Cơm Sườn-Style Lemongrass Pork Shoulder & Rice

Ingredients

• 1¼ lb Pork Shoulder, sliced thin
• 2 lemongrass stalks, tender parts minced fine (or zest of 1 lemon)
• 3 cloves garlic + 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tbsp fish sauce + 2 tbsp brown sugar + 1 tbsp soy
• Rice, cucumber, tomato
• Nước chấm: fish sauce + lime + sugar + water + chili
• Scallion oil: 2 scallions warmed in 2 tbsp oil

Method

1. Marinate the Pork Shoulder with the lemongrass, garlic, shallot, fish sauce, sugar, and soy — 15 minutes minimum; the sugar builds the signature char.
2. Make the scallion oil (warm, not fried) and the nước chấm.
3. Sear the Pork Shoulder in a screaming pan or grill, 2–3 minutes per side, until caramelized at the edges and cooked through (145°F + rest for pork).
4. Rest 3 minutes while you plate rice with cucumber and tomato.
5. Top with the meat, spoon scallion oil over, and serve nước chấm for pouring. Broken-rice shops in Saigon built an institution on this plate.