That is such a beautiful recipe to make use of economical pork shoulder in an thrilling new approach! A Vietnamese lemongrass marinade infuses with stunning flavour whereas a smidge of baking soda is the key to tenderising so the pork steaks are tender like premium chops. Vietnamese street-food!
Vietnamese lemongrass pork
I’ve been eager to recreate the chargrilled lemongrass marinated pork you discover “in all places” on the streets of Vietnam for years – however it at all times got here out dry. Lastly discovered the key to preserving it juicy, so I needed to share the recipe instantly! 😂
Throughout Vietnam, variations of this lemongrass pork are served in varied types. On rice, soups, in rice paper rolls, even in Banh Mi. Whereas all are scrumptious, my favorite are the favored Vietnamese noodle bowl salads, bun thit nuong. Skinny rice noodles, topped with this pork, pickled greens, lettuce, a smattering of peanuts, lime and served with nuoc cham, that sauce served with “the whole lot” in Vietnam.
On Friday, I’ll share the complete noodle bowl recipe. I needed to publish the marinated pork individually as a result of I believe it’s worthy of your consideration!
Right here’s a photograph of the pork rice noodle bowls. I truly took this photograph in Vietnam – it’s a dish I purchased from a avenue vendor in Saigon and took again to my lodge to take a photograph:
Oh look! And mentioned vendor in Saigon. 🙂 They cooked the pork on skewers over charcoal. I’m doing a house model – steaks on a range. So you can also make this any night time of the week – rain, hail or shine!
Why you want this Vietnamese pork in your life!
Wonderful worth – It’s made utilizing economical pork shoulder that’s tenderised so it’s juicy like premium pork chops!
Flavour plus worth – The meat is sliced and pounded thinly for optimum flavour penetration and so much less meat goes additional.
One thing completely different however but really easy, with substances you may get from the native retailers.
Versatile – Serve at your subsequent BBQ with coconut rice and Asian slaw. Or wait till Friday to make Vietnamese noodle bowls!
Deliciousness issue is extraordinarily excessive for comparatively small effort
And since I do know somebody will ask – sure you can also make this with hen, right here it’s! 🙂
What you want
Right here’s what it’s essential make this.
Pork shoulder – Typically, this economical, robust lower of pork is sluggish cooked till it turns into fall-apart tender. Right now, we’re utilizing it in a very completely different approach. Sliced thinly, then marinated with baking soda which tenderises it so when it’s cooked hard-and-fast like steak, it’s tender like an expensive pork chop. (Hyperlinks once more for glowing reader critiques who’ve found the marvel of this method with hen and beef!).
Baking soda – also referred to as bi-carb / bi-carbonate. As famous within the level above, that is what tenderises the robust pork shoulder meat.
Lemongrass – For unmistakable, irreplaceable stunning Vietnamese flavour!
Limes – For tang. A Vietnamese meals favorite.
Sugar – For candy and caramelisation.
Soy sauce and fish sauce – The saltiness. I like to make use of each to get the appropriate flavour steadiness. Solely fish sauce = too fishy. Solely soy sauce = lacks complexity of flavour.
Garlic – Heaps!
Oil – To extend the amount of the marinade so there’s the appropriate flavour infusion for the amount of meat we’re utilizing. (Initially I simply had extra of all the opposite substances however the pork was too salty).
Methods to make Vietnamese lemongrass marinated pork
The important thing to this recipe is to slice and pound the pork as thinly as you’ll be able to. This serves a couple of functions:
head begin tenderising the flesh
opens up the fibres to permit the marinade to penetrate totally
will increase floor space and flattens the pork to enhance floor space char – for optimum actual chargrilled street-food flavour!
permits us to make this with economical pork shoulder fairly than expensive pork tenderloin or chops.
Slice the pork shoulder into eight thinnish items – provides us a head begin on the pounding. I discover it best to do that by slicing the pork on 45 diploma angle however you probably have the appropriate formed piece, you may simply lower straight down.
PRO TIP: To get even(ish) items with out pulling out the scales, lower the pork shoulder in half, then every half in half once more, then every in half once more. Voila – 8 items!
Pound to 5mm / 0.2″ thickness thick utilizing a meat mallet (the jagged facet) or rolling pin. Cowl with go-between or freezer luggage to stop damaging the meat. (Go-between is a goal made plastic sheet, offered alongside cling wrap. Additionally helpful for stacking meals within the freezer with out sticking collectively).
Put up pounding skinny pork!
Marinade – Combine the marinade substances in a bowl.
Coat pork Add the pork and use tongs to coat properly.
Marinate 24 hours – Switch to a ziplock bag and marinate for twenty-four hours.
Why combine individually first? To make sure actually good, even distribution of the small quantity of bi-carb throughout various floor space. I wouldn’t ask you to soiled a bowl unnecessarily 🙂
Why a ziplock bag? As a result of it retains the meat utterly coated in a comparatively small quantity of marinade. Should you want a container, use a small one so the meat is as snugly fitted as doable and toss the pork a few times throughout the marinading time.
Excessive warmth cooking – Cook dinner for 1 1/2 minutes in a scorching forged iron skillet OR in your BBQ over excessive warmth. Then prepare dinner the opposite facet for 1 minute. Tremendous fast to prepare dinner as a result of it’s so skinny!
Purpose for a pleasant char – The pork will char rapidly due to the sugar within the marinade and that’s what we wish, that genuine chargrilled flavour.
STILL TENDER! Technically, with 2 1/2 minutes of excessive warmth blasting, the skinny pork must be overcooked and dry inside, to not point out the robust pork shoulder hasn’t been sluggish cooked because it ought to so it must be horridly robust. Nope! The within remains to be juicy, and it’s extra tender than you ever imagined pork shoulder could possibly be, due to the baking soda (learn extra on this above within the substances part).
NOTE: Meat tenderised utilizing the baking soda methodology will probably be pink inside even when it’s cooked to properly achieved! It’s simply what occurs. It occurs with beef too. 🙂
As talked about above, I’ll share the Vietnamese Pork Noodle Bowls recipe on Friday. However suppose past the noodle bowl! Serve it with a facet of coconut rice, Vietnamese crimson fried rice or plain jasmine rice with a facet salad. Attempt one among these:
And simply earlier than I log off, yet one more sneak preview of this Friday’s noodle bowl:
It’s so good! ADORE the contrasting textures of the contemporary greens and herbs with the flavourful marinated lemongrass pork all doused in nuoc cham, the Vietnamese chilli-garlic sauce served with “the whole lot”.
What do you suppose?? Have I satisfied you to offer this Vietnamese pork a go? I hope so!!! If something, it’s price experiencing the magic of the marinade and the way tender it makes pork shoulder steaks. Attempt it!! – Nagi x
Watch the way to make it
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Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork steaks (tenderised!)
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook dinner: 6 minutes
Important
Vietnamese
Servings4
Faucet or hover to scale
Directions
Minimize pork – Minimize into 8 equal, thinnish slices of pork. I discover it best utilizing the knife on a forty five° angle, however you probably have the appropriate form piece you’ll be able to simply lower straight down.
Pound every steak to 5mm / 0.2″ thickness utilizing the scary facet of a meat mallet (jagged, not flat), utilizing go-between (Be aware 5) or a freezer bag to keep away from damaging the meat. (You need to use baking paper for rolling pin or the flat facet of the mallet.)
Marinade – Combine the marinade substances in a bowl, it’s going to fizz when the baking soda is added! Add pork then toss properly to coat utilizing tongs. Switch to a ziplock bag and marinate for twenty-four hours.
Take away pork from the marinade and brush off the lemongrass items. Discard marinade – it is achieved its job!
Cook dinner – Warmth a forged iron skillet over excessive warmth till you see wisps of smoke. Add 1 1/2 tbsp oil, then prepare dinner half the pork for 1 1/2 minutes on one facet and 1 minute on the opposite facet till properly charred. Take away onto a plate. Scrape pan clear of unfastened black bits then prepare dinner the remaining pork.
Serve! Make Rice Noodle Bowls (bun thit nuong – coming Friday!) or serve with rice and a facet salad – see word 6 and in publish for strategies!
- NOTE – The skinny pork steaks are past properly achieved in 2 1/2 minutes however it does not matter as a result of the baking soda retains them tender. It will likely be blushing pink inside as a result of baking soda (similar occurs with beef). You may prepare dinner them for one more 5 minutes and they’re going to nonetheless be tender inside. Miracle!
Recipe Notes:
Diet Data:
Energy: 360cal (18%)Carbohydrates: 15g (5%)Protein: 16g (32%)Fats: 26g (40%)Saturated Fats: 3g (19%)Polyunsaturated Fats: 7gMonounsaturated Fats: 16gTrans Fats: 0.1gLdl cholesterol: 51mg (17%)Sodium: 1578mg (69%)Potassium: 354mg (10%)Fiber: 0.2g (1%)Sugar: 12g (13%)Vitamin A: 14IUVitamin C: 6mg (7%)Calcium: 35mg (4%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
I am keen on Vietnamese meals!
See?
Lifetime of Dozer
When Dozer was within the paper over the Easter break. Particularly, the Good Weekend Journal!
Should you want to proceed to consider I’m an harmless angel, please don’t learn the article.
