Lemongrass Pork Vietnamese Noodle Bowl

Hellooooo ladies and gentlemen. Hope that you enjoyed your weekend! I started mine in LA and ended it on the couch with my kids eating pizza and chocolate cookies while drinking red wine and watching the Oscars. Such good stuff. And wow what a powerful Oscars celebration. I can’t remember feeling so emotional watching the acceptance speeches in many, many years. Viola Davis had me totally crying and I loved every minute of it.

Ok. The pizza, wine and chocolate was a prelude to today. If you have heard my hints the last couple weeks or read my Saturday Stuff then you will know that I started Whole30 today: Monday (the first time I have ever tried doing this- so advice is SO welcome!) I am keeping a diary about navigating Whole30 (with food allergies) which will be on the home page and updated daily. If you are into it, please join along!! But don’t worry, if you are not interested, there will be just as many non-whole30 recipes over the next month. Like today’s recipe for Lemongrass Pork Vietnamese Noodle Bowl. Still healthy and so incredibly delicious, this bowl is full of the most fresh, flavorful ingredients ever!

We eat at a restaurant in Seattle called Ba Bar all the time (it’s a family favorite) and I am completely obsessed with their Vietnamese Vermicelli Noodle Bowls. I had to recreate a version of this same awesome dish at home and share it with you.

The Grilled Lemongrass Pork is the star of the show with the flavorful marinade filled with fresh lemongrass. Then you grill it skewered it on ACTUAL lemongrass! Goodness these little kebabs are so dang good.

Plus the vibrant dressing tossed with my favorite kind of rice noodles- the ultra fine angel hair-esque rice sticks and its piled high with fresh herbs, and crunchy cucumbers and carrots. Try this out for a wonderful weeknight dinner or split it up for a few days of take to work lunch, as it holds really well in the fridge and is also awesome cold!

Lemongrass Pork Vietnamese Noodle Bowl

Author: Heather Christo

Prep time: 45 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

Lemongrass Pork:
1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into bite sized chunks
2 stalks lemongrass, thinly sliced into rounds
3 stalks lemongrass, each evenly cut into three smaller stalks
2 limes
1 fresno chile, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons gluten free hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons tamari
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
kosher salt
6.75 ounces dried rice sticks noodles
Salad:
1 cup loosely packed fresh thai basil
1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1 cup thinly sliced persian cucumber
1½ cups shredded carrots
Sweet and Spicy Lime Dressing:
1 limes zest and juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon agave or honey
2 teaspoons sambal (chili garlic sauce)

Instructions

For the Pork:
In a large Ziploc combine the thinly sliced lemongrass, lime juice and rind, chile, garlic, hoisin, tamari and vegetable oil and rub it together. Add the pork chunks and rub them well with the marinade and then let them soak for at least 30 minutes and up to a couple hours.
When the pork is marinated divide the pieces of pork between each of the 9 lemongrass stalks. Sprinkle them lightly with kosher salt. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and grill the lemongrass pork kebabs, turning them every minute or two until they are just cooked through, about 10 minutes.
For the Sweet and Spicy Lime Dressing, whisk together the ingredients and set aside.
For the noodles:
While the pork is marinating, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the rice sticks. Remove from the heat and let them soak for a few minutes and then rinse with cold water and drain. Toss the noodles and the fresh herbs, cucumbers and carrots with the dressings and arrange on a platter.
Top with the grilled pork kebabs and serve immediately.