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Looking down at grilled Vietnamese pork plated in a bowl.
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Bún Thịt Nướng (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Noodles)

This Vietnamese grilled pork noodles or Bun Thit Nuong is the heart of Vietnamese cuisine in a bowl. This recipe combines sweet caramelized bbq lemongrass pork with fresh herbs, rice noodles, pickled carrots, and daikon and is topped with a delicious garlic-lime fish sauce. This is the quintessential Vietnamese dish and the perfect introduction to Vietnamese cuisine.
Course Lunch & Dinner Recipes
Cuisine Vietnamese
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 10 Servings
Calories 414kcal
Author Takes Two Eggs

Ingredients

Pork (Thit Nuong)

Pickled Carrot and Daikon (Đồ chua)

Garlic Fish Sauce Dressing

  • ½ cup fish sauce
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoon sugar
  • ½ cup lime juice or lemon juice
  • Garlic Chili sauce Huy Fong Food brand
  • 3 garlic cloves minced

Instructions

Lemongrass pork (Thit Nuong):

  • Prepare the pork. Freeze meat for 30-45 min to make slicing the meat thinly easier. Thinly slice meat along the longest edge of the cut. Set aside.
  • Make the marinade. In a large mixing bowl, mix together fish sauce, water, garlic powder, sugar, five-spice, finely minced lemongrass, black pepper, vegetable oil, sesame oil, and honey.
  • Marinate the pork. Add the sliced pork into the marinade mixture bowl and using your hands massage the meat until thoroughly coated. Marinate the meat for a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight.
  • Prepare the meat on the skewers. Soak the skewers in water for 30 min-1 hour to prevent them from splintering and burning. Skewer the pork strips on the skewers. Leave 1 inch on each end for easy lifting.
  • Cook the pork (Option 1 Grill): Preheat your grill to medium-high. Grease the grill with vegetable oil to prevent it from sticking. Cook the pork on the open grill for 3 minutes on each side or until cooked/slightly charred.
  • Cook the pork (Option 2 Broil): Preheat your oven to the broil setting. Wrap your baking sheets with aluminum foil and place the meat skewers on a metal wire drying rack over the foil-lined baking sheet. Broil for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked/slightly charred.
  • Fry the green onion for garnish. In a small saucepan, place 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and heat on medium-high heat. Fry the sliced green onion for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Garnish the pork.

Pickled Carrot + Daikon (Đồ chua):

  • Prepare the carrot and daikon.Thinly peel and slice the carrot and daikon
  • Make the pickling juice. In a mixing bowl, mix together the salt, sugar, white vinegar, water until the sugar dissolves.
  • Pickle the carrot and daikon. In an airtight container, pour in the pickling juice and mix together the carrot and daikon. Pickle for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.

Garlic Fish Sauce dressing

  • In a medium mixing bowl, mix together fish sauce, water, sugar, lemon juice, garlic, and garlic chili paste. Set aside.

Prepare the bowl

  • Cook the noodles. In a medium saucepan, fill halfway with water and bring to a boil. Boil the noodles according to the instructions on the packaging for approximately 8-10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
  • Prepare the vegetables. Rinse and cut the lettuce, peel and slice the cucumbers, roughly chop the peanuts.
  • Serve: in a medium/large bowl, add the noodles, vegetables, peanuts, pickled carrot and daikon, lemongrass pork, and drizzle with garlic fish sauce.

Notes

  • Plan ahead. This recipe calls for overnight marination for the best results. The meat and the carrots & daikon need time to absorb all the delicious flavors for the full flavor effect. So plan ahead and marinate the meat and make the pickled carrot and daikon the night before. This will also save you so much time the day of when you serve the dish.
  • Use a food processor for the lemongrass. Lemongrass is a tough herb with thick roots. It is difficult to chop unless you have strong muscles (that I do not have). The trick is to pulverize the lemongrass in the food processor for tiny minced pieces that will thoroughly and evenly coat the pork.
  • Mix the marinade in the bowl before adding the meat. This will ensure the marinade is absorbed in the meat evenly.
  • Soak the skewers before adding the meat. This is an important step to prevent the skewers from splintering when you stab the meat. This will also prevent the skewers from completely burning off on the grill/in the oven.
  • Storage Instructions: You can store the cooked pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze the pork and store it in the freezer for up to 1 month. To reheat, simply defrost the meat and either steam it on the steamer for 10 minutes or microwave until warm. You can store the pickled daikon and carrot and the garlic fish sauce dressing in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 414kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 1993mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g