Pork Lemongrass Noodle Salad Recipe

Grilled pork skewers over tangled rice vermicelli. Spicy. Herbaceous. Cold but not wimpy. Takes 1 hour 30 minutes total, but most of that’s marinating — you’re actually cooking for maybe 20 minutes.

Why You’ll Love This Grilled Pork and Noodle Salad

Spicy without being mean about it. The sambal and Thai chili paste heat up gradually instead of hitting all at once. Works cold the next day, maybe better — flavors sit overnight.

Grilled pork skewers make it feel like an event. Not just a salad. Actually tastes like you planned this.

Rice noodles instead of regular pasta. Lighter. Doesn’t get heavy or stick together like elbow macaroni would.

Fresh herbs everywhere — coriander, mint, green onion. Does something to your mouth that matters. Hard to describe.

Marinating pork fillet for 30 minutes changes everything. Meat stays tender. Absorbs the paste instead of just sitting on top.

What You Need for This Asian Noodle Salad

Pork brochettes, which is just pork shoulder sliced into strips — about 14 ounces. Thin enough to cook through fast.

Garlic, cilantro roots (not leaves, the roots), lemongrass, white pepper. Pound those together. Rough paste, not smooth.

Brown sugar. Soy sauce reduced sodium. Fish sauce. Sesame oil, not vegetable. Water. That’s your marinade.

Rice vinegar. Vegetable oil. Sambal oelek — that spicy chili paste. Mirin. More fish sauce. Thai chili paste. Calamansi juice instead of tamarind paste. Whisk it all together for the dressing.

Rice vermicelli — the thin kind that soaks up sauce. Red cabbage, finely sliced. Fresh cilantro, chopped. Green onions. Celery. One red bell pepper in thin strips. A big carrot, thinly sliced into rounds. Half an English cucumber, half-moons. Fresh mint leaves.

Wood skewers need soaking 25 to 35 minutes or they’ll torch before the meat cooks.

How to Make Pork and Noodle Salad

The paste comes first. Garlic, cilantro roots, lemongrass, white pepper — throw them in a mortar. Pound it down until it’s rough but holds together. Not smooth. Rough matters here because it catches on the meat.

Mix in the brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, water, sesame oil. Stir it hard. Coat the pork strips in that paste. Cover it. Into the fridge for 25 to 35 minutes. Don’t skip this part. The flavor needs time to move into the meat.

While that sits, make the dressing. Whisk rice vinegar, oil, sambal oelek, mirin, fish sauce, Thai chili paste, calamansi juice together. Set it aside.

Soak your vermicelli in warm water for 15 to 22 minutes. Just until it’s flexible but not cooked. Drain it. Rinse it cold.

Boil a big pot of lightly salted water. Drop the noodles in for 2 to 3 minutes — just until tender, not mushy. Drain. Rinse cold again. Drain again. Get excess water off. That water will water down everything later.

How to Get the Pork Perfectly Charred on the Grill

Heat the grill very hot. Oil the grates so nothing sticks. Skewer the pork strips — 10 to 12 skewers, wood or metal. They should be soaked if they’re wood. You need at least 25 to 35 minutes soak time or the wood burns before the meat finishes.

Grill 3 to 5 minutes each side. You’re watching for color — dark, nearly black on the edges. The pork shouldn’t be dry. It shouldn’t still be gray inside. That’s the balance. Takes practice. Your first batch might be overdone. Second one’s usually right.

Let the skewers rest on a plate for a minute while you assemble.

Noodle Salad Tips and Marinade Tricks

Vermicelli absorbs dressing fast. Pour half the dressing over the warm noodles and toss gently. Not hard or they shred. Slow, gentle mixing until everything’s coated.

Add the vegetables — cabbage, cilantro, green onion, celery, pepper, carrot, cucumber. Toss again. Slow. The noodles are delicate.

Plate the noodles and set a pork skewer on top of each serving. Heap mint leaves on there. Serve the rest of the dressing on the side because some people want more heat, some don’t.

Fish sauce — that’s the ingredient people freak out about. Smells like low tide. But it’s what makes this taste right. Don’t skip it. Use it.

Sambal oelek versus Thai chili paste — they’re both spicy but different. Sambal is smoother, chili paste is grainier. Use both. One’s the base heat, the other adds texture.

Calamansi is that Filipino citrus. Tastes like a cross between lime and lemon. Tamarind works but tastes different — more sour, less bright. Try calamansi first.

Make this when you have time to marinate properly. Rushed marinating means meat that’s good but not great. The 30 minutes isn’t negotiable.

Pork Lemongrass Noodle Salad Recipe

By Emma

Prep:

1h 15min

Cook:

15 min

Total:

1h 30min

Servings:

6 servings

Ingredients

• Brochettes
• 3 gousses d’ail, pelées
• 20 ml (1 ½ c. à soupe) de racines ou tiges de coriandre
• 1 branche de citronnelle, finement hachée
• 12 ml (2 c. à thé) de grains de poivre blanc
• 20 ml (1 ½ c. à soupe) de cassonade
• 25 ml (1 ½ c. à soupe) de sauce soya réduite en sodium
• 25 ml (1 ½ c. à soupe) de sauce de poisson
• 25 ml (1 ½ c. à soupe) d’eau
• 10 ml (2 c. à thé) d'huile de sésame à la place de végétale
• 400 g (14 oz) de rôti d’échine de porc, tranché en lanières
• Vinaigrette
• 60 ml (1/4 tasse) de vinaigre de riz
• 80 ml (1/3 tasse) d'huile végétale
• 20 ml (1 ½ c. à soupe) de sambal oelek
• 10 ml (2 c. à thé) de mirin
• 10 ml (2 c. à thé) de sauce de poisson
• 15 ml (1 c. à soupe) de pâte de piment thaïe
• 15 ml (1 c. à soupe) de jus de calamansi au lieu de pâte de tamarin
• Salade
• 90 g (¾ tasse) de vermicelles de riz
• 50 g (½ tasse) de chou rouge finement émincé
• 25 g (3/4 tasse) de coriandre, ciselée
• 3 oignons verts, émincés
• 2 branches de céleri, émincées
• 1 petit poivron rouge, en fines lanières
• 1 grosse carotte, coupée en fines rondelles
• 1/2 concombre anglais, coupé en demi-rondelles
• Feuilles de menthe fraîches tout usage

Method

1. 1 Brochettes
2. 2 Piler ail, racines de coriandre, citronnelle, poivre blanc dans un mortier. Pâte grossière mais homogène.
3. 3 Ajouter cassonade, sauce soya, sauce de poisson, eau, huile de sésame. Mélanger bien.
4. 4 Mélanger porc avec marinade. Filmer, au frigo entre 25 et 35 minutes (bien permettre goût pénétrant).
5. 5 Vinaigrette
6. 6 Fouetter vinaigre de riz, huile végétale, sambal oelek, mirin, sauce de poisson, pâte piment, jus calamansi ensemble. Mettre de côté.
7. 7 Salade
8. 8 Faire tremper vermicelles dans eau tiède 15-22 minutes. Égoutter, rincer à l’eau froide.
9. 9 Faire bouillir grande casserole d’eau légèrement salée. Plonger vermicelles 2-3 minutes, juste tendres. Égoutter, rincer à l’eau froide. Égoutter soigneusement.
10. 10 Transférer vermicelles dans grand bol.
11. 11 Montage
12. 12 Préchauffer barbecue très chaud. Huiler la grille.
13. 13 Embrocher porc sur 10 à 12 brochettes de bois (trempées 25-35 min) ou métal.
14. 14 Griller de 3 à 5 minutes chaque face, viande bien dorée, cuisson complète sans dessécher.
15. 15 Verser la moitié de la vinaigrette sur vermicelles. Mélanger doucement, enrober toute la pâte.
16. 16 Ajouter chou rouge, coriandre, oignons verts, céleri, poivron, carotte, concombre. Mélanger délicatement.
17. 17 Disposer salade dans assiettes individuelles, placer brochettes à côté.
18. 18 Garnir généreusement feuilles de menthe au goût.
19. 19 Servir vinaigrette restante à part.

Nutritional information

Calories

380

Protein

27g

Carbs

38g

Fat

14g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Pork and Noodle Salad

Can I use elbow pasta instead of rice vermicelli? You could. But it gets heavy. Rice noodles stay light and take the dressing better. Elbow macaroni would work for a different kind of salad entirely — more like italian noodle salad. This needs vermicelli.

How long does it keep in the fridge? Two days, maybe three. The vegetables get soft and the noodles get mushier. Still eats okay. The dressing doesn’t separate as badly as you’d think because of the sambal and chili paste emulsifying it.

What if I don’t have a grill? Pan works. Cast iron, screaming hot. Same 3 to 5 minutes per side. You won’t get the same char but the pork cooks through fine. Oven broiler works too — watch it closer so it doesn’t dry out.

Should I marinate pork tenderloin instead? Pork shoulder is better for this. Tenderloin’s too lean and gets tough when you marinate then grill it. Shoulder has fat. Fat keeps it tender. Don’t swap it.

Can I make this ahead for a picnic? Yeah. Just keep the dressing separate. Toss everything together an hour before you eat it or the noodles get soggy. The pork stays good cold — actually better cold than hot. Flavors sit better.

What’s a good substitute for fish sauce? Nothing’s perfect. Worcestershire gets you close but tastes English. Anchovy paste works if you cut the amount in half. Soy sauce alone is boring. Fish sauce is worth hunting for — most grocery stores have it in the Asian section now.