Bún Nem Nướng

(Cold Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Grilled Pork Loaf )

Hardware

• Food processor or Microplane
• Mixing Bowl
• Small-Med Roasting Pan
• Julienne Peeler
• Pho Bowls (very helpful)
• A Sharp Knife 🙂

Nem Nuong ( AKA: VietMeatloaf )

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. ground pork
• 2 heads of garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 TBS salt
• 1/2 TBS black pepper (a little less if white)
• 4 tsp baking powder (not soda)
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp caramel syrup (optional and found in most asian groceries or make your own, or maybe 1tsp of molasses?)

Directions

1. Using food processor, process (or Microplane) garlic until fine puree. Combine pork, garlic, salt, pepper and sugar in mixing bowl and mix well.
2. In separate bowl, combine baking powder and water and stir.
   • Add caramel syrup if using.
3. Fold the baking powder into mixture and allow meat to chill for about 30 min to 1 hr or longer. The baking powder adds a firm, bouncey texture.
4. Form a few mini meatloafs
5. Broil for at least 5-10 min per side.
   • Should be crispy. Temp it, it needs to be 160F in the middle.

Bun – Vietnamese Cold Noodle Salad

Ingredients

• 1 (~14 oz) bag of vermicelli (Pho) noodles (serves about 4)
• Grilled nem nuong (above)
• Any combination of a variety of fresh herbs and vegetables such as fresh basil, perilla (aka: shisho or sesame leaf), coriander (aka: cilantro), culantro (more peppery cousin of cilantro) and cucumber (julienned)
• Dou Chua (Pickled carrots and daikon)
• Fried Shallots
• Roasted crushed Peanuts
• Fish sauce (nuoc mam cham: buy at store or prepare using below recipe)

Directions

1. Place vermicelli in boiling water for about 2 min (or follow instructions on bag), stirring regularly so it won’t stick to the bottom of the pot. To check for doneness, take a strand and taste. Should be still slightly firm but easily breaks apart. Drain and flush with cold water to stop cooking process.
2. Combine in bowl with nem nuong, Thai Basil, Culantro, Dou Chua, mung bean sprouts, fried shallots, and crushed roasted peanuts
3. Serve with following condiments on the side:
4. Nuoc Mam
5. Sambal Oelek (or Sriracha, but Sambal is better)
6. Shoyu

Nuoc Mam Cham – Fish Sauce

• 1C water (warm)
• 2 TBS rice vinegar
• 4 TBS fresh squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 2 TBS sugar (palm or cane, dissolve in warm water)
• 1 Thai Chile (or 2 Serrano or 4 Jalapeno
  • Or 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 6 clove of garlic (Microplaned), use more or less according to taste
• ~4 TBS fish sauce, adjust to taste
• Mix errrythang and take a taste. Adjust accordingly
• Can be made a week ahead of time and goes well with many fried foods (ex: spring rolls) and cold noodles.

Recommendations

• Shoyu(soy): Kikkoman
• Rice Vinegar: Kikkoman (unseasoned)
• Sambal Oelek: Huy Fong (Rooster)
• Fish Sauce: Red Boat
• Pepper: White Vietnamese (if you can find it)

I usually make extra Vietmeatloaf, because it freezes and reheats well, the rest of the stuff can be put together in minutes (about the time it takes to reheat the loaf from thawed). Also I may have been seen making deconstructed Nem-Basil sammies with it.

Love, Jimi