Bún Cha: Pork & Vermicelli Bowl

PrepTime: 1 hour 20 minutes Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes Makes a main course for 4

Bún cha’ hails from North Vietnam, where the cuisine is much more understated and subtle compared to the boldness and spice of its southern counterpart. I’ve never been up north, but my cousin’s uncle lived there and treated us to bún ch’a when he came to visit. It’s fresh, savory, sweet, and herby all at the same time. Traditional bún ch’a features rice vermicelli noodles served with a vegetal broth, seasoned pork patties, and caramelized pork belly slices. My version presents you with several dining options. You can either dip the noodles in the sauce mixture, pour the sauce all over the noodles, or enjoy it as a lettuce wrap. When you choose the lettuce to use, you can use anything but iceberg—it’s too watery! I recommend seeking out Persian (mini) cucumbers because they’re seedless and add an extra crispy texture to the experience. The pork patties are best when they’re grilled, but if you don’t have easy access to a grill, you can pan-sear them instead.

INGREDIENTS

PORK PATTIES:

• 1 pound ground pork

• 1⁄4 white onion, minced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

  Di An: The Salty, Sour, Sweet and Spicy Flavors of Vietnamese Cooking with TwayDaBae (A Cookbook) Tuệ Nguyễn

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

SAUCE:

• 1⁄2 cup fish sauce

• 1⁄2 cup sugar

FOR SERVING:

• 14 ounces rice vermicelli noodles

• 1 head lettuce, roughly chopped

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

• 1 cup (packed) fresh mint or cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

• 1 lime, cut into wedges

• 1 Persian (mini) cucumber, thinly sliced

• 1 lime, cut into wedges

• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin coins or flower shapes

• 1⁄4 cup chopped peanuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the pork patties: In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, onion, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Mix thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Form the chilled meat mixture into 8 burger-like patties, weighing around 2 ounces each. Brush the vegetable oil over the patties.

3. If you’re using a grill: Preheat the grill to high. Grill the patties 4 to 6 minutes per side, until charred and cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer the patties to a plate to rest.

4. If you don’t have a grill: Preheat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the patties to the pan oil-side down and brush the other sides. Fry until browned on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip them over and brown the other sides until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F, another 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, 1⁄2 cup water, the sugar, vinegar, and juice of 2 or 3 lime wedges. Taste and adjust to your liking with more lime juice, if needed.

6. To serve: Cook the vermicelli noodles according to the package directions.

7. On a serving platter, lay down a bed of the lettuce, scallions, and fresh mint. Pile on the vermicelli, cucumber, and pork patties. Serve with the sauce in a small bowl on the side with more lime wedges.

8. Nestle a few carrot pieces between the noodles and sprinkle some peanuts over each bowl.

Excerpted from Di An. Copyright © 2024, Tue Nguyen. Photography Copyright © 2023 by Andrew Bui. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC. All rights reserved. 

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