Bun cha (Vietnamese meatballs with vermicelli) has all the classic Vietnamese street food elements. I love its complex flavors and have been a regular fan of the restaurant near me.  

Recently, I have decided to make it. It turns out to be not as difficult as expected. I have documented how to do it in detail, and here is all you need to know if you want to make this Northern Vietnamese dish at home. 

When you take a bite with a mouthful of everything,  the bursting Vietnamese flavor is a gastronomical experience that leaves you wanting more.

Bun cha is prepared with caramelized meatballs and sliced pork, pickles, and noodles dipped in nước chấm.  

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How to cook Bun cha – Vietnamese grilled meatballs with vermicelli

I have divided the preparation into sections which you can do separately. I would suggest getting other things ready in advance except grilling the pork right before serving for the best result.

1. Marinate the pork

Types of pork to make Bun cha

This bún chả recipe has two types of pork- meatballs and thinly sliced pork belly.  

The meatballs are juicier if the pork consists of a certain amount of fat. Therefore, it is tastier to use minced pork with at least twenty percent of fat.  You can use store-bought ground pork or purchase some shoulder loin with some fat to mince it yourself. I asked my butcher to ground for me to save time.

The sliced pork is best to prepare with pork belly. Don’t be afraid that the pork belly is too fatty, as most oil will render during grilling. You can use the pork belly with or without the skin.

I always slice the pork belly when it is semi-frozen, as it is easier to cut it thinly. I would suggest cutting the pork belly into about a quarter cm thick. The oil from the thinly sliced pork will render during grilling and is crispy if you serve it right away.

Caramel sauce

Caramel sauce is the special ingredient marinating the pork. It is prepared by melting the sugar over medium heat, then diluted with water. It adds a smoky-sweet taste and a caramelized color to the pork. 

Here is how to make the caramel sauce:

• Place the sugar in a small pot.
• Heat over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
• Stir constantly and wait until the color turns golden.
• Add the hot water slowly to dilute it to become the sauce. Please be careful as the water will splatter when you add it to the melted sugar. You can add it slowly, say one tablespoon each time to prevent it from spluttering too much.

You can substitute the caramel sauce with molasses or honey. Since both have higher sugar content, the pork will be caramelized quicker and color faster during grilling.

Other ingredients needed to marinate the pork

Other ingredients in the marinade are minced garlic, finely chopped onion (or shallot), oyster sauce, fish sauce, ground white pepper, and some more sugar.

The garlic and onion should be minced or chopped finely to enable their flavor release into the meat. Large pieces of garlic and shallot do not stick firmly onto the pork and burn quickly during grilling.

How to marinate the pork

For the sliced pork belly, measure all the ingredients as in the recipe below and mix with the pork.  Let it sit for half a day to enable the flavor to penetrate fully into the meat.

The meatballs are marinated with the same set of ingredients as for the sliced pork. Mix all the ingredients, then lift the meat and repeatedly throw it back to the mixing bowl. This action will change the meatball’s texture, making it sticky and holding the shallot and garlic securely in the patty. It is done when the meat 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.

Some recipes include lemongrass in the recipe, but that is less used in bún chả Hanoi. Instead, it is more commonly with Bun Thit Nuong, a similar recipe in the southern part of Vietnam.

2. Grill the pork

The pork is best to grill over charcoal with a smokey flavor, but not everyone has the luxury to do it. Therefore, I use the grill pan over the stovetop since I live in the apartment.

Here are the steps:

• Heat some vegetable oil in the grill pan over medium heat.
• When it is hot enough, 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.
• Clean the pan, and grill the meatballs. The method is the same, except it takes slightly longer to cook than the sliced pork since they are thicker.

The exact timing depends on the stove’s heat, but it is best to use moderate heat for cooking. It is crucial to grill over medium heat, especially for the sliced pork since it cooks pretty fast, and prolonged cooking will dry out the meat.

It is best to make the dipping sauce, boil the noodles, prepare the pickles in advance, and grill the pork last minute to serve hot.

3. Make the dipping sauce

Bun cha is served with a sauce (nước chấm), a dipping sauce used in a wide range of Vietnamese food.

The sauce is relatively easy to make. All you need is a combination of sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, and lime juice.  

Here are the steps:

• Put the sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, and water in a pot.
• Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves. This step is to melt the sugar, and therefore do not need to boil the sauce.
• Let it return to room temperature.
• Add the lime juice and mix well. (You can substitiute it with lemon juice).

Please note that the amount of each ingredient in the recipe is my preference. You may want to change the ratio of each ingredient based on your preference.  The saltiness that comes from the fish sauce depends on the brand you use, and therefore the quantity can not be fixed unless a specific brand is used. The best way is to do a taste test after the sugar has melted and adjusted the taste until you are satisfied with the result.

You also need to add some chopped garlic and red bird’s eye chili to the nước chấm.  Since the garlic should be floated on the surface rather than sinking, it is best to manually chop the garlic rather than using a garlic crusher, resulting in the garlic becoming pasty and tend to sink to the bottom.  As for the bird’s eye chili, remove all the seeds and slice it as thin as you can crosswise.

4. Preparing the pickle

You also need to make some pickles to serve with the Bun cha, although it is not mandatory. The most common ingredients are thinly sliced carrots and green papayas. Cucumbers and kohlrabi are the alternatives to green papayas if unavailable. Since I have some daikon (white radish) at home, I use it to substitute the green papaya, which turns out very tasty.

The pickles are usually made fresh rather than preserved for a long time. 

Here are the steps:

• Cut the carrots and green papayas (daikon for my recipe) into thin slices.
• Add a large teaspoon of salt to it and mix well.
• After fifteen minutes, you will notice the salt has drawn out a lot of water from the carrots and daikon. This step will make the pickles crunchier.
• Wash away the salt and drain.
• Add the vinegar and sugar as mentioned in the recipe.
• Keep it for at least one hour, and it is done.

5. How to serve bún chả

Get a small bowl of dipping sauce, add chopped chili and minced garlic, and place the meatballs and sliced pork in the sauce. Next, dunk the vermicelli, herbs (basil, mint, coriander leaves) into it, and immediately pick up a piece of meat with the herbs and vermicelli, which means you have a mouthful with a bit of everything.

Alternatively, you can put all these in a serving bowl, then spoon some sauce over it to enjoy.

Bún chả is commonly served with the Vietnamese spring roll. You can refer to this recipe on how to make the spring rolls.