Vietnamese Pork Salad
Photo: Erin Kunkel Styling: Chelsea Zimmer
Think of this impressive salad as a deconstructed version of a spring roll.
How to Make It
Step 1
Cook rice vermicelli according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water. Drain.
Step 2
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 8 minutes, stirring to crumble. Combine 1 tablespoon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons fish sauce, and oil in a bowl; add to pan. Cook 1 minute; remove from heat.
Step 3
Combine remaining 6 tablespoons juice, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, remaining 2 teaspoons fish sauce, peanuts, green onions, and Sriracha in a bowl. Arrange lettuce, cucumber, carrot, and squash on a large platter. Top with noodles, pork mixture, cilantro, and mint. Drizzle juice mixture over top.
Fresh and complex
I spent a summer in Laos and ate in the local market often. This recipe sent me right back to that summer. The mint, fish sauce, cilantro and peanuts are a must. Those distinct flavors really make a difference. Four stars instead of five because the ground pork seemed dry. I will try it with pork tenderloin next time. I reduced the Sriracha to 1 tsp. Next time I'll double the sauce as I ate almost half of it on one (large) serving! I agree that this might not satisfy 4 people as written and it did take me longer than 23 minutes. Don't miss this recipe! I'll be having it again soon.
Very different and very good
I wanted to give this salad a try since it looked so good and was very unlike most dinners I make. It turned out to be great and my husband really liked it too. I didn't make any substitutions. Next time I will make sure to use really thin rice noodles since mine were rather thick and the 2 ounces didn't add up to much. I assembled most of it in advance so it was really quick to put together at dinnertime.
Fantastic
Easier than I thought it would be to put together. The only substitutions I had to make was that I forgot to get peanuts so I used peanut butter powder in the dressing - yummy! About 1.5 tablespoons - probably saved some fat and calories that way too. Also used packaged shredded carrot as I had some on hand. Will definitely make again.
Great!
This salad is delicious, fresh, and complex. It is hard to make Asian food taste authentic, but this recipe succeeds!
Delicious weeknight meal
This salad was outstanding. The textures (crunchy veggies, soft noodles) and flavors all worked together so well. And it is definitely a fast recipe for a weeknight! I got the veggies &sauces prepared while waiting for the water to boil for the noodles, then started the pork when I added the noodles. My only sub was sesame oil instead of peanut oil, and a little easy on the Sriracha.
Nice change of pace dinner