This dish has the beguiling, distinctively Southeast Asian aroma of garlic, lots of it, nuoc mam (the Vietnamese fish sauce known more commonly by its Thai name, nam pla), and lime. But there are a couple of “secret” ingredients as well, including the mild acidity of lemongrass and the spiciness of black pepper in large quantities. Traditionally, this dish also contains the burnt sweetness that comes from caramelized sugar, but the intense heat of the grill makes honey a good substitute and a much easier one. So the marinade can be assembled in ten minutes, the grill preheated in another ten, and the pork grilled in ten: a great, intensely flavored, thirty-minute dish. You can use pork chops for this dish, but so-called country-style ribs (actually the shoulder end of the pork loin) remain moister during grilling. And if you can find these “ribs” with the bone out, so much the better—you’ve essentially got a one-inch-thick pork loin steak that grills beautifully.
To prepare lemongrass, first peel it like a scallion. Virtually the entire inner core is tender enough to mince (in the winter, when the stalks have been in storage, you may have to peel off layer after layer to find the edible center). Figure a yield of about a tablespoon of minced lemongrass per stalk.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl; whisk to blend. Add the juice of one of the limes and lots of pepper—about a teaspoon. Marinate the pork in this mixture while you preheat a grill or broiler to moderately hot; put the grill rack about 4 inches from the heat source.
Step 2
Grill or broil the pork, spooning the marinade over it as it cooks, until done, about 10 minutes. Turn only once, so that each side browns nicely. Serve with the remaining lime, garnished with the optional herb.
Variations
Step 3
Turn this dish into a full meal by pairing it with a simple, Vietnamese-inspired cabbage salad. Finely slice some cabbage, toss it with a few pinches of salt, and let it sit in a colander while the pork steaks marinate and grill. While the grilled meat is resting, toss the cabbage with lime juice (start with 1 lime and work up from there), a goodly amount of whatever herb you’re serving the pork with, finely chopped, and a healthy, heady dose of freshly ground black pepper. Top the cabbage salad with the pork and serve.
