Bun Cha
Smoky pork patties swimming in a sweet-sour dipping broth, with cold noodles and a jungle of herbs on the side. It is a dish you assemble bite by bite, which conveniently means nobody notices how fast you made it.
- Total time
- 19 min
- Serves
- 2
- Effort
- Medium
What you need
Written for 2 — nudge the counter and the numbers follow.
0 of 9 in the basket.
How you make it
Mix the pork with half the garlic, 1 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp sugar, then shape into 8 flat patties about 1cm thick.
Cook the patties in a hot, lightly oiled heavy pan over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side until deeply browned and cooked all the way through with no pink remaining - minced pork needs to be fully cooked.
Meanwhile pour just-boiled water over the vermicelli, stand for 4 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water until completely cool.
Whisk the remaining fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic and 200ml warm water into a dipping broth, then stir in the carrot and chilli.
Slide the hot patties straight into the dipping broth so their fat and browned edges season it.
Serve the noodles and herbs alongside, dunking a tangle of each into the bowl as you go.
Read all that and thought “absolutely not”?
Completely fair. Bun Cha is sitting in the Vietnamese kitchen right now, it costs nothing, and it will never arrive.
Order it insteadMore from the Vietnamese kitchen
Clear broth, loud herbs, immediate calm.