Vietnamese Meatballs (Bún Chả) Recipe

Rating 5.0
| 1
Vietnamese Meatballs (bun cha) are traditionally served as lunch but can also be served as a flavorful brunch or dinner. A Hanoi classic, it features smokey grilled pork meatballs, marinated pork belly and fresh rice noodles that hit all the right notes, sweet, salty and savory.
Utensils Brunch
Globe Vietnamese
29
ingredients
11
steps
80
minutes
Classically trained in Italian cuisine, Chef John peppers traditional cooking with a dash of modern technique. He’s held positions at top Hanoi resorts and has catered events for tour groups visiting the area. Though he currently serves as head chef in an Italian eatery, his regimen has expanded to include traditional Vietnamese dishes. Chef John looks forward to sharing his passion for fine cuisine with budding gourmets.

Ingredients

Servings:
4
For the Vietnamese Meatballs
400 g
minced pork shoulder
1 cup(s)
finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup(s)
green onions
5 tblsp
oyster sauce
3 tblsp
fish sauce
50 g
sugar
20 g
salt
30 g
ground black pepper
800 g
cooked fresh rice noodles, to serve, see notes 1
lettuce leaves, to serve
For the Grilled Pork Belly
400 g
sliced pork belly
1 cup(s)
finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup(s)
green onions
5 tblsp
oyster sauce
3 tblsp
fish sauce
50 g
sugar
30 g
ground black pepper
20 g
salt
For the Carrot and Papaya Salad
2
carrots
1
green papaya
100 g
sugar
1 cup(s)
white vinegar
1/2 cup(s)
sliced spicy chiles, any variety
For the Dipping Sauce
4 cup(s)
fish sauce
300 g
sugar
2 cup(s)
white vinegar
40 g
ground black pepper
2 1/2 cup(s)
water
1 1/2 cup(s)
finely chopped garlic

Directions 11 steps | 80 Minutes

Step 1

Marinate the minced pork shoulder. In a bowl, combine the minced pork shoulder, finely chopped shallot, chopped green onions, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, black pepper and salt. Mix until well combined. Cover the bowl and transfer it to the refrigerator to marinate for 45 minutes.

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Step 2

Marinate the sliced pork belly. In a second bowl, combine the sliced pork belly, finely chopped shallot, chopped green onions, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, black pepper and salt. Mix until well combined. Cover the bowl and transfer it to the refrigerator to marinate for 45 minutes.

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Step 3

Make the carrot papaya salad. Peel and julienne the carrots and green papaya.

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Step 4

In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, white vinegar and sliced chilies until the sugar is dissolved.

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Step 5

Add the julienned carrots and green papaya to the bowl and mix until evenly combined. Set aside in the refrigerator.

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Step 6

Make the dipping sauce. In a pot over medium heat, add the fish sauce and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

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Step 7

Stir in the vinegar and ground black pepper. Turn off the heat.

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Step 8

Stir in the water and minced garlic. Set aside.

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Step 9

Grill the Vietnamese meatballs and pork belly. Preheat the indoor or outdoor grill to medium-high. Roll the marinated pork shoulder mixture into balls slightly larger than ping pong balls. Flatten each ball into mini patties.

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Step 10

Grill 2 minutes per side or until well done. Grill the pork belly for 2 minutes per side or until well done.

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Step 11

Divide the grilled Vietnamese meatballs, grilled pork belly, rice noodles and lettuce leaves into four bowls. Top with the pickled chiles, green papaya and carrots. Serve with the dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy!

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Notes:

  1. If fresh rice noodles are not available, dry rice noodles can be substituted.
  2. For a meatless spin, tofu can be substituted for the meat in this recipe.

Nutrition Per Serving
View All
CALORIES
2400
FAT
73.9 g
PROTEIN
64.4 g
CARBS
365.8 g

FOOD FOR THOUGHT?

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1 Comments
1 Comments
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Robyn B.

Robyn

05 Oct 2022

These meatballs are fun to make and also DELICIOUS. We've done both the meatless and the regular versions, with spectacularly savory results.

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