Bun Cha Ha Noi ( Hanoi Style Rice Vermicelli Soup With Grilled Pork)
Next to phở, Bún Chả Hà Nội, is the second headline as the quintessential northern noodle dish. It consist of grilled pork soaked in luke warm dipping sauce/ lightly fish sauce/ broth, which adds a wonderful acidity to the BBQ meat which is prepared both thinly sliced and ground into seasoned patties. It is also served with rice vermicelli (bún) and an assortment of greens and pickled vegetables (green papaya/ carrot…).
Although I am a southern Vietnamese girl, but bun cha is still one of my favourite dishes, so that, i did research and asked my friend – a hanoian girl for real the recipe. After having my own recipe ( learn from my friend+ internet), i could be honourable to say that i mastered this dish… So sorry my bun cha chef, I have to say byebye you! 😛
Bun Cha Hanoi
Serves: 4
Grilled Sliced Pork
- 300grams pork shoulder ( Pork belly is traditional, but i founf its quite fatty, so i changed it to this cut)
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp seasoning powder (or salt)
- 3 cloves of garlic minced, make to paste
- 3 large shallots minced
- 1sp dark thick soy sauce
- 1 tbs white cut of spring onion (finely chop)
Grilled Pork Patties
- 300grams minced meat ( at least 30% fat)
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp seasoning powder (or salt)
- 3 cloves of garlic minced, make to paste
- 3 large shallots minced
- 1sp dark thick soy sauce
- 1 tbs white cut of spring onion (finely chop)
Slice the pork shoulder into slices about 5 cm length, 4 cm width, and about 1/2 cm thickness. Place into a zip-lock bag with the rest of the ingredients. Marinate for at least two hours at room temperature or 6 hours to overnight in the refrigerator. In a bowl mix the ground pork and the rest of the ingredients and place in the refrigerator to marinate exactly same time with the sliced pork
To prepare the pork patties, form the ground pork mixture into round flat ball ( 5 cm diameter, 1 cm thickness)
Now, time to grill them
Put the patties and sliced pork on the grill-rack of Charcoal BBQ griller, Grill they both until golden brown, and cook through (about 10 minutes per side, depened on the thickness and and the fire)
Same way with grilling by oven (set the oven to 200C and grill/broil the meat until golden brown)
Lightly fish sauce / Broth / dipping sauce
- make follow this direction: 1 sugar : 1 1/4 vinegar : 1 fish sauce : 10 water ( or pork broth)
Example: if you want to have 540ml broth enough for 4 people, you will need: 40ml sugar : 50 ml vinegar : 40 ml fish sauce : ml 400 water ( or pork stock, reduced salt)
In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients above and cook over low heat until the broth is luke warm (not boil).
Pickled Carrot and papaya
- 1 carrot
- 1/2 small green papaya
- Make follow this direction: 1 vinegar: 2 sugar: 2 water (like u make the dipping sauce)
Thinly slice carrot and papaya ( 1 cm sq ) Make the liquid enough to pour until the surface or the veggies. let it sit at room temperature for at least 2 hrs
Garnish/ How to serve
- 1 pound vermicelli rice noodles cooked and cooled to roomtemperature
- 1 bunch of green leaf lettuce
- 1 bunch Vietnamese Balm (kinh giới)
- 1 bunch mint
- 500 grams of fresh vermicelli (250grams dried vermicelli package)
- 4 deep fry Crab Spring rolls (optional)
- Minced garlic optional)
When meats are done, place in a covered medium sized sauce pan containing the dipping sauce. Top with pickled papaya and carrot and miced garlic. The juices of the meat will darken and meld with the fish sauce. Transfer to large serving bowl and serve family style with vermicelli and fresh herbs and lettuce.
Notes
+Thick soy sauce is sometimes referred to as dark soy sauce and contains molasses, if you dont have, use my home made vnese caramelize sugar ( just double or triple the recipe) or store bought one
+For a more intensely flavored patty add minced lemon grass and minced chilis (either fresh or dried).
+For the Dried vermicelli cooking methods and times vary, for most the noodles are soaked in warm water for about 20 minutes brfore cooking, are then place in boiling water until cooked through, and then immediately cooled with cold water. If Vietnamese Balm (kinh giới) is unavailable basil can be substituted in. Also, other greens can be used including cilantro, bean sprouts….
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Hang, thank you so much for this recipe. I’m currently in Hanoi, have just tried my first Bun Cha and I’m in love! Can’t wait to try this once back home in a few weeks!
Hi Sarah, sorry for my very late reply. xxx i hope your bun cha turn out beautifully, let me know soon! im looking forward to it! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this out, this is the dish I miss most from Vietnam and I can’t find any restaurants that serve it! thankyou 🙂
hi, i hope you let me know how it turn out! thanks for visiting! xx
We have just got back from Vietnam, miss this dish so much, pleased to have found your blog, can’t wait to try this recipe out, thanks for posting!
Hi, i hope u had a good time in VN, and thank you for tempting to try my recipe, good luck and please tell me how your bun cha turn out, i will be so happy to know it! x
Hello, the bun cha was suprisingly close to what we had in Hanoi, the oven grilled meat didn’t quite compare to the charcoal fired meat in Hanoi, but close! Will definitely do it again, thank you 🙂
Hi Michelle, thank you for trying the recipe! Yes the oven grill will be never taste like charcoal, if you have time, you will see how different they are, also, dont forget to bastle the meat very often to avoid drying meat. Thank you again! 😉
Sound good to me I try to make it today for my sister birthday.
Hi Hang.
Made this dish last Weekend and it was absolute fantastic. Thank you for that recipe.
Hi Menz,
It’s so sweet to know that my recipe was fit with your taste. It’s really put me on to post more recipes on here 🙂
Thanks so much for this recipe! I just had bun cha for the first time recently when I travelled to Vietnam. Can’t even find bun cha here in Vancouver; and I tried looking for recipes but what I found didn’t seem right. Now I can finally try making bum cha with your recipe. Thanks again!
Wow the recipe sounds just pefect. Bun Cha was my favourite dish in Vietnam.
Can you tell me what kind of vinegar you use?
Can’t wait to cook my own Bun Cha 🙂
Hello, sorry for my late reply, I used rice vinegar in this dish. However you should adjust the vinegar/fish sauce/ water to ur taste… as sometimes vinegar is not sour enough, or way too sour… 🙂
Hi Hang! I looooooooove Bun Cha, I was in Hanoi for one month last year and I cannot live my life without Bun Cha. My question is: what kind of vinegar do you use for the broth? Also I am trying to recreate a vietnamese style bbq like the ones used on the street. What kind of metal are the coals contained in? I want to make a small one to just use on the street like in Hanoi for a real Bun Cha experience! Thanks 🙂 🙂
Hello, I used Rice vinegar but like as I said at the above commnet, please adjust everything to ur taste. 🙂
I have no idea about metal in the Coal… i think vnese people use the natural coal, maybe i should research more to answer your question, Or can you send me the link of the place you are going to buy the coal? I can have a look and give you some idea what to buy. Happy cooking! 🙂
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