Popping down the road to buy a piece of freshly made char siu pork is something I miss from my years spent living in Asia – you just don’t have that same luxury on your doorstep here in Australia. Which is exactly why I have a cheat’s recipe for a fix I can whip up in minutes. The result is a char siu pork noodle salad bowl to get on board with, packed full of sweet and sticky flavours and feels. What a vibe.
WATCH THIS RECIPE
Char Siu Pork Noodle Salad Bowl
PREP TIME
20 minutes
COOK TIME
10 minutes
SERVES
4
Ingredients
250g (9 oz) Vietnamese dried vermicelli noodles
500g (1 lb) pork mince
3 tbsp char siu sauce
sea salt, to season
1 tbsp vegetable oil
lettuce leaves, to serve
fresh mint leaves, to serve
Thai basil leaves, to serve
crispy fried shallots, to serve
Quick pickled vegetables
200g (7 oz) pre-cut shredded or julienned carrots (or do your own)
1 cucumber, sliced into thin rounds
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp white vinegar
Nuoc cham dressing
½ cup fish sauce
3 tbsp white vinegar
¾ cup white sugar
2 tbsp lime juice
3 long red chillies, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Steps
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Soak the noodles in room temperature water for 15–20 minutes or until they’re bendy and pliable. Then cook blanch the noodles in boiling water for around 6–8 minutes or until just tender. Drain and rinse under running water to cool down. Then divide among serving bowls.
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While your noodles are soaking, you can make your quick pickled vegetables. Combine the ingredients in a large bowl and set them aside in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
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For the dressing, whisk the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside until you’re ready to serve.
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Now for the pork. Place the mince and the char siu sauce in a bowl, season with salt then mix until well combined. Shape into small-ish patties (about 2 heaped tablespoons per piece).
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Preheat oven to 100°C/210°F.
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Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add your patties (do this in batches if you need). Sear for 4–5 minutes or until you get a deep char on the first side. Then flip and cook for another 3–4 minutes or until charred and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and keep warm in the oven while you repeat with the remaining batch of patties.
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To assemble your bowls, drain and squeeze out the excess moisture from your pickled veg and place clusters into your noodle bowls. Arrange your lettuce leaves and herbs in your bowls also. Top with warm char siu pork patties and a sprinkle of crispy fried shallots. Serve with the nuoc cham dressing ready to drizzle over just before you eat.
Really delicious!
Pleasantly surprised by how good this was. The flavors are incredible. Thank you Marion, you never miss!!
yum
I will admit to not following the whole recipe to a tee, but the patties OMG so yum