Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork -Thit Heo Nuong Xa

I just came back from visiting my children in California few day ago.  As you know I write this blog because of them. I did not teach or force them to cook at home.  Hmm it was considered as bad parenting in Vietnam. Somehow my children love and able to cook some delicious home cooked meals.  My youngest boy who will be graduating from college next year took me by surprise that he has been cooking some recipes in this blog and love them.

This recipe is used for pork contained of salt solution at grocery stores.  It has about 1/2 teaspoon salt for each pound of pork. If you are lucky to have fresh pork, increase fish sauce to 2 tablespoons and omit dark soy sauce/ caramel sauce.  Fresh pork will have a beautiful light red/candy color when being grilled.

Pork Marinate

1 lb boneless pork loin or pork shoulder/butt, cut into 1/4 or 1/2 inch thick
2 medium garlic cloves, coarsely chopped  about 1 tablespoon
1 Tablespoon finely minced shallot or 2 Tablespoon finely mince yellow onion.
2 Tablespoon finely minced lemongrass.
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon fishsauce
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce or caramel sauce
2 Tablespoon of vegetable oil
2 green onions; thinly sliced

To serve

4 eggs; sunny side up/oeuf au plat
4 cups cooked rice, sliced cucumber, tomato
Lecture and Vietnamese herbs
1 small carrot, finely shredded/julienned or Pickled carrot and jimaca or daikon
Nuoc Mam Dam/Cham (Sweet and sour fish sauce), recipe here

1. Add sugar, garlic, shallot or yellow onion, lemongrass into a mortar or a metal bowl. Mash them with a pestle or a strong blunt object as a flat head rolling pin until formed a fine mass, adding black pepper, fish sauce, dark soy sauce; mix well. You can use a mini chopper. Then adding pork and 1 tablespoon oil, turn to coat well.  Cover, chill in the fridge overnight or on the counter for at least one hour. 
2. Grill pork on medium high heat until it cooked through.  The thicker slices will need 6-8 minutes; the thinner only needs 3-4 minutes.  Turn once. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.  You can pan seared pork on medium high or medium heat or  in a heavy bottom skillet.
3. While pork is grilled.  Add green onion and 1 tablespoon oil into a small bowl.  Microwave 30 second. Mix well.  Then scatter on top of pork and rice. 

Note

If use shredded/julienne carrot, add them into nuoc mam dam to serve.
Leftover lemongrass can be frozen, whole or chopped.