Bún Chả was one of my favorite street food items whilst travelling around Vietnam a few years back.
Juicy pork meatballs barbecued on a skewer over an open flame, then served in a warm sweet broth with vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs.
The key to the meatballs is ground pork that is not extra lean. Fat is the key to any great meatball or burger and adds to the juiciness and overall texture.
This meal takes less than 30 minutes so is a great one to have during your work week. .....why not escape to Vietnam after a busy day ?!
For the meatballs:
350g ground pork
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 finely sliced scallion, white part only
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 red chilli, de- seeded
1/4 cup chopped basil
If you have a fresh stalk of lemon grass will further enhance these (white part only), but sometimes are hard to get, they are tasty either way.
Dipping sauce:
3/4 cup water
3.5 tablespoons sugar
2.5 tablespoons fish sauce
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 thai red chilli
1.5 tablespoon squeeze lemon juice
1 carrot
Serve with:
Fresh Herbs, ideally cilantro, and basil (mint could be a good addition too)
Fresh lettuce
Vermicelli noodles
Combine the all the meatball ingredients into a bowl Use your hands to thoroughly combine the spices with the meat. Divide the meat into 12 equal parts and form each into a small, slightly flat ball and skewer on 2 wooden skewers (pre- soaked)
Pre - heat your bbq grill to medium-high to high heat.
To prepare the broth put the water, garlic and sugar into a small saucepan. Cut the chilli in half and remove the seeds, slice in half and add to the broth along with the fish sauce. Bring to a simmer, stir so that the sugar dissolves and remove the broth from the heat. Stir in the tablespoon of lemon juice. Use a peeler to peel some very thin strips off of the carrot and add it to the broth. Leave on low heat until ready to serve.
Put a pot of water on to boil to cook the vermicelli noodles.
BBQ the meatballs on each side for 5 pr 6 min on each side. You want them to have a nice char but still be juicy. Remove to a plate, and quickly cook your vermicelli noodles in the boiling water, watch them carefully as they likely will only need 45 seconds or so. Drain them quickly and rinse them under cool water to help stop them from sticking together.
Plate it all together. To eat it like they do in Vietnam, serve the meatballs in a bowl of hot broth with vermicelli, herbs and fresh greens on the side, adding vermicelli and herbs to it as you eat.
Deliciousness Overload !
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes | Total Time:30 minutes
Juicy pork meatballs barbecued on a skewer over an open flame, then served in a warm sweet broth with vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs.
The key to the meatballs is ground pork that is not extra lean. Fat is the key to any great meatball or burger and adds to the juiciness and overall texture.
This meal takes less than 30 minutes so is a great one to have during your work week. .....why not escape to Vietnam after a busy day ?!
For the meatballs:
350g ground pork
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 finely sliced scallion, white part only
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 red chilli, de- seeded
1/4 cup chopped basil
If you have a fresh stalk of lemon grass will further enhance these (white part only), but sometimes are hard to get, they are tasty either way.
Dipping sauce:
3/4 cup water
3.5 tablespoons sugar
2.5 tablespoons fish sauce
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 thai red chilli
1.5 tablespoon squeeze lemon juice
1 carrot
Serve with:
Fresh Herbs, ideally cilantro, and basil (mint could be a good addition too)
Fresh lettuce
Vermicelli noodles
Combine the all the meatball ingredients into a bowl Use your hands to thoroughly combine the spices with the meat. Divide the meat into 12 equal parts and form each into a small, slightly flat ball and skewer on 2 wooden skewers (pre- soaked)
Pre - heat your bbq grill to medium-high to high heat.
To prepare the broth put the water, garlic and sugar into a small saucepan. Cut the chilli in half and remove the seeds, slice in half and add to the broth along with the fish sauce. Bring to a simmer, stir so that the sugar dissolves and remove the broth from the heat. Stir in the tablespoon of lemon juice. Use a peeler to peel some very thin strips off of the carrot and add it to the broth. Leave on low heat until ready to serve.
Put a pot of water on to boil to cook the vermicelli noodles.
BBQ the meatballs on each side for 5 pr 6 min on each side. You want them to have a nice char but still be juicy. Remove to a plate, and quickly cook your vermicelli noodles in the boiling water, watch them carefully as they likely will only need 45 seconds or so. Drain them quickly and rinse them under cool water to help stop them from sticking together.
Plate it all together. To eat it like they do in Vietnam, serve the meatballs in a bowl of hot broth with vermicelli, herbs and fresh greens on the side, adding vermicelli and herbs to it as you eat.
Deliciousness Overload !
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes | Total Time:30 minutes