Vietnamese Carmelized Pork Salad Bowl

By á-89392

Ingredients

• For the dipping sauce:
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground chile paste
• 2/3 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce (my favorite)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon finely sliced cilantro stems (optional)
• For the pork:
• 2 pounds pork tenderloin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 scant teaspoon garlic salt, don't season too much as the sauce is well seasoned
• fresh ground black pepper
• For the sauce:
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (my favorite)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh lemongrass
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha chili sauce
• 4 cups cooked jasmine rice (Perfect Jasmine Rice - every time!)
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1 medium English (seedless) cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 large ripe avocado
• peanuts
• cilantro sprigs
• mint leaves

Preparation

Step 1

Make the dipping sauce by combining all ingredients in a medium-size glass jar. Shake well till sugar is completely dissolved then set aside.
Preheat oven to 500˚F. Line a sheet pan with foil for easy clean up.
Rub pork tenderloin all over with olive oil. Season lightly with garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place on sheet pan. If you have two tenderloins, make sure they're not touching.
Roast for 12 minutes then remove from oven and flip tenderloins to opposite side. (I like to use tongs for this.) Return to oven and continue cooking another 10-15 minutes or until internal temperature reads 145-150˚F*.
Tent pork loosely with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice meat thinly, about ¼ inch thick. If making ahead, wrap meat tightly in foil and refrigerate till ready to use.
For the sauce, place sugar in a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat. After a couple minutes sugar will start melting and turning amber at the edges. Stir several times to prevent sugar from burning. Cook until sugar is completely melted and is deep amber colored. Be careful at this point because it can go from amber to black (burned) quickly.
Add water, fish sauce, soy sauce, ginger, lemongrass and Sriracha, stir to combine and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a steady constant simmer and cook until liquid is reduced, thick and syrupy. This will take anywhere from 15-25 minutes. You are looking for a consistency similar to molasses in order for it to coat the pork.
Add the pork to the hot sauce and gently stir. I like to add one piece of the pork and stir to coat it. If the sauce is not clinging to the pork, it's too thin. Just simmer it a bit longer to reduce and thicken.
To serve, divide rice between 6 bowls. Arrange pork, carrots, cucumbers, avocado, peanuts and herbs decoratively on top of rice. Drizzle veggies with Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce). Enjoy!