Vietnamese food is delicious.

Bún chả (Grilled Pork)

1/2 onion
2 t sugar
3/4 t black pepper
1 T maple syrup or honey
2.5 T fish sauce (our fave is Golden Boy with the laughing baby on the bottle)
3 T oil (grapeseed, canola, whatev)

Smush all that stuff together. I like to puree it in a mini-processor, but hand-mixed (w/ minced onion) works too.

2 lbs pork shoulder, cut into strips (~ 3 x 1 x 1/4" if you're feeling precise) 

Cover pork strips with saucey stuff. Let sit at least 2 hours, up to 24. We make giant batches and freeze the strips & marinade together in 1-meal amounts.

Cook strips until done. In order of bestness:
1) Grilled - mediumhot, ~4 minutes per side.
2) Broiled
3) Pan seared/sauteed

Serve with:
Rice noodles or rice
Veg - lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumber, cilantro, mint. Awesome if you have them all, but still worth it even if you don't.
Nuoc Cham (recipe below)


I don't understand why this is so good. But it really is.

Nước chấm (Dipping Sauce)

1/3 c lime* juice
1 T rice vinegar
2 T sugar (we like maple syrup. Because New Hampshire.)
5 T fish sauce
2/3 c water (warm helps for dissolving the sugar)
2-3 bird chiles, minced (or any other spicy-making chile. Optional. If I'm coming over, go easy.)

Mix all that stuff together. It keeps well for at least a week in the fridge.

* Lemon and orange are great, too. If you're using orange, use less sugar.

Tomato Eggdrop Soup

Cook together in a saucepan, medium heat:
  1-2 T oil
  1 onion (smallish), thinly sliced

When soft, add:
  12oz tomatoes, chopped
  3/4 t salt
Cover and cook for 4-10 minutes until the toms are starting to fall apart into smush.

Add:
  1.5 T fish sauce (or tamari/soy for a veg version)
  4 oz protein (ground pork, turkey, or tofu)
Stir a bit to break up any clumps. Add:
  5.5 c water
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Just before serving, beat:
  2 eggs
Turn off the heat, pour egg into pot in a wide circle, stir gently so the egg forms pretty ribbons.
Ladle into bowls, serve with cilantro on top.

We often put a scoop of cooked rice in the bowl with the soup. Yums.