Vietnamese Pork Bowl

This simple bowl takes humble leftover pulled pork and quickly transforms it into a sticky/sweet/tangy Vietnamese-inspired dinner bowl that’s simple to prepare and on the table lightning-fast. This dish isn’t strictly paleo as written – the Ketjap Manis features both sugar and soy sauce – which is easily remedied by using coconut aminos + an additional dash of honey. The sugar can also be omitted in the pickle if needed. This dish is, however, delicious.

Paleo with substitutions, Gluten-free with label policing

Vietnamese Pork Bowl

1 medium carrot
2-3 radishes or 1-2 inches daikon
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Liberal pinch salt
Liberal pinch sugar (omit for paleo)
Leftover pulled pork (or fresh pork; whatever you have)
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. Red Boat fish sauce
Small shallot
2 large cloves garlic
2 big pinches Kosher salt
Few grinds black pepper
2 tsp. ketjap manis (swap for coconut aminos + a dash of honey for paleo)
1 tsp. honey
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. sriracha (check your labels!)
1-2 jalapenos
Hand full cilantro
Extra lime juice
Broccoli slaw

First, make a quick pickle. Dice the carrot and radish and place in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, water, sugar and a liberal pinch of salt to a boil. Pour over the carrot & radish and let sit half an hour (or up to overnight) to pickle.

Now go about your business.

The pork portion of this recipe can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 8+ hours, depending upon what type of meat you use and whether you want to marinate it or not. I used leftover pulled pork and did not marinate. If you are using fresh, marinating might be nice, but it is optional. Either way, make your sauce.

In a separate small bowl, combine the sesame oil, fish sauce, shallot (minced), garlic (minced), salt (2 big pinches), pepper, ketjap manis (or substitution), honey, lime juice and sriracha. Stir to combine. Marinate your pork or not.

Bring a large pan up to temperature over medium-high heat. Add the pork. If coming straight from the fridge, some pork fat is a great addition here. Heat through. Pour the sauce over top and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently to avoid burning, until the sauce gets sticky and reduces a bit.

While the pork is working, add broccoli slaw to a bowl (a couple hand fulls per bowl is perfect). Top with the pork when ready. Add the quick pickled veggies (drain first). Dice the jalapeno and cilantro and add to the top. Squeeze some extra lime as a topper and maybe a drizzle of sriracha if you’re feeling saucy. Enjoy.

Serves 2-4, depending upon how much pickle you have, how much pork you use and how much broccoli slaw you serve. I used 10-12 ounces pork, and 1/3 of a bag of broccoli slaw per serving and had enough for two for dinner with leftover broccoli slaw.