Bun Cha
This fresh and zingy noodle dish is inspired by the Vietnamese classic, bun cha and features layers of spice, acidity, fragrance and a touch of sweetness.
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Introduction
This Vietnamese-inspired noodle recipe is super fresh with a kick of chilli. You can remove the seeds from the chilli for a less intense heat. Those little pork patties pack some serious flavour. You can cook this straight away or prep the pork in advance and let it marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge. Either way, it’s delicious.
Ingredients
| 500g | pork mince |
| 1 | small iceberg lettuce, shredded |
| 4 | carrots, grated |
| 4 | spring onions, chopped |
| 2 | red chillies, sliced |
| 1 small bunch of | Thai or regular basil or mint, leaves picked |
| 300g | vermicelli rice noodles |
| 1 tbsp | toasted sesame oil |
| 1 tbsp | vegetable oil |
| For the marinade: | |
|---|---|
| 4 | garlic cloves, chopped |
| 1 tbsp | dark soy sauce |
| 2 tsp | caster sugar |
| 1 tbsp | fish sauce |
| 1 tsp | ground black pepper |
| 1 | small red onion, finely chopped |
| For the dressing: | |
| 350ml | water |
| 75g | caster sugar |
| 100ml | fish sauce |
| juice of 2 limes |
Method
Put the pork mince into a bowl with all the marinade ingredients. Mix together using your hands until well combined. Roll into 12 even-sized balls. Set aside to marinate while you prep the other ingredients.
Put the lettuce, carrots, spring onions, chillies and basil into a bowl and toss together. Set aside.
Put the rice noodles into a bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Drain off the water, then add the sesame oil. Toss to stop them sticking together.
When the noodles are soaking, add the dressing ingredients to a small saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Turn off the heat.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.
Add the marinated pork balls to the pan. Use the back of a spoon to flatten them down slightly to form small patties. Fry for about 3 minutes on each side until cooked all the way though with no pink remaining. When cooked, spoon 1 tsp of dressing over each patty.
Divide the noodles into serving bowls, then pour over some dressing. Top with the salad and patties. Drizzle with more dressing and serve.
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