Vietnamese Pastured Pork Vermicelli aka Bun Thit Nuong and I began a long-lasting relationship about three years ago. My husband tried the conventional version first near his office in Tampa and told me that I absolutely had to try it. One hurried night he brought some home for all of us and it was love at first bite. We continued to enjoy it through the years. In fact, we met for lunch to eat one of our favorite, grilled dishes on an exceptionally warm, Florida, spring afternoon and about an hour or two later, I felt sure that I was pregnant and decided to take a test. I found out we were expecting our sixth child that day. Not only do we like this dish, but it reminds us of a very special day.

While I think that buying it out is a fair cost, it’s a hefty price tag for a family of our size. I also wanted to source cleaner ingredients. What’s even better is that the vermicelli can be purchased either gluten free or totally grain free. I also like that it gives me an excuse to go to the large Asian market in our area, which is always a fun time and when I make it, my kids can eat seconds and thirds.

The same day that I go to the Asian market, I like to get out to my local farmer’s market to visit one of my favorite pastured pork farmers to load up. Pastured pork comes from happy pigs out roaming around in open fields like pigs should do and eating a lot of grasses and whatever else they can scrounge up. When they are out in the sun, their fat becomes an amazing source of vitamin D. Pastured pork is a nutrient dense food and a food that I enjoy serving my family.

 

Pork Vermicelli has five parts:

-Noodles

-Grilled, Marinated Pork

-Lettuce, Spearmint or Mint, Sliced Cucumbers

-Pickled Daikon Radish and Carrots (Do Chua)

-Crushed Peanuts

-Sauce/Salad Dressing (Nuoc Cham)

 

The meat can and should be marinated several hours to overnight in advance, and the Do Chua should be made at least a few hours in advance. With time, the vinegar, salt and sweetener in the Do Chua makes the daikon radish lose it’s spicy bite and instead it becomes extremely refreshing and tastes like a combination between a radish and a really crisp, delicious cucumber.

 

Hands on Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients- Makes 8-10 Large Servings (cut recipe in half if needed)

Meat and Marinade:

3lbs pastured pork shoulder slices

2t organic garlic powder or 8 organic garlic cloves finely chopped

2 organic chopped shallots or 1 organic, small chopped white or yellow onion

1/3 c organic unrefined cane sugar or coconut sugar

1/4 c fermented or aged soy sauce or coconut aminos

2T fish sauce (I like Red Boat here)

1 T pastured lard (use this in the leftover marinade to heat through AFTER the pork is cooked) here (I’ve seen this cheaper at grocery stores with large Real Food selections. It could also be rendered from fat purchased from the farmer.)

Do Chua:

1.5 lbs daikon radish or half of a large daikon radish julienned

1 large, organic carrot julienned

1T +2t organic unrefined cane sugar or coconut sugar

1/4c organic apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar

1t mineral-rich salt (like Celtic)

 

Nuoc Cham (the dressing):

Juice from 5 organic limes ( I buy them by the bag)

1 c filtered water (we love this filter here)

1/4 c organic unrefined cane sugar or coconut sugar

1/4 c fish sauce

Chili paste or chili flakes to taste if desired

 

Veggies:

1 organic head of lettuce chopped

3 sprigs of spearmint or mint (remove leaves and chop the leaves)

1 large, organic cucumber sliced in circles or long slices

 

Topping:

1 c crushed peanuts

 

Noodles:

10 ounces of asian pea vermicelli or rice vermicelli (pea or bean vermicelli was used for this post)

 

Instructions: 

 

Remove the membranous parts from the pork and save for the stewpot for another dish along with any bones if present. Cut in thin slices against the grain.

Place the sliced pork and marinade ingredients in a bowl, mix well and cover for a few hours to overnight.

Peel and julienne the daikon and carrot or use this handy julienne tool here. I used a tool.

Add all the Do Chua ingredients and mix well. Make a few hours or more in advance.

 

Juice the limes and add the ingredients for the Nuoc Cham, mix well and garnish with chili paste or chili flakes if desired.

 

Chop the lettuce, spearmint or mint and mix together.

Use crushed peanuts or run a cup of peanuts through a blender.

At this point, place the noodles into boiling water and let them cook for about 3-4 minutes. Make sure any string is removed from the noodle bundles first if present. After cooking, strain and rinse with cold water.

Light the grill and let the coals burn till they turn grayish white before attempting to grill. Cook the pork for about 4 minutes for thicker slices and 2 minutes for thinner slices. Set aside and put a cast iron skillet with the remaining marinade + 1 T of pastured lard (pastured pork can be more lean and the extra fat keeps it moist) on the grill and cook through. Take it off of the heat and mix the cooked meat in. For thinner slices, a grilling basket like this is recommended.

 

Plating: 

Place the drained and rinsed noodles on a plate. Separate from the noodles place the daikon carrot pickles, cucumbers and lettuce. Top the noodles with the pork and crushed peanuts. Pour the dressing all over or just on top of the meat and noodles.

 

Enjoy!