Cambodian Num Pang Recipe (w/ Grilled Pork)

Last Updated:
July 12, 2024
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This sandwich has great contrast of flavors – it will also easily feed a family for cheap.

This recipe has multiple steps involved and likely will take you a day to prep.

num pang sandwich

Making Pickled Daikon & Carrot at Home in 10 minutes

Need a more in-depth recipe? Read my recipe here.

Slice a 50/50 mix of daikon and carrots into matchsticks – roughly 2 cups of each.

Once sliced, add to a large bowl and salt with 1 tbsp of kosher salt for 15 minutes.

dry brining daikon and carrots

After 15 minutes, dump water that has drained from veggies and then rinse with water and drain again.

Bring the following mixture to a boil and then take off heat:

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 4 tbsp white sugar
  • 1.5 tbsp kosher salt

Take daikon and carrots and add to mason jar.

Ladle brine liquid into jar.

pickled daikon and carrots with brine liquid top down view

Allow jar to cool and then store in refrigerator overnight.

Slicing and Marinating Garlic & Ginger Pork

Do this on the same day as you pickle the daikon and carrots.

If you need a more in-depth guide for this section, follow my recipe.

Take a whole pork tenderloin out of the package and pat dry with paper towel.

Slice pork tenderloin against the grain to roughly 1/8″ – 1/4″ thick.

Once sliced, put into a ziplock bag.

Make Garlic & Ginger Marinade:

Combine:

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 3 tbsp low sodium, soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp evaporated cane sugar
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tbsp peeled, grated ginger

Once combined, add to the ziplock bag with the pork and massage the marinade into the meat.

marinating garlic and ginger pork

Allow to marinate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.

While the meat marinates, soak bamboo skewers in water.

Skewer and Grill Pork

You want to loosely put the pork onto the skewers in a sort of weaving pattern.

Don’t stack the meat as this will only make it tougher and take longer to cook.

Get your grill to around 350-400F.

I’m using a charcoal grill with an elevated cooking grate.

grilling pork stick on weber kettle

The goal here is to brown the meat and not entirely char it.

What I like to do is grill on one side for 1 minute, then flip and repeat this process until I’m happy with the meat.

The total cook time is roughly 8-12 minutes.

Slice Cucumber and Make Siracha Mayo

Peel a cucumber and slice in half.

Then slice these into thin, flat strips.

sliced cucumber and siracha mayo

To Make Mayo Siracha

Combine in a bowl:

  • 3 tbsp Mayo
  • 1 tsp Siracha
  • 1 tbsp water

You want a slightly loose consistency.

Take Pork off Skewer and then Slice the Length of the Pork

Here’s a picture to describe this:

You’re just making the meat even more tender and easier to chew.

slicing pork off skewer

Make Num Pang Sandwich with All of Your Ingredients

Before assembling, set oven to 350F.

Place whole baguette in oven for 2-3 minutes until warm.

assembling num pang sandwich
  1. Slice a small baguette in half.
  2. Put your mayo-siracha on both slices of the baguette.
  3. Then put on a generous amount of meat to the bottom bun.
  4. Top this with your pickled daikon and carrots, then sliced cucumber.
  5. Then top everything off and enjoy!

Cambodian Num Pang Sandwich

with Grilled Pork
Prep Time15 minutes
Active Time12 minutes
Brining & Marination Time1 day
Total Time1 day 27 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: cambodian

Ingredients

  • 4 small Baguettes
  • 1 whole Pork Tenderloin
  • 1 whole Cucumber

Ginger and Garlic Marinade

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp evaporated cane sugar
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tbsp ginger, peeled/grated

Pickled Daikon & Carrot

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 4 tbsp white sugar
  • 1.5 tbsp kosher salt
  • 2 cup daikon radish
  • 2 cup carrots

Mayo Siracha

  • 3 tbsp Mayo
  • 1 tsp Siracha
  • 1 tbsp water

Instructions

Day 1: Pickle Daikon and Carrots

  • Peel daikon radish and carrots.
  • Slice daikon and carrots thin and then cut these into "matchsticks."
  • Add sliced matchstick veggies into a bowl and then salt with 1 tbsp of kosher salt for 15 minutes.
  • After 15 minutes, dump the purged water from the bowl and then rinse the vegetables.
  • Then put 2 cups of each into your mason jar. Filling it up as much as possible.
  • In a medium pot combine the listed ingredients – ensuring the sugar and salt are well combined.
    1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar, 1.5 tbsp kosher salt, 2 cup daikon radish, 2 cup carrots, 4 tbsp white sugar
  • Bring this mixture to a boil and then take off heat. Then ladle this brine liquid over the vegetables.
  • Allow to cool and then store in your refrigerator.

Day 1: Marinate Pork

  • Take a whole pork tenderloin and slice against the grain to be 1/8 – 1/4" thick.
  • Combine the following ingredients for pork marinade.
    3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 tsp black pepper, 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 tbsp evaporated cane sugar, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1/2 tbsp ginger, peeled/grated
  • Add pork and marinade to a ziplock bag and marinate overnight.
  • If you're using bamboo skewers, soak these overnight too.

Day 2: Skewer and Grill Pork

  • The next day, skewer the pork in a loose weaving pattern.
  • Get your grill to 350-400F.
  • Grill pork stick on 1 side and then flip. Repeat this process until you're happy with the pork. I grilled mine for 5 minutes on each side or 10 minutes total.
  • After grilling, allow to cool for 5 minutes and then slice parallel to the skewer to further tenderize the meat.

Day 2: Make Mayo and Siracha Sauce and Cut Cucumber

  • In a bowl make mayo siracha. The consistency should be somewhat loose.
    3 tbsp Mayo, 1 tsp Siracha, 1 tbsp water
  • Peel a whole cucumber and then slice thin, length-wise.

Day 2: Assemble Num Pang Sandwich

  • Before assembling, set oven to 350F and then warm baguettes for 2-3 minutes until warm.
  • Cut baguette in half and slather with mayo siracha.
  • Put sliced pork on and then add your daikon and carrots.
  • Top the sandwich off and then slice in half and enjoy!

Notes

In a lot of cultures they’ll take the pork skewers and snip off any charred pieces with scissors. 
It’s also not uncommon to brush the meat as it grills with evaporated, condensed milk.

The inspiration for this sandwich comes from a local Cambodian spot in the town where I grew up – Phnom Penh.

My sandwich tastes about as close as you can come without knowing their exact Family recipe.

dylan bio profile picture
Dylan Clay
Dylan Clay is a pitmaster based in New Hampshire, with over 17 years of experience in grilling, smoking, and dehydrating meat. Throughout this time, he has worked with nearly every cut of meat. In 2019, he launched the Barbecue FAQ website to share his extensive knowledge about all things meat, aiming to assist others in making better barbecue at home.

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