Description
Bun cha is the Hanoi dish that Obama ate with Anthony Bourdain — chargrilled pork patties and sliced pork belly served with rice vermicelli, fresh herbs, and a bowl of sweet-sour dipping broth. You dunk the noodles and pork in the broth as you eat, alternating with bites of herbs and pickled vegetables. It is a dish of contrasts that perfectly captures the Vietnamese approach to food.
Ingredients
Units
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 lb pork belly, sliced thin
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces rice vermicelli
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Thai bird chile, sliced
- Pickled daikon and carrot
- Fresh herbs: mint, Thai basil, cilantro, perilla
- Lettuce leaves
Instructions
- Mix the ground pork with 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, garlic, shallots, oil, and pepper. Form into small flat patties. Marinate the pork belly slices in the remaining fish sauce and sugar.
- Make the dipping broth: dissolve sugar in warm water. Add fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, and sliced chile. Set aside.
- Grill or broil the pork patties and belly slices until charred and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- Cook the rice vermicelli according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Serve the noodles and grilled pork separately. Pour the dipping broth into individual bowls. Eat by dipping noodles and pork into the broth, pairing with fresh herbs and pickled vegetables.
Notes
- The dipping broth should be sweet, sour, salty, and slightly spicy — taste and adjust until all four elements are balanced.
- Charring the pork is essential — the smoky, caramelized edges are what define bun cha.
- Eat this dish like the Vietnamese do: a bite of grilled pork, a dip in the broth, a tangle of noodles, a leaf of herb. Repeat.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 18
- Sodium: 820
- Fat: 24
- Carbohydrates: 48
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 34
- Cholesterol: 85