Warm Vermicelli Noodle Bowl with Grilled Pork

DRAGON BITES carb-counted recipe

A family-friendly, mostly healthy (sometimes treat-y!) simple recipe for families living well with type 1 diabetes.

Quick and easy… healthy, natural ingredients… gluten- and dairy-free… carb-counted (as always!)

This fresh and tasty, sweet and savoury dish has become a favourite in our house. The chopping and marinating can be done in advance, making the meal a quick and simple pull-together for busy families. What better way to tempt spring to settle in, than to fire up the grill?!

Low-Carb? No
Gluten-free? Yes
Dairy-free? Yes
Nut-free? No (but the peanuts are optional – leave them out for a nut-free dish)

 

Prep: 20 min (plus 1 hour of marinating time)
Cook: 10 min
Ready in: 1 hr 30 min

Yield: Makes 4 meal-sized servings
Carb Content per serving (approximately 3 cups, as outlined below): 65-70g

 

INGREDIENTS:

Marinade: (total 30g carbs)

  • 2 tbsp Brown Sugar (24g carbs)
  • 2 tbsp Soy Sauce (4g carbs)(For a Gluten-free version of this recipe you’ll need to use a GF soy sauce, a brand like VH or Superstore’s No Name.)
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 ½ tbsp Fish Sauce (2g carbs)
  • 2 cloves (2 tsp) minced Garlic
  • 2 tsp minced Ginger
  • Black Pepper
  • ¼ cup Shallots (or onions), finely diced
  • 500 - 700g boneless pork rib (or centre loin) chops

 

Bowl:

  • 1 package (454g) Vermicelli Rice Noodles
  • 1 small Long English Cucumber, unpeeled
  • 2 medium Carrots, peeled
  • 2 cups Romaine Lettuce
  • 1 cup Bean Sprouts
  • ½ cup Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (I use Blue Dragon Nuoc Cham sauce – a sweet fish sauce with carrots, chilies and garlic.)
  • ½ cup Dry-Roasted Peanuts, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Stir all of the marinade ingredients together; pour over whole pork chops in a sealable container. Shake well to coat. Marinate in the fridge for a minimum of one hour (overnight is even yummier if you have the time).

  2. Chop the cucumber and carrots into thin match-sticks, each about 5-7 cm (2-3”) long. Cut the lettuce into strips. Set aside.

  3. Cook the rice vermicelli noodles according to package instructions. Rinse, drain and set aside.

  4. After marinating, grill the meat for 5 minutes on each side, over medium high heat. Rest for 15 minutes. Cut into thin slices.

  5. Assemble each serving in a large, flat bowl:

    • 1 cup rice vermicelli noodles (45g carbs) as bottom layer, then…
    • ½ cup lettuce strips
    • 1/3 cup each of cucumber and carrot matchsticks (2g and 1g carbs, respectively)
    • 8-12 slices of grilled pork (~4g carbs)
    • 2 tbsp Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (12g carbs)
    • 2 tbsp chopped peanuts (3g carbs) [Note that if you count fat-protein units, there is 10g of fat in 2 tbsp of peanuts.]

(Optional: Top with a spring roll, cut diagonally into chunks. If you live in the Calgary area and you’re looking for GF spring rolls, we love the ones from Van Son Vietnamese Cuisine... We get a take-out order to add to our home-made vermicelli bowls.)

CARB CONTENT:

Total carbs for each serving: 67g  (as outlined above, without optional spring roll)

Please don’t rely exclusively on my carb counting! Nutritional information is given for general information only, and will vary depending on the amount, type and brand of ingredients you choose - Please verify your carb and fat content when you make your own version of this recipe.

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