Nem Nuong Vietnamese Pork Loaf, perfect for Bahn Mi and Pho.

Nem Nuong...The perfect Vietnamese Pork Loaf to make for bowls of Pho or a Bahn Mi sandwich! Mix and bake it ahead and then you are ready for a quick and delicious dinner in no time.

Warm weather often means the start of lighter meals.

Warm days have hit our little corner of the world, as they most likely have in your neighborhood. With birds busy singing as they find the perfect spot and start building a nest. Irrigation sprinklers are singing their usual whooshing song, and you might even be harvesting from your own garden. With radishes and cucumbers being some of the first crops. And right about now, it is time for lighter meals. 

And one of our favorites is a delicious Bahn Mi Sandwich!

With all the fresh produce available to enjoy, we love making a simple bowl of noodle-y Pho or a Bahn Mi sandwich. And is often the case, there are no hard and fast rules for making either one. Since I have had both of these in authentic cafes through the years, I have learned that even in other countries the concept of home cooking is alive and well! With each home cook having a preferred way of making their favorite dish. Which pretty much leaves it open to your own interpretation, cooking with what you have. We usually start by making this Nam Nuong, Vietnamese Pork Loaf. 

You will want an airy and crisp French baguette for the perfect sandwich. 

To complete your dinner sandwich take a French baguette, add slices of Nem Nuong a Vietnamese Pork Loaf, crunchy pickled vegetables, then add lots of fresh cilantro and a spicy hot chili drizzle. And just to make things easy, a quick pickled vegetable recipe is included at the bottom of this post. And although not traditional I believe adding minced green onions along with the garlic would be a lovely addition to Nem Nuong Vietnamese Pork Loaf...especially when making a noodle bowl to enjoy with the last few slices of this easy and delicious Pork Loaf. 

Ingredients needed for this recipe:

• ground pork
• brown rice flour
• fish sauce
• baking powder
• garlic
• sugar

You will also need:

• cutting board
• small kitchen knife
• fine holed planer or grater
• small skillet
• measuring spoons
• medium-sized mixing bowl
• small loaf pan

Now we are ready to begin!

Nem Nuong a Vietnamese Pork Loaf

adapted from Seasonal Ontario Food

400-degree oven

UPDATED: 07.11.2024

1 pound ground pork, not too lean

1 head of garlic

3 T brown rice flour*

2 T Fish Sauce

1/4 - 1/2 t ground black pepper if you love pepper, use the full measure

2 t sugar 

1/2 t baking powder

2 T water

Place the brown rice flour in a dry skillet, and begin toasting over a medium-high burner. It will take a moment for the burner and the flour to get hot enough to begin browning, once the heat is up, attend the flour by stirring or swirling the flour in the pan, adjusting the heat level to prevent burning if needed. You want to toast to a medium brown color, think brown paper bag...set aside to cool.

Peel the head of garlic, then finely mince, or grate the garlic. 

Combine all of the ingredients including the garlic and toasted brown rice flour. 

Mix thoroughly and pack into a prepared small loaf pan. Refrigerate covered for at least 4 hours. 

To bake: preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the pork loaf for 20 - 25 minutes or until done. Preheat the broiler and broil for 5 to 8 minutes to brown the top.

Let cool before slicing thinly. 

 * to make brown rice flour, add brown rice to a coffee grinder, process until reduced to a flour consistency. 

Quick Pickles Vegetables

adapted from NY times

1 medium-sized cucumber

1 large carrot

1 Jalapeno pepper 

2 T sugar

2 T rice wine vinegar

1/4 t salt

Cut the Jalapeno pepper in half, remove and discard all seeds. 

Peel the cucumber leaving a bit of the green skin. Cut n half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds in the middle. 

Peel the carrot. 

Julienne cut all of the vegetables, combine them with salt, sugar, and vinegar. Toss well. Let rest in the refrigerator, covered, until serving time. 

Storage options for Nem Nuong a Vietnamese Pork Loaf. Store unbaked for up to 24 hours. Baked Nem Nuong may be stored for up to four days. You may freeze Nem Nuong, but expect a possible loss of texture upon thawing. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating. 

UPDATE:  For your convenience, a "copy and paste" version of Nem Nuong a Vietnamese Pork Loaf has been included below. 

You may also enjoy: 

Asian Inspired Pork Roast. 

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Printable "copy and paste" version:

Nem Nuong a Vietnamese Pork Loaf

adapted from Seasonal Ontario Food

400-degree oven

UPDATED: 07.11.2024

1 pound ground pork, not too lean

1 head of garlic

3 T brown rice flour*

2 T Fish Sauce

1/4 - 1/2 t ground black pepper if you love pepper, use the full measure

2 t sugar 

1/2 t baking powder

2 T water

Place the brown rice flour in a dry skillet, and begin toasting over a medium-high burner. It will take a moment for the burner and the flour to get hot enough to begin browning, once the heat is up, attend the flour by stirring or swirling the flour in the pan, adjusting the heat level to prevent burning if needed. You want to toast to a medium brown color, think brown paper bag...set aside to cool.

Peel the head of garlic, then finely mince, or grate the garlic. 

Combine all of the ingredients including the garlic and toasted brown rice flour. 

Mix thoroughly and pack into a prepared small loaf pan. Refrigerate covered for at least 4 hours. 

To bake: preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the pork loaf for 20 - 25 minutes or until done. Preheat the broiler and broil for 5 to 8 minutes to brown the top.

Let cool before slicing thinly. 

 * to make brown rice flour, add rice to a coffee grinder, process until reduced to a flour consistency. 

Quick Pickles Vegetables

adapted from NY times

1 medium-sized cucumber

1 large carrot

1 Jalapeno pepper 

2 T sugar

2 T rice wine vinegar

1/4 t salt

Cut the Jalapeno pepper in half, remove and discard all seeds. 

Peel the cucumber leaving a bit of the green skin. Cut n half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds in the middle. 

Peel the carrot. 

Julienne cut all of the vegetables, combine them with salt, sugar, and vinegar. Toss well. Let rest in the refrigerator, covered, until serving time. 

Storage options for Nem Nuong Vietnamese Pork Loaf. Store unbaked for up to 24 hours. Baked Nem Nuong may be stored for up to four days. You may freeze Nem Nuong, but expect a possible loss of texture upon thawing. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating. 

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