Grilled Lemongrass Pork - Rice Paper Rolls

This is a recipe I found online for making Vietnamese-Style Grilled Lemongrass Pork.

We used this lemongrass pork as the main ingredient for making Vietnamese rice paper rolls. Along with some nuoc cham dipping sauce, these were perfect on a warm summer night.

For the rice paper rolls (you can use a combination of any of the items listed):

• Mint leaves
• Coriander
• Basil
• Rice noodles (soaked for 2 mins in warm water, then pan fried)
• Cucumber (finely sliced)
• Bean sprouts
• Lettuce
• Rice paper spring roll sheets

Vietnamese-Style Grilled Lemongrass Pork
recipe adapted from Viet World Kitchen

For the Lemongrass Pork:

• 400g pork neck (sliced into 1/2" thick pieces)

Marinade:

• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallot
• 1 stalk lemongrass (trimmed and finely chopped)
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 3 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 bird's eye chilli (finely chopped)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon seasame oil

Pork in Marinade

1. Slice the pork neck into pieces about 1/2" thick. Set aside.
2. Put the sugar, garlic, shallot and lemongrass into food processor and blend into a fine texture.
3. Pour out the mixture into a bowl. Add in the finely chopped up chilli, white pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce, and oils and mixed to combine well.
4. Add the pork, and turn to coat well.
5. Cover and set aside at room temperature to marinate for 1 hour. Or refrigerate up to 24 hours, letting the meat sit out at room temperature for 45 minutes to remove some of the chill before grilling.
6. Preheat a grill pan to medium-high. Grill each piece for a couple of minutes, until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and serve with the other rice paper roll ingredients.
   
   

Making a rice paper roll

The end product... Yummy!

Notes:

• You can substitute about 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder for the lemongrass instead.

• When using the rice paper sheets, dip them in a bowl of cold water for about 2 seconds, then lay flat on a clean plate. The rice paper will become soft as it absorbs the water.