This Vietnamese lemongrass pork noodle bowls are one of my favorite meals. The lemongrass pork is served with tofu, cucumber, carrot, bell pepper, cilantro and mint over rice noodles and drizzled with amazing nuoc cham (lime sauce). They are healthy and light, but pack so much flavor into one bowl. They don’t require a ton of work, and everyone enjoys them.
I use pork tenderloin for this, and it is best to slice and marinate it for at least a few hours, or even overnight for maximum flavor. The pork is marinated in ginger, garlic, lemongrass, fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and sriracha. No way are you ending up with flavorless pork here. You can grill the pork if you like, but I like to pan sear it as it cooks super quickly and gets a nice browned exterior.
You can add whatever veggies you like to these. Typical veggies for this dish are cucumbers and carrots. I add raw bell pepper as well. The veggies are meant to be raw in this dish, although who is going to complain if they aren’t? 🙂 Rice noodles work perfectly for this because they are super light and also absorb a little of the tasty lime sauce, but you could use other noodles too.
Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Noodle Bowl
Ingredients
For the pork:
- 1 pork tenderloin sliced thin
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp lemongrass paste
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 1-2 tsp sriracha to taste
For the lime sauce:
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red chile finely sliced
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 tbsp lime juice
- 4 tbsp water
To serve:
- shredded romaine lettuce
- sliced cucumbers
- shredded carrots
- sliced bell pepper
- cubed tofu (optional) lightly pan fried
- rice noodles cooked according to package
- cilantro and mint
- chopped peanuts
Instructions
For the pork:
- Thinly slice the pork. In a medium bowl combine the marinade ingredients and stir. Add the pork and marinate several hours or up to overnight.
- Heat a frying pan with a bit of oil over high heat and wait until it is smoking hot. Add the pork and quickly spread it around the pan. Do not move it again and let it brown well on one side. Stir and allow to brown on the other side. Remove to the side. Make sure the pork is cooked through but don't over cook it.
For the sauce:
- Combine all the ingredients and stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
To serve:
- Place cooked rice noodles in a bowl and top with the meat, tofu, veggies, herbs and chopped peanuts. Drizzle the sauce over the top.