Bún chả

Name: Bún chả
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Vietnamita
Ingredients: 6 cloves Garlic; 1 u Carrot; 1 teaspoon Black pepper; 6 tablespoons Sugar; 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil; 2 u Red Chilli; 1 bunch Coriander; 500 g Ground Pork; 7 tablespoons Fish Sauce; 1 bunch Mint; 400 g Pork belly slices; 60 ml Lime juice; 1 tablespoon Honey; 400 g Rice Noodles; 1 handful Basil; 3 u Shallots; 1 u Lettuce; 400 ml Water

Medium

Incomplete allergen information: some ingredients have not been reviewed yet. Always check the labels before cooking.

Author: Equipo Cocinoa
Preparation time: 70 min
Servings: 4

Summary

Hanoi's lunch of choice: chargrilled pork patties and slices of pork belly served in a bowl of nuoc cham, with rice noodles, lettuce and a big handful of fresh herbs.

Ingredients

4 servings

Add to Bring!

6 cloves Garlic (chopped: 3 for the marinade and 3 for the nuoc cham)
1 u Carrot (very thinly sliced)
1 teaspoon Black pepper (ground)
6 tablespoons Sugar (2 for the marinade and 4 for the nuoc cham)
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 u Red Chilli (thinly sliced, to taste)
1 bunch Coriander
500 g Ground Pork (not too lean)
7 tablespoons Fish Sauce (3 for the marinade and 4 for the nuoc cham)
1 bunch Mint
400 g Pork belly slices (fresh, thinly sliced)
60 ml Lime juice (from about 2 limes)
1 tablespoon Honey
400 g Rice Noodles (thin rice vermicelli (bún))
1 handful Basil (Thai basil if you can find it)
3 u Shallots (very finely chopped)
1 u Lettuce (separated into leaves)
400 ml Water (lukewarm)

Instructions

Make the nuoc cham: dissolve 4 tablespoons of sugar in the lukewarm water and add 4 tablespoons of fish sauce, the lime juice, 3 cloves of garlic and the chilli. Taste: it should be sour, sweet and salty all at once, with no single flavour taking over. Add the carrot and leave it in the sauce to pickle lightly while you get everything else ready.
10 min
For the marinade, mix the shallots, the rest of the garlic, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 of sugar, the honey, pepper and oil. Divide it between two bowls: in one, knead the mince until sticky; in the other, coat the pork belly slices well. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes (or a few hours in the fridge).
30 min
With wet hands, shape the mince into small patties about 5 cm across and 1 cm thick.
10 min
Cook the noodles according to the packet, rinse them in cold water, drain very well and arrange them in small nests on a platter. Wash and dry the lettuce and herbs and pick them into leaves.
8 min
Grill the pork belly and patties on a barbecue, in a very hot griddle pan or under the oven grill, turning them, until well browned with caramelised edges and cooked through.
12 min
Divide the nuoc cham between individual bowls and add the freshly grilled meat. Everyone dips noodles, lettuce and herbs into their own bowl as they eat.

Notes

At Hanoi's street stalls the meat is grilled over charcoal and the smoke is part of the flavour; at home, a very hot griddle pan or the oven grill on full gives good results. The dipping sauce should be light, almost drinkable: if it is too salty or sour, thin it with water. In Vietnam slivers of green papaya go in with the carrot, and the dish is often served with nem, fried spring rolls. The pork patties must be cooked right through (71 °C). The marinated patties freeze well raw for up to 3 months; once grilled, they keep for 2 days in the fridge.