Vietnamese Noodle Salad

For pork:

2 pounds boneless pork, sliced thin

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 pod palm sugar

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon prepared Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam)

1 - 2 stalks lemongrass, sliced thin

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Marinate the pork. Blend the soy sauce, palm sugar, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, fish sauce, and sesame in a small food processor. Process until there are no big lumps. Mix the marinade with the sliced pork and refrigerate for 48 hours.

For marinated carrots and daikon:

1 cup rice vinegar

5 tablespoons sugar

1 pound carrots, sliced into thin strips

1 pound daikon, sliced into thin strips

1 ½ teaspoons salt

Heat the vinegar and sugar just until the sugar dissolves.

Toss together the carrots, daikon, and salt. Let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse the vegetables and add to the vinegar.

The marinated carrots and daikon can be stored for a while in your refrigerator. You can make a big batch and store them for future use.

For salad:

Marinated pork from above

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

12 ounces rice noodles

6 ounces Romaine lettuce, broken into small pieces

¾ cup marinated carrots and daikon from above

1 bunch Thai basil

¾ cup roasted peanuts

½ pound fresh bean sprouts (it’s ok to use canned bean sprouts if you don’t have fresh ones on hand)

½ - ¾ cup prepared Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam)

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Rinse the solids off of the pork. Cook the pork, in batches, turning once to get a nice sear on each side. Sprinkle with sesame seeds when done.

Cook the noodles according to package directions.

Divide the lettuce among 6 bowls. Top the lettuce with noodles, pork, marinated carrots and daikon, torn Thai basil, peanuts, and bean sprouts. Drizzle 1 - 2 tablespoons cup prepared Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam) over each salad.