The Chef

Restaurants

Meals

Drinks

Restaurants›Asian Capitol Restaurant & Bar›Bun Thit Nuong Recipe

Bun Thit Nuong Recipe

Name: Asian Capitol Restaurant & Bars Bun Thit Nuong Recipe
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 1 lb pork shoulder or pork butt, thinly sliced (or ground/pounded for skewers); 3 tbs fish sauce (nuoc mam); 2 tbs sugar; 1 stalk lemongrass, white part finely minced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 medium shallot, minced; 1 tbs vegetable oil (or neutral oil); 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground; 1 tbs honey or maltose (optional for caramelization); 1 cup warm water; 3 tbs fish sauce; 2 tbs fresh lime juice (or rice vinegar + lime); 3 tsp sugar; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1 unit bird's eye chili, thinly sliced (or to taste); 2 tbs carrot, julienned or shredded (optional); 8 oz rice vermicelli (bun), dried; 2 cups lettuce leaves, shredded (or mixed salad greens); 1 medium cucumber, julienned or thinly sliced; 1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed; 1 cup fresh herbs (mint, cilantro, Thai basil), roughly chopped; 3 tbs roasted peanuts, chopped; 2 tbs fried shallots (store-bought or homemade, optional); 2 unit lime wedges

Inspired by Asian Capitol Restaurant & Bar

Time1h

Serves4

Make Bun Thit Nuong Recipe in just 1h . Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.

Was this page helpful?

Help improve this recipe for others.

Send this recipe to your inbox.

We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.

Ingredients

Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Marinated Pork

1 lb pork shoulder or pork butt, thinly sliced (or ground/pounded for skewers)

3 tbs fish sauce (nuoc mam)

2 tbs sugar

1 stalk lemongrass, white part finely minced

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1 medium shallot, minced

1 tbs vegetable oil (or neutral oil)

1 tsp Black pepper, freshly ground

1 tbs honey or maltose (optional for caramelization)

Nuoc Cham (Dipping / Dressing Sauce)

1 cup warm water

3 tbs Fish sauce

2 tbs fresh lime juice (or rice vinegar + lime)

3 tsp sugar

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 unit bird's eye chili, thinly sliced (or to taste)

2 tbs carrot, julienned or shredded (optional)

Assembly / Salad

8 oz rice vermicelli (bun), dried

2 cups lettuce leaves, shredded (or mixed salad greens)

1 medium cucumber, julienned or thinly sliced

1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed

1 cup fresh herbs (mint, cilantro, Thai basil), roughly chopped

3 tbs roasted peanuts, chopped

2 tbs fried shallots (store-bought or homemade, optional)

2 unit Lime wedges

Method

Marinated Pork

Prepare the pork and marinade

Trim excess fat from the pork and slice thinly across the grain (about 1/8–1/4 inch thick). If using ground or pounded pork for a patty/skewer style, combine as instructed below. Place pork in a bowl.

In a small bowl combine 3 tbs fish sauce, 2 tbs sugar, minced lemongrass, minced garlic, minced shallot, 1 tbs vegetable oil, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper and 1 tbs honey (if using). Stir until sugar dissolves.

Pour the marinade over the sliced pork. Mix thoroughly using hands or tongs so every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, ideally 2–4 hours or up to overnight for more flavor.

If you will grill on skewers, lightly press or form marinated ground/pounded pork onto skewers or keep slices whole for direct grilling/pan-frying.

Before cooking, bring the pork near room temperature for 15–20 minutes and reserve any juices for basting.

Cook pork: Preheat a grill, grill pan, broiler, or skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the grate or pan with a little oil. Cook sliced pork 2–4 minutes per side until nicely charred and cooked through (internal temp ~145–160°F depending on preference). For skewers or patties, cook 3–5 minutes per side. Baste once or twice with reserved marinade juices during cooking for extra gloss, and avoid burning sugar by lowering heat if needed.

Transfer cooked pork to a plate, let rest 3 minutes, then thinly slice if you cooked larger pieces.

Nuoc Cham (Dipping / Dressing Sauce)

In a bowl dissolve 3 tsp sugar into 1 cup warm water. Stir until fully dissolved.

Add 3 tbs fish sauce and 2 tbs fresh lime juice to the sugar water and mix well. Taste and adjust balance — it should be sweet, salty, and sour. Add a little more lime or fish sauce as desired.

Stir in 1 minced garlic clove and sliced bird's eye chili. Add the 2 tbs shredded carrot for color and texture. Refrigerate until serving; give a quick stir before using.

Assembly / Salad & Serving

Cook rice vermicelli according to package instructions: usually plunge into boiling water for 1–3 minutes until tender but still springy, then drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Shake off excess water and divide into serving bowls.

Arrange shredded lettuce, cucumber slices, bean sprouts and chopped fresh herbs over and around the vermicelli in each bowl.

Top each bowl with generous portions of the hot grilled pork.

Sprinkle each bowl with chopped roasted peanuts and fried shallots if using.

Serve with nuoc cham on the side (about 2–3 tbs per serving) so diners can pour over the bowl to taste, or serve the sauce in small dipping bowls. Offer lime wedges alongside.

To eat: toss noodles, vegetables, herbs and pork with the nuoc cham so flavors combine. Adjust with additional fresh herbs, chilies or lime as desired.