Vietnamese Caramelized Pork and Rice Noodle Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup bean sprouts 
• 0.3 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar 
• 1 cup carrots 
• 1 cup cucumber english peeled
• 0.5 cup roasted peanuts chopped
• 1.5 tablespoons fish sauce 
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce 
• 0.3 cup basil fresh chopped
• 0.3 cup cilantro leaves fresh chopped
• 2 teaspoons ginger fresh minced peeled
• 3 tablespoons mint leaves fresh chopped
• 3  garlic clove minced
• 0.3 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 4.5 tablespoons granulated sugar 
• 1 pound pork tenderloins trimmed
• 2 cups red-leaf lettuce red thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons juice of lime fresh
• 6 ounce vermicelli 
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar 
• 0.3 teaspoon salt 
• 0.8 teaspoon sriracha such as huy fong) hot
• 1 teaspoon sriracha such as huy fong) hot
• 0.8 cup water 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• plastic wrap
• grill
• cutting board
• meat tenderizer

Directions

1. To prepare dressing, combine the first 8 ingredients in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or just until sugar dissolves.
2. Remove from heat; cool.
3. To prepare salad, place vermicelli in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water.
4. Let stand 20 minutes or until tender.
5. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain.
6. Prepare grill.
7. Cut tenderloin in half lengthwise.
8. Cut each piece in half crosswise.
9. Place each pork piece between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to an even thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.
10. Combine 2 teaspoons fish sauce and 1 teaspoon Sriracha; drizzle over pork.
11. Sprinkle evenly with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Pat brown sugar onto pork.
12. Place pork on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 12 minutes or until slightly pink in center, turning pieces occasionally to prevent burning.
13. Place pork on a cutting board; let stand 5 minutes.
14. Cut across grain into very thin slices.
15. Combine vermicelli, lettuce, and next 6 ingredients (through mint) in a large bowl.
16. Pour dressing over salad; toss well. Top with pork and nuts.
17. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.
18. Beer note: Try a Belgian white beer, a light-bodied wheat beer that both refreshes and invigorates. The widely available Hoegaarden White ($8 for a six-pack) has a sweet-tart balance and includes subtle additions of orange peel and coriander--ingredients that bring their own exotic spice to this dish's mlange of Asian flavors. --Jeffery Lindenmuth