Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls

Categories: Pork | International | Vietnam | Bowl

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.
Add the onion, ginger, garlic and chili and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the pork mince and cook for 3 minutes or so until white all over, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon (Note 3).
Add the sugar and fish sauce.
Stir, then leave it to cook without touching until all the juices cook out and the pork starts caramelised - about 2 minutes.
Then stir it and leave it again, without stirring, for around 30 seconds to get more caramelisation.
Repeat twice more until caramelised to your taste.
Serve over rice or vermicelli noodles, garnished with sliced scallions.
I like to have shredded iceberg lettuce, cucumber and carrots on the side which is a classic way of making Vietnamese bowls.

Birds eye chilis are small red chilis that are usually around 3 to 4cm (1.5 - 2") long. They are very spicy! You can substitute with any chili you want, or even exclude it if you are making this for kids. Just adjust to your taste.
To make the shallots/scallions curl like you see in the photos, slice the green part very finely on the diagonal then place in a bowl of cold water in the fridge. Leave for 20 minutes or so, then they will curl. This is optional - you could just slice them!
I don't break up the meat too finely like I do when making bolognaise or similar. That's just a personal preference for this particular dish because I like having larger chunks of meat.
Lemongrass is a lovely and very traditional Vietnamese herb used in dishes like this. 1 stalk, white part only, very VERY finely chopped. Add it into the skillet with the garlicH
This dish is great to serve with sriracha on the side so people can add the amount of heat they want.
I also served it with a wedge of lime

First Made:
2016-10-28

Yield:
4 servings

Source:
http://www.recipetineats.com/vietnamese-caramelised-pork-bowls/

Country:
Vietnam