Suon Nuong Xa

Where is the holiday recipe you ask? Well I have been slacking on that one. There will be something special in store though I promise. The idea has been brewing since last holiday season I just never decided to actually execute it. In the meantime I cooked up a dish that is good any time of year. Full of robust flavor. Balancing sweet, salty, and tangy is harder than most people think. This dish though makes it pretty darn easy to have an exotic dish that balances all three bringing you into a world of bliss.

So what is Suon Nuong Xa? Well it is a Vietnamese dish with lemongrass pork tenderloin, skewered and grilled or pan seared. Then its placed on a bed of rice noodles with raw crushed peanuts, zuchinni, and bean sprouts. The last ingredient that brings it all together is a mixed Vietnamese fish sauce. Do not worry the sauce is not fishy as you know it. It is sweet, salty, tangy, with some heat to give an extra kick at the end.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
4 tablespoons palm sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 Thai chiles diced- leave this out if you can not handle the heat
3 stalks lemongrass, outer leaves and tops removed, root ends trimmed, and stalks finely grated
1 large shallot, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
Bamboo skewers, soaked for 20 minutes and drained
Rice noodles
Nuoc cham
Raw peanuts crushed
Bean sprouts
Shredded zucchini

1. Mix together the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and oil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Make sure grate the palm sugar so it dissolves evenly using a good quality grater. Add the lemongrass, shallot, garlic and pork. Mix well and make sure the pork is coated well. Allow to marinate overnight.
2. Place 2-4 slices of tenderlon onto each skewer. Make sure the pork has been skewered well enough that it will not fall off during cooking.
3. Cook on a grill or a well oiled cast iron grill pan/skillet. Sear the meat on both sides until lightly charred. About 2 minutes per side. Make sure the grill or pan is hot enough to sear and char effectively but do not overcook the pork.
4. While you are cooking the pork bring a pot of water to a boil, add a pinch of kosher salt, and add 1lb of rice noodles. Cook until al dente about 7 minutes (some noodles can take longer than 7 minutes to reach al dente). Rice noodles cook a little different than your everyday Italian pasta so be sure to check it for doneness before you hit the 7 minute mark. Also if you cook the noodles pasta al dente they tend to fall apart easily. Drain and do not rinse, serve hot. If they start to stick then run hot water over the batch and gentle run your fingers through.
5. Place the hot rice noodles in some soup bowls. Divide the grilled pork among the bowls of rice noodles. Place shredded zucchini, bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts on top of the noodles and drizzle nuoc cham over each serving. Serve immediately.

Nuoc Cham
Ingredients:
1/2 cup palm sugar
1 cup boiling hot water
1/4 cup quality fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
5 large garlic cloves diced
1 large shallot diced
2-5 Thai green or red chilis or jalapeno if you want something milder.

Mix all ingredients together and allow the sugar to dissolve. You might have to simmer the sauce on the stove if your water was not hot enough. Once the sugar has dissolved let it sit for at least one hour. The sauce is much better if left to sit in the frig over night. Strain out the pieces of veggies and you are set. Make sure you build the salt (fish sauce) and the sweet (palm sugar) as noted above. Take your time and adjust the sauce to your liking. Do not add to much fish sauce or it will be too salty.