Not long ago, I shared my Vietnamese Prawn and Pork Mince Noodle Soup, a comforting bowl of hot goodness that’s perfect for winter. Today, I’m using the same familiar ingredients – prawns and pork mince – but turning them into something completely different. This Vietnamese Prawn and Pork Mince Noodle Salad is light yet satisfying, full of flavour and wonderfully versatile.
Made with flat rice noodles (bánh phở), this dish can be enjoyed warm during colder months or served cold on a hot summer’s day. Either way, it makes a quick, delicious dinner that feels both fresh and comforting.
What is Phở Trộn
In Vietnam, this dish is known as Phở Trộn, which literally means “mixed phở”. When people think of Vietnamese noodles, they often imagine a steaming bowl of soup. In reality, Vietnamese cuisine has a whole category of noodle salads – dishes without broth, where the dressing is the heart of the meal.
In a Vietnamese Prawn and Pork Mince Noodle Salad, the sauce plays a crucial role. It brings together the noodles, meat, prawns, herbs and vegetables, coating everything in a savoury, slightly sweet and tangy glaze that ties the dish together beautifully.
Simple ingredients, big Vietnamese flavours
One of the things I love most about this Vietnamese Prawn and Pork Mince Noodle Salad is how approachable it is. There’s nothing complicated or hard to find here – everything can be picked up from a local supermarket or may already be waiting in your fridge.
From start to finish, the dish comes together in around 30 minutes, making it ideal for a busy weekday evening when you still want something full of flavour.
Preparing the aromatic base
I start by blitzing red chilli (or red pointy pepper if you prefer a milder, child-friendly version), shallots and garlic into a fragrant mince. This aromatic mixture forms the flavour base for both the pork and the dressing.
I take one teaspoon of this mixture and use it to marinate the pork mince, along with fish sauce, oyster sauce, a pinch of light brown sugar, a dash of olive oil and some ground black pepper. Mix everything well and leave it to marinate for 5-10 minutes.
A handy tip for cooking pork mince
If you dislike pork mince clumping into long strings as it cooks, here’s a simple trick. Add a small dash of water to the mince before cooking and mix it well using chopsticks or a fork. This loosens the meat and helps it break down into fine, even pieces when stir-fried.
Preparing the garnishes and vegetables
While the pork marinates, I slice the shallots thinly and fry them until golden and crisp. You can use shop-bought fried shallots, but I like making my own and then using the fragrant shallot oil to cook the rest of the dish.
Prepare the vegetables:
- Beansprouts, rinsed and drained
- Lettuce, rinsed and thinly sliced
- Mint and coriander leaves, rinsed and roughly chopped
- Red pepper or chilly, thinly sliced
I use cooked prawns for convenience. If you’re using raw prawns, simply blanch them in boiling water for a couple of minutes until pink and fully cooked then drain.
Cooking the noodles and pork mince
Cook the dried flat rice noodles according the to packet instructions. My usual method is to cover them with boiling water, turn off the heat, cover with a lid and leave for 3-4 minutes, then rinse and drain.
To cook the pork, heat one tablespoon of shallot oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the marinated pork mince and stir-fry until fully cooked, about 5 minutes. The mince should break apart nicely with no clumps. Once cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.
Making the dressing sauce
In the same pan, add another couple of tablespoons of shallot oil. Fry the remaining chilli (or pepper), shallot and garlic mixture until fragrant.
Add the sauce ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar or honey
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 90 ml water (5-6 tablespoons)
Bring the sauce to a boil then stir in a cornflour slurry (1 teaspoon cornflour mixed with a little water). The sauce will thicken and turn glossy. Once bubbling, turn off the heat.
Assembling the Vietnamese Prawn and Pork Mince
Because it’s winter, I like serving this Vietnamese Prawn and Pork Mince Noodle Salad warm. I briefly blanch the beansprouts and prawns in boiling water to warm them through.
To assemble:
- Start with a bed of warm flat noodles
- Add lettuce and blanched beansprouts
- Spoon over the pork mince
- Arrange the prawns on top
- Garnish with coriander and mint
Pour 3-4 tablespoons of the dressing over each portion and mix everything together. Finish with a generous sprinkle of roasted peanuts and crispy fried shallots.
Serving suggestions
In warmer months, this dish works just as well served cold – simply assemble everything without blanching the vegetables or prawns. Either way, this Vietnamese Prawn and Pork Mince Noodle Salad delivers bold Vietnamese flavours in a light, satisfying form.
Fresh, fragrant and incredibly adaptable, it’s the kind of recipe you’ll find yourself coming back to again and again.
Love Vietnamese Phở Trộn? You might also want to try my Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Salad (Phở Gà Trộn) – it’s light, fragrant and just as delicious.
Vietnamese Prawn and Pork Mince Noodle Salad (Phở Trộn Tôm Thịt)
Description
This Vietnamese Prawn and Pork Mince Noodle Salad (Phở Trộn Tôm Thịt) is a light yet satisfying Vietnamese noodle dish that comes together in just 30 minutes. Made with flat rice noodles, prawns, pork mince, fresh herbs and a savoury-sweet dressing, it can be served warm in winter or cold on a hot summer’s day. Simple ingredients, big Vietnamese flavours, and perfect for a quick midweek dinner.
Ingredients
For the pork mince
For the salad
For the dressing
To garnish
Instructions
-
Prepare the aromatics
- Blitz the chilli (or red pepper), shallot and garlic until finely minced. Set aside.
-
Marinate the pork
- Mix 1 teaspoon of the aromatic mixture with the pork mince, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, pepper, olive oil and a dash of water.
- Leave to marinate for 5-10 minutes.
-
Fry the shallots
- Fry the sliced shallots in olive oil until golden and crisp.
- Remove and set aside, reserving the infused oil.
-
Cook the noodles
- Cook the flat noodles according to packet instructions.
- Drain and set aside.
-
Cook the pork mince
- Heat 1 tablespoon of shallot oil in a pan.
- Stir-fry the pork mince until fully cooked and crumbly.
- Remove from the pan.
-
Make the dressing
- In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons of shallot oil.
- Fry the remaining aromatics until fragrant then add the sauce ingredients.
- Bring to the boil, thicken with cornflour slurry and turn off the heat.
-
Assemble and serve the salad
- Layer noodles, lettuce and beansprouts in bowls.
- Add pork mince, prawns and herbs.
- Spoon over the dressing, mix well and finish with roasted peanuts and fried shallots.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 5
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 601.25kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 18.63g29%
- Cholesterol 133.19mg45%
- Sodium 1817.86mg76%
- Potassium 607.83mg18%
- Total Carbohydrate 76.3g26%
- Dietary Fiber 3.82g16%
- Sugars 4.95g
- Protein 29.33g59%
- Vitamin A 83.66 mcg
- Vitamin C 23.03 mg
- Calcium 111.86 mg
- Iron 2.94 mg
- Vitamin D 0.06 mcg
- Vitamin E 1.02 mg
- Vitamin K 27.4 mcg
- Vitamin B6 0.61 mg
- Vitamin B12 1.28 mcg
- Phosphorus 471.05 mg
- Magnesium 73.6 mg
- Zinc 3.37 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- Serve warm in winter or cold in summer.
- Swap pork mince for chicken mince if preferred.
- Adjust chilli/pepper to taste for a child-friendly version.
