These Vietnamese-inspired Pork Lettuce Wraps are full of flavor but still light and fresh! This recipe requires minimal ingredients and is mostly hands-off, making it the perfect easy weeknight dinner recipe. When you want a light and healthy meal that doesn’t sacrifice flavor, lettuce wraps are absolute perfection.
“This made a wonderful dinner! Rave reviews from the sweetie, along with a request to put it in our regular rotation. I was worried about the amount of liquid, and how long it would take to cook down, but the worry was for nothing — in hindsight, I wouldn’t change a thing.” – Lisa, So Much Food reader
Table of Contents
These Pork Lettuce Wraps Are Fresh *and* Filling!
If you’ve never had Vietnamese caramelized pork, you are truly missing out. Chunks of pork shoulder or belly are cooked in a simple sauce of brown sugar, fish sauce, water, and soy sauce until the pork is sticky and caramelized.
It’s perfect served over steamed rice and veggies, in a sandwich, or in lettuce cups with lots of fresh herbs and lime for a refreshing summer dinner.
When I think of Vietnamese food, the words “fresh”, “vibrant” and “flavorful” come to mind. With sweet, salty, spicy, crunchy, hot and cold components, it has multiple layers of goodness! These pork lettuce wraps are the same.
You can serve the caramelized pork with an assortment of veggies, but I love cucumbers and shallots with crisp little gem lettuce and lots of herbs for brightness.
If you love Vietnamese-inspired fare, try my Chicken Vermicelli Bowls or Chicken Cabbage Salad next!
Jenny’s Tips for Making This Recipe
Don’t use lean pork. You first instinct might be to want to lean out the pork. Don’t! I’ve tried this recipe with both pork tenderloin and pork loin and they’re just too lean. You end up with absolute dry sawdust instead of tender, fall-apart pork. We trim a lot of the fat off the pork, so it truly doesn’t end up being too fatty, just succulent and full of flavor.
Cook until tender. I always give estimated times in my recipes, but they’re just that. Each stove is different and so you’ll want to use visual cues to tell when the pork is finished cooking. It’ll be tender and completely coated in caramelized sauce — the rest of the liquid will have evaporated.
Don’t skip the toppings. While the Vietnamese caramelized pork is so delicious on its own, it really is improved by adding fresh crunchy veggies, fresh herbs, and crisp lettuce. You could also top with some chopped peanuts for extra crunch and a bit of salt.
The Ingredients (with Substitutions)
- Pork. You’ll want to go with pork shoulder or pork butt here. I don’t recommend pork tenderloin as it’s far too lean. The good news is we’ll trim a lot of the fat from the pork.
- Brown Sugar. You can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Fish Sauce. Fish sauce is the key ingredient here! It adds tons of umami flavor and does not taste at all fishy in this application.
- Aromatics. Thinly sliced shallot, garlic, and ginger add tons of flavor to the pork.
- Soy sauce. A bit of soy sauce helps season the pork without making it too salty.
- Lettuce. You can use romaine or butter lettuce here but my favorite is little gem lettuce if you can find it! It’s hardy and doesn’t fall apart. (You can use any leftovers to make a little gem Caesar salad.)
- Herbs. I love serving these Vietnamese lettuce wraps with cilantro and mint, but you could also include some green onion and Thai or regular basil!
Do I Have to Use Fish Sauce?
Fish sauce is one of the primary ingredients in Vietnamese cooking. It adds salt, flavor, and umami to many dishes. Made from fermented anchovies, it packs a punch of umami — like soy sauce!
Yes, the smell is strong and it is fishy-tasting in plain raw form! When cooked or diluted and mixed with other elements, that funk fades away and you’re left with a beautiful savory taste.
If you are averse to fish sauce, I really recommend giving it a shot! It’s such a great addition to the caramelized pork and adds that extra layer of savory flavor.
Tools Needed
How to Make Pork Lettuce Wraps in 4 Simple Steps
Jenny’s Tip: I recommend using a dutch oven to cook the pork as it holds and distributes heat really well.
- Trim and cube the pork. Try to trim off as much of the excess fat from the pork as possible before cutting it into 1-inch cubes. Add the meat to a bowl and toss with the shallot, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce.
- Make the “caramel.” Working in the Dutch oven you’ll be cooking the pork in, melt together the brown sugar and fish sauce over medium heat.
- Cook the pork. Add the pork and all of its yummy aromatics to the caramel, add the water and oil, and then bring everything to a gentle simmer. The pork will need to cook for about 90 minutes, or until the meat is super tender and the water has evaporated.
- Plate up your lettuce wraps. I like to add a little pork, lettuce, rice, veggies, and herbs to each plate so each person can assemble their wraps however they like. Another option is to arrange everything in serving dishes and let people plate things up family-style.
FAQs
What cut of pork should I use?
I recommend using a pork butt or pork shoulder, which can handle the 90-minute cook time and become more and more tender the longer they hang out in the caramel. Use boneless here, if possible.
Can I make this recipe with ground pork?
No, ground pork will overcook and dry out if you used the same cooking method detailed in the recipe card below.
How do I prevent the pork from drying out?
Keep the pork at a very gentle simmer over medium-low heat and use visual cues to test for doneness. Once the water has evaporated and the caramel is clinging to the meat, the pork is done (this will take roughly 90 minutes). Cranking up the heat in an attempt to speed up the cooking process is a surefire way to dry out the pork!
Storage Instructions
If you have leftovers, you can easily store the ingredients to enjoy again later. This recipe makes great meal prep and reheats really well.
Make sure to store your rinsed lettuce leaves in an airtight container or ziplock bag lined with paper towels to catch the extra moisture. Leftover veggies should be stored in a separate airtight container.
Store the leftover pork in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet with a bit of water and soy sauce until the pork is warmed through.
If you give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Asian-Inspired Dinners
- Hibachi Bowls
- Teriyaki Chicken Bowls
- Asian Chicken Chopped Salad
- Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
- Quick Chicken Pho
- Bulgogi-Style Beef Fried Rice
- Sesame Ginger Meatballs
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Vietnamese-Inspired Caramelized Pork Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
Caramelized Pork
- 2 lbs boneless pork shoulder (or pork butt)
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- kosher salt
- ground white pepper
For Serving
- 3 cups steamed jasmine rice
- 12-14 lettuce cups, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 baby or persian cucumbers, cut into sticks
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- cilantro leaves and tender stems
- fresh mint leaves
- sriracha, optional
Instructions
- Prep the pork. Trim the pork of most of the fat, where possible. Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes and place in a mixing bowl with the sliced shallot, sliced garlic, grated ginger, and soy sauce. Season with salt and white pepper and toss well. Set aside.
- Make the caramel. Combine the brown sugar and fish sauce in a 4-5 quart dutch oven over medium heat. Let the sugar cook, stirring once in a while, until totally melted and foamy.
- Cook the pork. Add the pork to the caramel and toss well to coat. Stir in the water and oil and stir well to re-melt any of the crystalized sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and cook for 90 minutes or so, or until the water has evaporated and the pork is tender. At this point, there will be some fat in the pot with the pork. Continue to cook the pork until the caramel clings to the outside.
- Serve. Serve the caramelized pork alongside lettuce, steamed rice, chopped veggies, and fresh herbs with sriracha on the side for a bit of heat. Layer the pork and rice into lettuce cups with veggies and herbs to make the most delicious pork lettuce wraps!
Nutrition
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Rate & Review This Recipe
This is simmering away on the stove, it smells delicious. In step 3 the directions say to add water and the oil, but there is no oil listed in the ingredients list. So my plan is to keep an eye on this as the water cooks down and make sure it doesn’t become too dry and start to stick to my dutch oven, I will add oil if needed. My second question is whether I need to double or triple the amount of water if I double or triple the rest of the recipe. I did for this batch and that was a lot of water, it seems like it will take longer than 90 minutes to cook off. Oh well, it will be braised instead…or I can cook the meat until tender and then pour off the remaining water and quickly brown the meat in a little extra caramel sauce prepared on the side.
Thanks for pointing that out! So sorry about the oversight, the oil has been added to the ingredients. If you’re tripling the recipe, I would only double the water, but use your best judgement here. It will also depend on the shape of the pot that you’re using–water will evaporate more quickly from a wider/shallow pot than a high-sided one. Hope that helps and I hope you love the recipe!
This made a wonderful dinner! Rave reviews from the sweetie, along with a request to put it in our regular rotation. I was worried about the amount of liquid, and how long it would take to cook down, but the worry was for nothing — in hindsight, I wouldn’t change a thing.