So this is basically an inauthentic riff on a bun bowl, but with coconut rice. It’s simple, delicious and the marinade can be used on chicken thighs or skirt steak too. This is a classic warm night meal in our house, we cook the pork on the bbq and nothing else requires heat so the house doesn’t get hot, perfection!

You really can do any combination of raw vegetables you like in these, I think the Vietnamese mint is super important as it has such a distinctive flavour. But you could use regular mint in a pinch. Some sort of quick pickled vegetable is also a must. Obviously the combination below is my go to but you could sub in snow peas, green beans, spinach – whatever you please.

The dressing is punchy and delicious and so good with the grilled pork and rich coconut rice. You could easily go a more tradition bun route and serve this with rice noodles or even with plain rice but the coconut rice just takes everything up a notch and makes it taste so special.

This is the kind of food I love to make, flavoursome, fresh and way easier than you think. You need to marinade the pork the night before and it will help the flavour really penetrate. This is also easier than starting dinner an hour earlier on the night to allow for the meat to marinate so I usually choose this option anyway. I’ve used pork butt in this recipe as it’s a cheap cut with a little bit of marbled fat in it that helps it sizzle on the bbq. I prefer buying cheaper cuts of better quality pork than expensive cuts of lesser quality if that makes sense? I usually use Borrowdale or St Bernards free range pork. You could use pork fillets if cutting the pork butt up seems like too much effort.

This ingredient list is long, but some ingredients are repeated so don’t let that put you off. Remember to sub things if you need to and contact me if you need advice in that area!

*Use tamari to make this gluten free.

Serves 4

Ingredients

 

500g Pork Butt

 

Marinade

1/4 cup peanut oil or light extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 large red chili, finely chopped

1.5 Tbs freshly grated ginger

1Tbs coriander stem and leaf, finely chopped

1Tbs roughly chopped Vietnamese mint

2 Tbs spring onion, finely chopped

2 Tbs soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp fish sauce

2 Tbs Chinese cooking wine

1 Tbs black vinegar

Pinch white pepper

 

Coconut Rice

1 cup jasmine rice

200ml coconut milk

3/4 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

 

Dressing

1 Tbs honey or maple syrup

1.5 Tbs soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp minced ginger

1 tsp chilli flakes

1/2 tsp lime zest

1 Tbs lime juice

1/4 tsp sesame oil

1 Tbs water

 

Pickled carrot

1 large carrot, julienned

1 Tbs rice wine vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of sugar

 

Salad

3 cups shredded cos or iceberg lettuce

2 Lebanese cucumbers, quartered lengthways then cut in half

4 radish, finely sliced

1 green capsicum, finely sliced

1/3 cup coriander leaves

handful of Vietnamese mint

1/4 cup spring onion

 

Directions

Pork: Slice the pork into 5mm thick rounds, doing this semi frozen is super easy if you’re unsure of your knife skills. Mix the marinade ingredients together. Place the pork in a non reactive container and pour over marinade. Cover and marinade over night. Turn the pork in the morning if you remember then leave marinading the following night.

Carrot: Place carrot in a bowl and toss with vinegar salt and sugar. Add 2 Tbs of water and leave to sit for at least 20 minutes.

Dressing: Mix the honey, garlic and ginger into a paste. slowly stir in the soy sauce, then stir in all the other ingredients. Set aside.

Rice: Wash rice well and place in a pot. Add the coconut milk, salt and water. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook for another few minutes or until all liquid has evaporated. Turn off the heat. Fluff with a fork and cover to keep warm if not serving immediately.

Back to the pork: heat up a barbecue if you’re grilling, or place a pan on medium high heat if cooking on the stove top. Remove pork from the marinade and place on the hot grill/pan. Cook for a few minutes either side or until it has some colour. Allow to rest for a few minutes and then slice.

To serve: Place rice and lettuce in the base of the bowl. top with the other vegetables, pickled carrot and sliced pork. Scatter with herbs and then serve the dressing on the side. Spoon over dressing before eating.

HH. x