Bánh Hỏi with Grilled Pork (Vietnamese Rice Noodles)
Ready to try something new for dinner? Bánh hỏi with grilled pork features smoky, caramelized Vietnamese pork, delicate woven rice noodles, fragrant scallion oil, fresh herbs, crunchy vegetables, and tangy nước chấm. Serve it family-style and let everyone build their own lettuce wraps. Save this Vietnamese bánh hỏi recipe for your next homemade feast!
Servings: 4 peopele
Calories: 711kcal
Ingredients
For the Grilled Pork (Thịt Nướng)
- 1.5 lb pork shoulder (butt) sliced about ⅛ inch thick
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
- 2 shallots minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 stalk lemongrass tender inner part only, finely minced (optional but recommended)
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce optional, for deeper color
For the Scallion Oil (Mỡ Hành)
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup neutral oil or rendered pork fat, if you have it
- Pinch of salt
For the Noodles
- 1 lb fresh banh hoi, or about 6–8 oz dried banh hoi
Instructions
How to Make Banh Hoi with Grilled Pork?
- Whisk the fish sauce, honey, shallots, garlic, lemon grass, oil, pepper, and dark soy sauce in a large bowl.
- Add the sliced pork and massage the marinade in so every slice is coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, for the best flavor marinate overnight.
Make the Scallion Oil
- Put the sliced scallions and a pinch of salt in a heatproof bowl.
- Heat the oil in a small pan until it shimmers, then carefully pour it over the scallions. They should sizzle and turn bright green. Stir and set aside.
Prepare the Banh Hoi
- Fresh banh hoi:: Steam fresh banh hoi for 2–3 minutes, just until warm and soft.
- Dried banh hoi: Work in batches. Put a few sheets in a heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over them, and keep them submerged for 60–90 seconds. Drain, then rinse quickly under cold water to stop the cooking. If a sheet still feels firm in the center, steam it for a minute or two to finish. Don't leave the sheets in the hot water any longer than 90 seconds. The strands are so fine that they turn mushy fast.
- Plate the noodles right away and brush each sheet lightly with scallion oil while it's still warm. Banh hoi sticks to itself as it cools, and the oil keeps the sheets separate and glossy. Fold or cut them into palm-sized squares and arrange them on a platter.
Grill the Pork
- Grill the pork over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes per side, until it's cooked through with charred, caramelized edges. The honey in the marinade burns quickly, so stay close and turn the slices often.
- No grill? Broil the pork on a foil-lined sheet pan 3–4 inches from the heat for 3–4 minutes per side. You can also air fry it at 400°F (200°C) for 8–10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
Assemble the Platter
- Arrange the banh hoi squares, grilled pork, lettuce, herbs,cucumber, and pickles on a large platter. Sprinkle peanuts over the noodles,and set out small bowls of dipping sauce for everyone.
Notes
- Prep the toppings before you cook the pork. Wash the herbs, separate the lettuce leaves, slice the cucumber, and arrange the pickled vegetables so everything is ready when the meat comes off the grill.
- Make thin pork slices easier. A brief 20–30-minute stint in the freezer firms up the meat and makes slicing much less fiddly.
- Work in batches with dried noodles. This helps you monitor the texture and prevents the sheets from sitting in hot water while you prepare the rest.
- Use a big serving platter. Bánh hỏi is a family-style dish, and spreading out the components makes it easy for everyone to build a wrap.
- Offer extra scallion oil. Some people like a little more on their noodles, so set a small bowl on the table.
- Keep the dipping sauce nearby. Each wrap should get a dip just before eating, so put the nước chấm where everyone can reach it.
Nutrition
Calories: 711kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 87g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 278mg | Sodium: 4906mg | Potassium: 1967mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 513IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 161mg | Iron: 8mg