This Vietnamese recipe featuring grilled pork with rice noodles is thought to have originated in the region around Hanoi, where it is still an extremely popular dish, prepared on outdoor charcoal grills. The name of the dish indicates its components: bún (white rice noodles) with chả (grilled fatty pork). Bun cha is customarily served with herbs and dipping sauce. Bun cha is found in Vietnamese immigrant neighborhoods in urban areas around the United States, particularly along the West Coast. This home-kitchen recipe uses grilled patties of ground pork, accompanied by the typical sour and spicy Vietnamese-cuisine flavors of vinegar and red Thai chilies and garnished with Vietnamese green herbs. When eating, a bite of rice noodles from a communal dish is dipped in a personal dish of sauce and then eaten with a bite of grilled pork.
Recipe Servings: 4
+ 1 hour 40 minutes resting
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 5 Tbsp water, divided
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 large shallot, minced as fine as possible
- 3 Tbsp fish sauce
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1½ cups water
- ½ tsp minced or grated garlic
- 1 red thai chili pepper, minced
- 2 Tbsp green papaya, cut into ¼-inch thick slices (optional)
Assembly:
- 1 lb thin rice noodles
- ½ head red leaf lettuce, torn into small pieces
- 2 cups loosely packed selection of asian herbs, such as cilantro, perilla, mint, sawtooth coriander, ngo herb, shiso, or thai basil
Directions
- Combine 3 tablespoons of water and the sugar in a small saucepan set over high heat for about 8 minutes, allowing a dark brown caramel to form.
- Remove the pan from heat and, swirling, add 2 tablespoons of cold water.
- Combine the pork, shallot, fish sauce, and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the sugar sauce.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Combine the fish sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, water, garlic, Thai chili pepper, and green papaya (optional) in a large mixing bowl.
- Let rest for 10 minutes or more to allow the flavors to combine.
- Preheat a charcoal grill or broiler to high.
- Bring water to a boil in a large pot and cook the noodles according to package's directions.
- Drain and rinse the pasta under cold water.
- Form the pork into 15–20 small patties.
- Grill the patties for about 4 minutes per side, until fully cooked and lightly charred.
- Spoon the sauce into serving bowls. Place the patties in the bowls. Serve with the noodles and the herbs and lettuce in two large dishes to accompany.
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