sauce
80 ml (⅓ cup) spring onion oil
⅓ cup fried red Asian shallots
⅓ cup crushed roasted peanuts

Marinating time: 2 hours

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, fish sauce, honey and pepper. Mix until sugar has dissolved. Blitz the lemongrass in a blender then add to the bashed spring onion, garlic and sliced pork neck.

Coat the pork well then enclose the flavours with vegetable oil.

Marinate for 2 hours or over night for a better result.

Thread the pork into the skewers and chargrill on medium to high heat for 1-2 minutes on each or until brown and cooked.

Divide the cooked vermicelli noodle into four or six bowls, add sliced herbs, cucumber, beansprouts and 1-2 pork skewers to each bowl.

Dress each bowl with 2 tablespoons of dipping fish sauce, a teaspoon of shallot oil, and sprinkle fried Asian shallots and crushed peanuts on top.