Bun Cha (Vietnamese pork patties or meatballs with Rice Vermicelli)
A must-try Vietnamese masterpiece! Bun Cha is a vibrant Hanoi food favorite featuring chargrilled pork meatballs and sliced pork belly served over vermicelli rice noodles.
Nutrition
Calories: 800kcal
Ingredients
- 3 packages rice vermicelli noodles about 1 kg
- 700 g pork shoulder or pork belly thinly sliced
- 500 g minced pork
- 1 carrot thinly sliced
- 1/2 green papaya thinly sliced
- 500 g herbs: lettuce/perilla/basil/fish mint
- 1 tbsp minced shallot
- 1½ tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp minced chili
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp caramel from sugar and water
- 200 g sugar
- 250 ml fish sauce
- 100 ml vinegar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt, pepper, MSG to taste
Instructions
- Marinate thinly sliced pork belly with 1/2 tbsp minced shallot, 1/2 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tbsp MSG, 1/2 tbsp ground pepper, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp caramel. Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Mix ground meat with 1/2 tbsp minced shallot, 1/2 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tbsp MSG, 1/2 tbsp ground pepper, 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp caramel. Let them marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Combine carrots, papaya, and 1/3 tbsp salt in a bowl. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then rinse with water.
- Meanwhile, cook the rice vermicelli according to the package instructions. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- In the same bowl in step 3, add 1 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1/4 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp vinegar, 1/2 tbsp minced garlic. Stir thoroughly and let it marinate for an additional 15 minutes.
- Once 30 minutes have passed, simply take an appropriate amount of ground meat in your hands and shape it into balls.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Grill the marinated pork slices and pork meatballs until they are cooked through and have a nice char.
- In a pot, combine sugar, vinegar, 200 ml of fish sauce, and 2 cups of filtered water. Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn off the heat. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.
- Divide the cooked rice vermicelli and herbs on plates. Put the pickled carrots and papaya and a little minced chili into a bowl, then add grilled meat and the newly cooked dipping sauce. Now you can serve the Bun Cha.
Notes
If you don't have a grill, you can fry the pork patties in a pan. Make sure they are cooked thoroughly.
Love this recipe?Let us know how it turned out!