Vietnamese Zoodle Salad with Caramelized Pork
The first time I had a Vietnamese rice noodle salad I was instantly in love! I knew I needed to recreate it at home! So I made a giant, yes I mean giant bowl of it just for myself. I ate it for a week straight! I was also just barely pregnant with my first born baby and by the end of the week morning sickness had suddenly sprung and I never wanted to see that salad again. Ha Ha. Time has healed my morning sickness food trauma! Yes it’s a very real thing! Anyone who has been through it knows what I am talking about! It took me a good year to even think about drinking Naked fruit juices, eat Rice Chex cereal or even look at a barbecue chicken salad again! However, I am here to tell you this salad is once again one of my favorites!
Tasty, low carbohydrate and comes together in about 30 minutes.
What you will need: (this recipe serves 2 adults)
Ingredients in the salad:
1/2 pound pork – any boneless cut of pork steak, chop or tenderloin will do. you are going to cut it into 1/2 thick, 1 x 1 inch squares.
2 medium zucchini – put through a vegetable spiralizer to create zoodles or sliced into thin long noodles.
2 green onions -thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper – cut into a small dice
4 Tablespoons cilantro – roughly torn
2 Tablespoons basil – sliced into thin strips
1/2 cup cucumber – sliced into 1 inch thin long sticks
1/2 cup carrots – sliced into 1 inch thin long sticks
2 Tablespoons salted peanuts – roughly chopped
Seasoning for the pork:
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ginger powder
3-4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon sriracha or more if you want more heat (this amount doesn’t really add any heat just flavor)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
Ingredients for the dressing:
2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon honey
3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sriracha
Directions:
Prepare all of your vegetables.
Boil a pot of water and add 1 tablespoon of salt to the cooking water for better flavoring on your zucchini.
Drop zucchini noodles into boiling water for 1-2 minutes then remove and run under cold water. Strain the water and lightly dab zucchini noodles with a paper towel so they are not super watery and the dressing will stick to the zucchini noodles.
Cut pork into 1/2 inch thick 1 inch by 1 inch squares. in a small bowl, season pork pieces with sesame oil, garlic powder, ginger powder, soy sauce, honey, sriracha, salt and oyster sauce. Mix pork around in the seasoning mixture and then cook in a pan over medium high heat until pork is cooked and the outsides begin to caramelize. Remove from heat and set aside.
To make the sauce, add sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sriracha and whisk together.
To assemble: add cooled zucchini noodles and all of the prepared vegetables, caramelized pork, peanuts and top with dressing. Enjoy!
Vietnamese Zoodle Salad with Caramelized Pork
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound pork any boneless cut of pork steak chop or tenderloin will do. you are going to cut it into 1/2 thick, 1 x 1 inch squares.
- 2 medium zucchini put through a vegetable spiralizer to create zoodles or sliced into thin long noodles.
- 2 Green onions thinly sliced
- 1 Red Bell pepper cut into a small dice
- 4 Tablespoons cilantro roughly torn
- 2 Tablespoons basil sliced into thin strips
- 1/2 cup cucumber sliced into 1 inch thin long sticks
- 1/2 cup carrots sliced into 1 inch thin long sticks
- 2 Tablespoons salted Peanuts roughly chopped
- Seasoning for the pork:
- 2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoons ginger powder
- 3-4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoon Honey
- 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha more if you want more heat more if you want more heat this amount doesn't really add any heat just flavor
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- Ingredients for the dressing:
- 2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 3 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
Instructions
- Prepare all of your vegetables. Boil a pot of water and add 1 tablespoon of salt to the cooking water for better flavoring on your zucchini. Drop zucchini noodles into boiling water for 1-2 minutes then remove and run under cold water. Strain the water and lightly dab zucchini noodles with a paper towel so they are not super watery and the dressing will stick to the zucchini noodles. Cut pork into 1/2 inch thick 1 inch by 1 inch squares. in a small bowl, season pork pieces with sesame oil, garlic powder, ginger powder, soy sauce, honey, sriracha, salt and oyster sauce. Mix pork around in the seasoning mixture and then cook in a pan over medium high heat until pork is cooked and the outsides begin to caramelize. Remove from heat and set aside. To make the sauce, add sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sriracha and whisk together. To assemble: add cooled zucchini noodles and all of the prepared vegetables, caramelized pork, peanuts and top with dressing. Enjoy!