Vietnamese Noodle Bowl with Caramelized Pork

• 500 g Ground Pork, Raw
• 600 g Rice Noodles, Cooked, cooked weight
• 3 tbsp Fish Sauce
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 30 g Granulated Sugar
• 4 clove Garlic, finely minced
• 2 Lime, juiced, plus wedges to serve
• 2 medium Carrots, julienned
• 200 g Cucumber, peeled into ribbons
• 10 g Mint, leaves picked
• 15 g Cilantro, leaves picked
• 60 g Peanuts, Roasted, roughly crushed
• 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 0.5 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Steps

1. Prep everything before the wok goes on: julienne the carrots, peel the cucumber into ribbons, pick the herb leaves, crush the peanuts and mince the garlic. This dish is assembled in minutes once the pork hits the heat.
2. Make the dressing: whisk most of the fish sauce and lime juice with about half the sugar, the chili flakes and a splash of warm water until the sugar fully dissolves. Taste — it should land sharp, salty and just sweet enough to round off.
3. Cook the noodles according to the packet, then rinse under cold running water until completely cool. Rinsing washes off the surface starch and keeps them slippery instead of claggy. Drain very well.
4. Heat the oil in a wok or wide frying pan over high heat. Add the pork, press it flat and leave it undisturbed for 2–3 minutes to build a deep brown crust before you start breaking it up.
5. Add the garlic, the remaining sugar, soy sauce and the last of the fish sauce. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until the liquid reduces to a dark sticky glaze clinging to the meat — that caramel is the whole point of the dish.
6. Build the bowls: noodles first, then the hot pork, then carrot, cucumber and a generous tangle of mint and cilantro over the top.
7. Spoon the dressing over each bowl, scatter with crushed peanuts and serve with lime wedges. Toss everything together at the table before eating.