Vietnamese Grilled Pork

By nancyjcanzi

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless pork tenderloin
• Marinade (see below)
• 2/3 lb fresh Pho noodles
• Dipping Sauce (see below)
• 1/2 cup each chopped cilantro, fresh bean sprouts, roasted & chopped peanuts, chopped mint leaves (for garnish)

Preparation

Step 1

Cut the pork into 3 inches long, 1 inch wide and a scant 1/4 inch thick across (a flat rectangle). In a medium bowl, coat the pork slices with the marinade, cover and let refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up 24 hours.
Thirty minutes before cooking the pork, remove it from refrigerator. Preheat the grill to medium hot. Grill the pork slices, turning once, for about 2 minutes on each side, until nicely browned, and a little charred. Transfer to a plate.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. While the meat is holding, blanch the Pho noodles in hot boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and flush with cold water.
On a platter, combine the noodles, pork and garnishes.

Marinade
1 Tbsp chopped shallot
2 1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp Caramel sauce or honey
2 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
3 Tbsp canola oil
In a food processor, combine shallot, sugar, pepper, caramel sauce or honey, fish sauce and canola oil, and process until liquid.

Dipping Sauce: (Nuoc Cham)
Makes 1 cup

3/4 cup water
4-5 Tbsp sugar
5 Tbsp or more fish sauce to taste
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp garlic chili sauce or fresh dices Serrano Chili
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp chopped garlic, optional
Combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a mixing bowl. Can be made 1 day ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. Stir again before serving.