Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Grilled Pork Chops


Vietnamese noodle salad with pork chops has fantastic texture and flavor. Add the spicy, garlicky, tangy nuoc cham sauce is the dish is absolute perfection!

Ingredients
For the nuoc cham sauce:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or white vinegar
¼ cup fish sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
1 red chili, de-seeded and sliced (or substitute 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or Sriracha)
½ cup cold water
For the pork chops and noodles:
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
4 bone-in pork chops
vegetable oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon flour
12 oz. dried rice vermicelli noodles, prepared according to package directions
1 small cucumber, julienned
1 medium carrot, julienned
2 cups mung bean sprouts
½ cup cilantro, mint, and/or thai basil leaves

Instructions
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. In a shallow dish, make the pork chop marinade by adding the soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, and wine. Marinate the pork chops for 20 minutes.
Heat about ¼ cup oil in a large skillet. Toss the sliced onions in the flour and fry in the oil until crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. In the same oil, sear the pork chops on both sides until cooked through. Set the pork chops aside to rest.

Add the noodles, cucumber, carrot, bean sprouts, and herbs to a bowl. Top with the pork chops and crispy onions, and serve with the nuoc cham sauce.

FULL RECIPE