Vietnamese Caramelized Pork and Rice Noodle Salad

Many Asian dishes balance contrasting tastes of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Granulated sugar in the dressing harmonizes with the savory fish sauce, acidic vinegar and lime juice, and slightly bitter fresh herbs. Brown sugar patted onto the pork caramelizes on the grill, creating crunchy blackened bits.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 2/3 cups salad, about 2 ounces pork, and 4 teaspoons peanuts)

Ingredients

• Dressing:
• 3/4  cup  water
• 4 1/2  tablespoons  granulated sugar
• 3  tablespoons  rice vinegar
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  fish sauce
• 2  teaspoons  minced peeled fresh ginger
• 3/4  teaspoon  Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 
  Salad:
• 1  (6-ounce) package rice vermicelli
• 1  pound  pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 2  teaspoons  fish sauce
• 1  teaspoon  Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
• 1/4  teaspoon  garlic powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 3  tablespoons  brown sugar
• Cooking spray
• 2  cups  thinly sliced red leaf lettuce
• 1  cup  matchstick-cut peeled English cucumber
• 1  cup  matchstick-cut carrot
• 1  cup  bean sprouts
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh basil
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
• 3  tablespoons  chopped fresh mint
• 1/2  cup  chopped dry-roasted peanuts
• Lime wedges (optional)

Preparation

To prepare dressing, combine the first 8 ingredients in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or just until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; cool.

To prepare salad, place vermicelli in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water. Let stand 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain.

Prepare grill.

Cut tenderloin in half lengthwise. Cut each piece in half crosswise. Place each pork piece between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to an even thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Combine 2 teaspoons fish sauce and 1 teaspoon Sriracha; drizzle over pork. Sprinkle evenly with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Pat brown sugar onto pork.

Place pork on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 12 minutes or until slightly pink in center, turning pieces occasionally to prevent burning. Place pork on a cutting board; let stand 5 minutes. Cut across grain into very thin slices.

Combine vermicelli, lettuce, and next 6 ingredients (through mint) in a large bowl. Pour dressing over salad; toss well. Top with pork and nuts. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Beer note: Try a Belgian white beer, a light-bodied wheat beer that both refreshes and invigorates. The widely available Hoegaarden White ($8 for a six-pack) has a sweet-tart balance and includes subtle additions of orange peel and coriander--ingredients that bring their own exotic spice to this dish's mélange of Asian flavors. --Jeffery Lindenmuth

Nutritional Information

Calories:

342 (22% from fat)

Fat:

8.3g (sat 1.9g,mono 3.7g,poly 1.9g)

Protein:

19.9g

Carbohydrate:

47.6g

Fiber:

2.7g

Cholesterol:

43mg

Iron:

1.9mg

Sodium:

821mg

Calcium:

48mg