Vietnamese Bún Chả Noodle Bowls
Bun Cha for Meal Time Monday today! Or as my awesome friend Jerry said, —we’re having a “buncha” Vietnamese noodle bowls today! Pho is usually the starter dish when introducing someone to Vietnamese cuisine, but I don’t know why Bun Cha isn’t up there too! Sweet and salty, fresh and light. Everyone who tried it for the first time today just loved it.
If you don’t keep fish sauce in your kitchen, pick up a small bottle of Red Boat Fish Sauce. It’s my favorite. We never had a salt shaker on the table growing up, but we always had a tiny bowl of fish sauce. Diluted with water, brightened with citrus, sweetened with sugar, and spiced with garlic and chili, it brings life to this bowl.
Vietnamese Bún Chả Noodle Bowls
Ingredients
Pork Patties
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 scallion whites, minced, keep the greens for below
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- oil, for cooking
Pickled Carrot & Daikon
- 3 carrots, peeled
- 1 medium daikon, peeled
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup white or cider vinegar
Scallion Oil
- 1/4 cup oil
- 4 green onions, sliced
Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 Thai chili pepper, optional
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 3/4 cup water
Bowls
- romaine lettuce or butter lettuce, shredded or torn
- rice vermicelli noodles, cooked
- cucumber, sliced or diced
- bean sprouts, optional
- peanuts, chopped
- fresh cilantro
- fresh mint
Instructions
- To make the pork patties, combine the pork, shallot, garlic, scallion whites, fish sauce, sugar, and black pepper. Scoop the mixture into small patties about 1 inch wide and 1/2 inch thick. You should get about 14-16. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and cook the patties on both sides until golden brown and cooked through. These are also delicious cooked on the grill.
- Cut the carrots and daikon in thin slices, decorative flower shapes, or julienne. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and let sit for 5 minutes or more to draw out excess liquid. Rinse with cold water, then add the water, sugar and vinegar. Stir to dissolve the sugar and let sit to pickle for 30 minutes. Keep in the refrigerator to top noodle bowls, sandwiches, salads, and spring rolls.
- For the scallion oil, simply heat the oil in a small skillet and add the green onions. They should gently sizzle and wilt. Remove from heat and set aside.
- To make the magic sauce, mince the garlic and chili, if using. Alternately, these two can be pounded in a mortar and pestle with some of the sugar, which helps break up the mixture into a paste. Add the remaining sugar, vinegar, lemon or lime juice, fish sauce, and water. Tailor it to your taste—some prefer it saltier (more fish sauce), sweeter (more sugar), more acidic (vinegar or citrus), or thinner (more water.)
- To eat, place a small amount of lettuce in bowl and top with the rice noodles. Add cucumber, pickled carrots and daikon, and bean sprouts if desired. Place the pork patties on top, followed by the scallion oil, chopped peanuts, and cilantro and mint. Add generous spoonfuls of sauce, adding more as you go if needed.
