Authentic Bun Cha Food

BúN Bò HUế - SPICY VIETNAMESE BEEF & PORK NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• Clean the meat: Add all meat to a stock pot and enough water to submerge it, bring to a boil. Drain and rinse thoroughly under running water.
• Add the meat, broth, lemongrass and onions to the pot and fill with water almost to the brim. Bring to a boil then drop the heat to medium-high to maintain a low boil. Add the seasoning.
• Let it simmer and periodically check the meats for doneness and remove them as they finish cooking. The pork should be done after about an hour, the beef can vary between 2-3 hours.
• After all the meat has removed, let it cool, then slice it. Adjust seasoning and add water to the broth pot if necessary.
• Make the aromatics & coloring then add it to the pot.
• Boil noodles according to package instructions.
• Assemble your bowl, and serve with herbs and veg on a side platter.
• Sauté seeds in oil on medium heat until the seeds give up the bright red color, then remove the seeds.
• Add shallots and garlic, sauté until brown.
• Add all of this to the pot of broth for color.
• The easiest thing to do is just buy it already cooked and boil just to heat it up. If you use the raw type like we did for this recipe, cut into 1" cubes and boil for 30-45 minutes
• Prepare a bowl of about 2 cups of water, mixed with the juice of 1 lemon.
• Thinly slice the banana flower and add to the water mixture to sit for about 30 minutes.
• Avoid adding little fronds (that look like mini bananas), removing them as you encounter them. They taste bitter!
• Weigh out the dried Thai chiles, then soak in just enough warm water to cover the chiles for 20 minutes. Drain the water.
• Add all sate ingredients to a pan on medium heat and stir continuously to brown, cook, and slightly reduce the chile paste, about 30-40 minutes. If at any point it becomes too dry, you can add more oil, up to 50% of the amount we started with. Taste and reseason with sugar or salt as desired. See photo for how the final product should look.
• Let cool and transfer to a sealed jar stored in the fridge . You can add ~2 tbsp of the final product to the soup pot for a boost in flavor and color, or simply and let each person add to their bowl to make it as spicy as they'd like!

BúN THịT NướNG RECIPE (VIETNAMESE GRILLED PORK & RICE NOODLES)

Steps:

• Slice the uncooked pork thinly, about 1/8". It helps to slightly freeze it beforehand.
• Mince garlic and shallots. Mix in a bowl with sugar, fish sauce, thick soy sauce, pepper, and oil until sugar dissolves.
• Marinate the meat for 1 hour, or overnight for better results.
• Bake the pork at 375 F for 10-15 minutes or until about 80% cooked. Finish cooking by broiling in the oven until a nice golden brown color develops, flipping the pieces midway. Don't take your eyes off the broiler!
• Assemble your bowl with veggies, noodles, and garnish. Many like to mix the whole bowl up and pour the fish sauce on top, but I like to make individual bites and sauce it slowly.

BUN CHA

Steps:

• For the grilled pork patties and pork belly: Turn on a kitchen exhaust fan or open a nearby window. Things are about to get smoky! Combine the sugar and 1 tablespoon of water in a medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Stir gently until the sugar dissolves. Cook until the sugar mixture darkens to a deep, dark brown hue similar to soy sauce and the mixture is smoking, 5 to 7 minutes; swirl the pan as needed to ensure even cooking.
• Immediately turn off the heat and remove the saucepan from the hot stovetop. Carefully add 2 tablespoons of water to the saucepan (the mixture may sputter). Use a heat-safe rubber spatula to stir the caramel until completely smooth. Transfer the caramel to a medium heat-safe bowl and allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. It will thicken as it cools.
• Meanwhile, put the ground pork and the pork belly into 2 separate medium bowls.
• Stir the fish sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, bouillon and black pepper into the caramel until well combined. Add 6 tablespoons of the sauce to the ground pork then add the remaining sauce to the pork belly. Use your hands to mix each meat with the sauce until well combined. Refrigerate each for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. (Do not refrigerate overnight or the meat will get too salty.)
• Scoop the marinated ground pork into 18 portions (about a scant 1/4 cup each), placing each on a large baking sheet. Roll each portion into a ball then flatten into a 1/2-inch-thick patty about 2 inches wide.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 250 degrees F. Preheat an outdoor grill or a large 2-burner cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly grease the grill grates or grill pan with oil. Working in batches if needed, cook the pork patties until charred and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side, rotating the meat as needed to ensure even cooking. Transfer the cooked patties to a clean baking sheet.
• Reduce the heat slightly (between medium and medium-high). Working in batches if needed, cook the pork belly until charred and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side, rotating the meat as needed to ensure even cooking. Place the cooked pork belly to the same baking sheet as the pork patties and place in the oven to keep warm while you make the dipping sauce.
• For the dipping sauce: Combine the sugar and 1 1/4 cups water in a medium saucepan. Set over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot and starts to steam, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and add 1/2 cup cold water, the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, carrot, green papaya and chiles. Stir to combine.
• For serving: Divide the vermicelli among 6 individual serving bowls. Place the lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumber, cilantro and mint on a platter.
• Divide the pork patties and pork belly between 6 medium serving bowls or plates. Pour 1/2 cup of the warm sauce over the meat in each bowl. Serve each diner a bowl of pork and a small bowl of noodles. Pass the platter of vegetables and herbs. To eat, dip the noodles, herbs and vegetables into the warm sauce. Alternatively, you can hand tear the lettuce and herbs and add them to the sauce along with the other vegetables before dipping in the noodles, or enjoy the dish anyway you like.

BUN CHA - VIETNAMESE MEATBALLS WITH VIETNAMESE NOODLE SALAD

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the minced pork, fish sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, honey, spring onions, coriander (cilantro) and garlic.
• Set the mixture aside for 30-60 minutes in the fridge to let the flavours develop and to allow the mixture to firm.
• Form the pork mixture into small meatballs about the size of a golf ball, and then flatten them slightly.
• Heat a large frying pan with some vegetable oil and cook the meatballs until they are golden and caramelised.
• In a medium bowl, dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice.
• Add the fish sauce, water, garlic and chilli (if using), and mix until well-combined.
• Set the sauce aside for about 10-15 minutes before tasting.
• You may need to add a bit more lemon juice, fish sauce, or even water, to get a good balance of sweet, sour and salty.
• Place some salad and vegetables on the bottom of each bowl or plate.
• Place a good handful of noodles on top of the salad.
• Top with however many meatballs you like.
• Garnish with some herbs, roughly torn.
• Generously drizzle some Vietnamese dipping sauce over the noodles and meatballs, and use chopsticks to mix everything together.
• Provide each person with a bowl of dipping sauce to drizzle over the noodles and also to dip the meatballs into.

BUN CHA RECIPE - VIETNAMESE GRILLED MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Marinate the sliced pork belly with half of the ingredients in A for half a day.
• Mix the ground pork with half of the ingredients, then lift the meat and repeatedly throw it back to the mixing bowl until it is clear from the side of the bowl and becomes slightly bouncy. Next, portion the ground pork slightly smaller than a golf ball and flatten them slightly. Let them sit for half a day before grilling.
• Heat some vegetable oil in the grill pan over medium heat.
• Place the pork belly on it, undisturbed for two minutes on one side to get the grilled mark.
• Then, flip over and do the same for the other side until it is nicely caramelized.
• Grill the meatballs just like the sliced pork, except it takes slightly longer to cook.
• Put the sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, and water in a pot.
• Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves.
• Let it return to room temperature, then add the lime juice and mix well.
• Cut the carrots and daikon into thin slices.
• Add a large teaspoon of salt to it and mix well.
• After fifteen minutes, wash away the salt and drain.
• Add the vinegar and sugar.
• Keep it for at least one hour, and it is done.