Dinner · 50 min · vietnamese

Bun Cha Hanoi

This is the kind of Vietnamese dinner you’ll make on repeat — ground pork and pork belly, 50 minutes, big payoff.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb Ground pork
• 8 oz Pork belly
• 3 Shallots
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 6 tbsp Fish sauce
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Black pepper
• 12 oz Rice vermicelli
• 1 cup Green papaya or carrot
• 1/4 cup Lime juice
• 1 Red chili
• 1 head Butter lettuce
• 1 bunch Fresh mint
• 1/2 bunch Thai basil

Steps

1. Grate the shallots and garlic into the ground pork with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, half the sugar, and the black pepper. Mix until tacky, then form into small patties about 2 inches across. Thinly slice the pork belly.
2. Melt the remaining sugar in a dry pan to a deep amber caramel, then whisk in a splash of hot water. Brush this over the patties and belly slices; it is what gives bun cha its burnished edges.
3. Broil or grill the pork close to fierce heat until charred at the edges and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.
4. Meanwhile, warm the dipping broth: fish sauce, water, lime juice, remaining sugar, minced garlic and chili, just until the sugar dissolves. It should be served warm, never hot, and taste like a balanced nuoc cham turned up one notch.
5. Add the sliced papaya or carrot to the broth to pickle lightly while you cook the noodles.
6. Divide the vermicelli among wide bowls and set out the lettuce and herbs.
7. At the table, slide the hot grilled pork into the warm broth, then dunk tanglefuls of noodles into it as you eat. Noodles go into the broth, never the other way around.

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