Bun cha holds a special place in my heart, as well as in many Hanoians. In case you don’t know, Bun Cha is probably the second most famous dish in Vietnam other than the infamous Pho.
One of the reasons being the fact that former President Obama and American chef Anthony Bourdain were seen sitting on plastic stools, sipping on chilled beer while enjoying the iconic Bun Cha Hanoi. If you are to ask a local like me, even though it is common to find this dish on the menu of fancier restaurants, nothing is like eating Bun Cha on signature plastic tables and chairs in a crowded Hanoi street. Trust me, the more expensive isn’t always the better.
Bun Cha consists of flavorful grilled pork strips and meatballs (cha) served in a broth-like dipping fish sauce with some sliced pickled carrots and green papaya, alongside with steamy rice vermicelli, fresh greens and herbs (baby lettuce, mint, Thai basil, cilantro, and perilla). It is also common to see some restaurants serve Bun Cha with fried spring rolls on the side, which help enhance the hearty and balance taste of the dish.
Hanoians are picky food critics when it comes to mastering the balance taste of different components of Bun Cha. Before we get started, let’s take some mental notes!
First, let’s talk about the star of the show – our barbecued pork! For this recipe, I specifically use pork belly instead of pork strips. Reason being is that the fatty content of the pork belly will prevent the meat from drying out while being grilled in the oven.
Again, same concept applies. For our meatballs (cha), don’t use ground pork that is too lean since our end results will turn out dry. I personally prefer ground pork with 20%-25% fat and my patties always turn out super soft, fatty, and aromatic!
To make the meatballs as authentic as possible, I use caramelized sauce (nuoc hang) made of caramelized sugar rather than substituting honey in the marinating process. The caramel sauce gives it the distinct smoky sweet flavors as well as the perfect caramelized color.
Ideally, the meat should be cooked over a charcoal grill to bring out the smoky and sweet flavors.
However, since not everyone has the luxury to do so, I figured grilling them in the oven under high temperature works just fine! I cook mine in the Phillips Airfryer and it always come out perfectly caramelized and juicy.
Next up, let’s discuss the essential condiment of Bun Cha – the dipping sauce! The dipping sauce is a combination of fish sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, garlic, and chilies (if you want your sauce to be spicy). The Bun Cha dipping sauce is almost like a broth, it should be well-balanced and refreshing enough to make it “slurp-able”. I hope this is the appropriate word to use!
Enough talking! Let’s get to cooking, shall we? We shall!
Vietnamese Barbequed Pork with Rice Vermicelli
Serves 4-5 people
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the pork belly
- 600g pork belly
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp caramelized sauce
- Black pepper
- Minced garlic and shallot
For the meatballs (cha)
- 400g minced pork
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp caramelized sauce
- Black pepper
- Minced garlic and shallot
Dipping sauce:
- Fish sauce
- Sugar
- Water
- Vinegar
- Mince garlic and chilies
Let’s get to cooking!
1. Marinating the pork
In two mixing bowls, add our thinly sliced pork belly and ground pork. Combine all the ingredients and let marinate for 20-30 minutes or let it sit in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours for more flavorful results.
2. Grilling the pork
Turn the broiler on and let the oven preheat. In the meantime, form meatballs into bite-sized pieces with a 1.5 inch diameter. Flatten slightly and then put them on a baking sheet. Broil the pork belly and meatballs for 10-15 minutes or until fully cooked and perfectly golden brown. If you use a airfryer like myself, then cook them under the highest temperature setting for about 10-15 minutes until fully cooked.
3. Making the dipping sauce
To make our delicious dipping sauce, whisk together sugar and warm water until completely combined. Then add fish sauce, vinegar, garlic, chilies, pickled carrots and green papaya.
4. Serving Bun Cha
Add the meatballs and pork belly to a small bowl. Cover our meat with the dipping sauce and voila! Serve it immediately with fresh herbs, baby lettuce and rice vermicelli.
Bon Appetit, everyone!
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