Lemon grass is one of my favorite herbs to cook with. These stalks are very commonly used in Southeast Asian kitchen. From just flavoring dishes to actually being eaten. This lemon grass pork loin with rice noodles uses chopped lemon grass. I know it’s a bit hard to imagine eating this hard woody stalks, but trust me, once you trim off the ends and chopped it up, it’s actually blend pretty well with the dishes that you cook with. It used to be you need to go to Asian grocery store to find fresh or frozen lemon grass here in the U.S. That’s not the case anymore. Many major chain grocery stores now carry this aromatic herb. So, really…no more excuses for not trying 😉
This is another super easy dish. Well, forgive me if I keep saying super easy. Perhaps it is easy to me because I came from Southeast Asian background and I’m familiar with most ingredients used in Southeast Asian cooking. I have to admit some of the ingredients are pretty difficult to find or impossible to find. But not these. All the ingredients here can be easily purchased at major grocery store. Try it and you might like it. We do love it !!
LEMON GRASS PORK LOIN WITH RICE NOODLES
Ingredients
- 2 stalks of lemon grass trim off woody ends
- 1 ½ lbs boneless pork loin slice into 1/4-inch strips
- 5 stalks of spring onion slice thinly
- Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb of thin rice noodles
- 3 cloves of garlic peeled and finely minced
- 1 fresh red chili or more if you prefer seeded and finely chopped
- ½ cup of unsalted roasted peanuts chopped
- 2 Tbsp of fish sauce
- 1 tsp of sugar
- Small bunch of fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
- 2 Tbsp of grape seeds oil or oil of your choice
Instructions
- Slice the lemon grass into thin rings and then finely chopped them. Place them in a large bowl. Add in the pork, spring onions, salt and pepper. Toss to mix everything and let it sit for about 30 minutes
- Cook the rice noodles according to the instruction on the package. Rinse with cold water and portion them into individual serving bowl and set aside
- Preheat a wok or skillet on high heat. Add in the cooking oil and swirl to coat the wok or skillet. Add in the pork and lower the heat a little bit and stir fry for about 2 minutes or so and lightly pressed the pork against the wok. Add in the garlic and red chili and stir fry for another 5 minutes or until the pork is cooked through. Add in the chopped peanuts and stir to mix everything. Season with fish sauce and sugar. Have a taste and add more seasoning to your liking. It should be savory and lightly spicy
- Portion the pork over the cooked rice noodles evenly and garnish with cilantro leaves and ready to be served hot or room temperature
