Stranger Foods

VietnameseBun cha

Serves 4 | Prep 30 mins | Cook 16 mins

Bun Cha is an incredible Vietnamese dish that consists of smoky grilled pork patties, tangy pickled veg, fresh herbs and vermicelli. Served DIY-style with a punchy dipping sauce. It’s fresh, fiery, and built for sharing.I first had this dish when I was travelling in Vietnam and I was blown away with how clean the broth was, and how great this combination of pork, noodles, herbs, broth and dipping was. If you're ever travelling in Vietnam make sure you seek this dish out. If you can’t find daikon, substitute with an extra carrot or with kohlrabi. The flavour will be different but the textural contrast in the dipping bowl still works.

Source: www.andy-cooks.com

Ingredients

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Imperial

x0.5

Pork patties

500 g pork mince (20% fat)
1½ tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
5 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 stick lemongrass, finely grated
1 shallot, finely chopped
sea salt and black pepper

Dipping sauce

250 ml water
75 g caster sugar
125 ml fish sauce
juice of 2 limes
3 small cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 Birdseye chillies, finely sliced
2 spring onions, finely sliced

Pickled carrot & daikon

250 ml water
75 g caster sugar
125 ml rice vinegar
2 tsp sea salt
1 large carrot, julienned
½ white daikon, julienned

To serve

150 g vermicelli noodles, cooked
vietnamese mint, thai basil, spearmint leaves, butter lettuce
sliced chillies, sliced cucumber, sliced

Instructions

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In a large bowl, combine pork mince, fish sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, garlic, lemongrass, shallot and season with salt and pepper. Mix well, then cover and refrigerate for to to marinate.
For the pickled carrot and daikon, combine water, sugar, vinegar and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.
Place carrot and daikon in a medium bowl or sterilised jar and pour over syrup. Set aside to cool.
For the dipping sauce, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until sugar dissolves.
To prepare pork, use lightly oiled hands, roll heaped tablespoonfuls of mixture into round patties, flattening slightly.
Grill the patties over a preheated charcoal fire or BBQ grill for each side, turning to cook through evenly.
To serve, assemble the pork patties, cooked vermicelli, pickled vegetables, mixed herbs, cucumber and lettuce on a large platter with dipping sauce on the side for everyone to grab and dip!

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