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Vietnamese-Style Grilled Lemongrass Pork

Vietnamese-Style Grilled Lemongrass Pork reads umami 7.8, salinity 5.9 and funk & ferment 5.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Vietnamese main, about 50 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.8 · Salinity 5.9 · Funk & Ferment 5.9 · Citrus 5.5 · Sourness 4.9 · Marine & Briny 4.6 · Allium 3.6 · Sweetness 3.5 · Richness 3.4 · Herbaceous 3.3 · Warm Spice 1.5 · Floral 1.4 · Bitterness 1.2 · Smoke 1.0 · Nutty 1.0 · Heat 0.8 · Earthy 0.7

What's in it (14)

Time & effort: about 50 min (20 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 108.6 kcal, 8.7 g protein, 2.5 g fat, 12.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the lemongrass paste, garlic, fish sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, oil, and black pepper until the sugar dissolves into a thick, fragrant marinade.
  2. Add the sliced pork and shallot to the marinade and toss well with your hands to coat every piece. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours for deeper flavor - the thin slices don't need overnight time, and too long will make the fish sauce taste sharp.
  3. About 15 minutes before grilling, pull the pork out to lose the chill and heat a gas or charcoal grill to high (450-500 F); scrape and oil the grates well so the thin slices release cleanly.
  4. While the grill heats, warm the rice if needed and arrange the cucumber, cilantro, and green onions on a platter so everything is ready the moment the pork comes off.
  5. Lift the pork slices from the marinade, letting excess drip off, and lay them directly on the hot grates in a single layer, working in batches so the grill stays hot and the pieces char rather than steam.
  6. Grill undisturbed until deeply charred and lightly blackened at the edges on the first side, 2-3 minutes.
  7. Flip each piece and grill until the second side is charred and the pork reaches 145 F at the thickest piece, 2-3 minutes more.
  8. Transfer the grilled pork to the cilantro platter as each batch finishes, tenting loosely with foil to keep warm while remaining batches cook.
  9. Pile the warm rice into bowls, top with the grilled pork, cucumber, cilantro, and green onions, and serve with lime wedges to squeeze over just before eating.

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Keep reading: what umami, salinity, funk & ferment mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.