Vietnamese Cold Noodles Salad With Grilled Lemongrass Pork

Ingredients:

100g carrot, julienned
100g cucumber, julienned
100g lettuce, shredded finely
a bunch of coriander leaves, chopped finely
a bunch of mint leaves, chopped finely
300g dried noodles
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts (optional)

1/2 kg pork neck, sliced thinly


Marinade for meat:

4 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass
4 cloves garlic
2 shallots
3 tbsp lime/lemon juice
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp palm sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
pepper
1 tsp sesame oil



Sweetened Fish Sauce:  (Mix all ingredients together and chilled in the refrigerator)

1/2 cup lime/lemon juice
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup warm water
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 -2 bird's eye chillies, finely chopped

• Marinade:   With a mortar and pestle, pound the lemongrass, garlic and shallots to a paste.  Then add in the rest of in the ingredients and combine.  Transfer into a mixing bowl and add meat into the marinade.  Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 - 3 hours.  
• Cook the rice vermicelli according to instructions on the packet.  Drain and rinse in cold water.  
• Heat the grill pan grill the meat until golden brown.
• Place noodles in a serving bowl, topped with lettuce, carrot, cucumber, coriander leaves and mint leaves; then the warm grilled meat.   Sprinkle some nuts and drizzle with a generous amount of  the sweetened fish sauce before serving.