If there’s any excuse to eat copious amounts of fish sauce dip, I’ll be there. Vermicelli rice noodles are just a vehicle for it. The star ingredient to a good vermicelli bowl is a well marinated meat to go with it – today’s pick is lemongrass marinated pork shoulder. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to execute this dish, and it’s about time that I did it right!

The secret to these delicious oven-baked pork shoulder slices rests in the touch of MSG. Whether powder form, or from a bottle of Knorr! Just one tablespoon, and it took the dish to another level of umami.

Why this recipe works:

  • MSG. Because life is better with it, and adds the perfect umami sweet, salty element we need.
  • Only 30 minutes marinading time. That’s because the rest of the marinade goes onto the pork to bake, to cook and continue to soak up all of that flavour.
  • Baking. This pork is usually grilled, but not everyone has the luxury to access a barbeque any hour of the day – oven baking works just as well. Just make sure to cook it until it still appears shiny & juicy, and broil it for a nice exterior crisp
  • Slice into thick cuts to bake, then slice further when ready to eat. This keeps the meat juicier, and provides a good contrast between tender sides & crispy, caramelized sides.

Serves: 4
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Ingredients

Marinated Pork Shoulder

  • 1.5 lb Pork Shoulder, sliced to 1cm width
  • 1 tbsp Knorr Liquid Seasoning
  • 2 tbsp Fish Sauce
  • ½ tbsp Dark Soy Sauce (Optional)
  • 3 tbsp Neutral Cooking Oil
  • ½ tbsp Black Pepper
  • 3 tbsp Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Lemongrass, minced
  • 1 tbsp Garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp Shallot, minced

Noodle & Topping

  • 454g Thin Vermicelli Rice Noodles
  • 10 leaves of Green Leaf Lettuce, sliced
  • 2 stalks Green Onions, thinly sliced in oil
  • 1 Cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp Roasted Peanuts, lightly crushed

Fish Sauce

  • 3 tbsp Granulated Sugar
  • 3 tbsp Fish Sauce
  • 1 ½ Cups of Water
  • 1 tbsp Lemon
  • 1 Thai Chili, sliced (optional)

Steps: Pork

  1. Combine all marinade ingredients, and mix in a bowl. Add sliced pork shoulder. Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes (but if you have time, marinate overnight or as long as you can).
  2. Preheat the oven to 375 F, and bake for 10-15 minutes until 80% cooked, flip midway. To caramelize, set the oven to low broil mode and broil until golden, then flip to broil on the opposite side, for 5 minutes total. Rest for 10 minutes, then cut 1cm slices with scissors.

Steps: Noodle Bowl

  1. Prep ingredients for noodle bowl. Boil package of noodles according to instructions. Wash and cut lettuce, slice cucumbers, crush peanuts.
  2. Create green onion oil by slicing green onions. Heat up neutral oil and pour over sliced onions.
  3. Create a noodle bowl by layering lettuce, cucumber, then noodles, and top with peanuts & green onion oil. Pour over fish sauce in increments to taste.

Steps: Fish Sauce

Create sauce by combining sugar with water until combined. Add fish sauce and lemon. Add additional water a few tablespoons at a time to taste. Add sliced Thai chili.

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