Vietnam · Vietnam
Bún Chả (Hanoi Grilled Pork with Rice Noodles)
Charcoal-grilled pork patties and slices served over cold rice noodles with a sweet-sour dipping broth and fresh herbs.
Bún chả is a Hanoi street dish, and the grill and the bowl are eaten together, which is unusual: charcoal-grilled pork is served over cold rice noodles with a broth meant to be sipped as much as dipped into. The broth is sweet and sour in roughly equal measure, and it is built to be drunk at the end of the bowl rather than only used for dipping. Pork belly and pork patties are usually both ordered.
Ingredients
- ground pork300 g
- pork belly, sliced thin300 g
- fish sauce80 ml
- sugar60 g
- rice vinegar60 ml
- water500 ml
- garlic, minced4 pieces
- shallot, minced2 pieces
- black pepper1 tsp
- thin rice vermicelli, cooked and cooled400 g
- lettuce leaves8 pieces
- mint15 g
- cilantro15 g
- fine salt1 tsp
Directions
- 1
Mix ground pork with half the garlic, shallot, sugar, fish sauce and pepper; rest 15 minutes.
Mixture is sticky and smells savory-sweet. - 2
Toss pork belly slices with the remaining garlic, sugar, fish sauce and pepper; rest 10 minutes.
Pork belly looks glossy and smells of fish sauce and sugar. - 3
Shape the ground pork mixture into small patties and grill over charcoal until cooked through with light char.
Patties have grill marks and feel firm when pressed. - 4
Grill pork belly slices until edges curl and caramelize.
Belly slices have dark edges and smell of charred sugar. - 5
Make dipping broth by dissolving sugar in warm water, then adding fish sauce, vinegar and lime juice to balance sweet-sour-salty.
Broth tastes bright and balanced. - 6
Divide noodles among bowls, add grilled pork and ladle over a little dipping broth; serve with herbs and lettuce for wrapping.
Bowls are full of contrasting warm meat and cool noodles.
Source: WorldBite Editorial · WorldBite Proprietary Editorial Content