Introducing Bun Cha, the famous caramelised pork meatballs from the stress of Hanoi. Traditional Vietnamese food, made at home! This is an easy Vietnamese recipe that anyone can make that’s full of flavour. No need to hunt down obscure ingredients at an Asian store!
Serve it over vermicelli noodles with Vietnamese Nuoc Cham Sauce and your fresh vegetables of choice.
Bun Cha – traditional Vietnamese street food!
Any self respecting foodie visiting a new country will be armed with a list of “Must Try Foods!!“. And for visitors of Vietnam, Bun Cha should be right up there, alongside Pho, fresh rice paper rolls, and Banh Mi, to name a few favourites.
It was certainly one of the first foods I hunted down when I visited Vietnam. A top-priority!
These are photos of a Bun Cha speciality place in Hanoi that we visited. The Bun Cha was as great as we expected, and I’m happy to report the flimsy stools you spy held up for the whole meal. (Flimsy plastic stools are the norm everywhere, and we were seriously concerned every time we planted our butts down on them!)
What is Bun Cha?
Bun Cha is a traditional Vietnamese pork dish that’s a speciality of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. Seasoned pork patties (I call them squished meatballs) and caramelised pork belly slices are served in a broth alongside rice noodles, fresh vegetables and herbs.
How to eat Bun Cha – The idea is to use the broth for dunking the noodles, vegetables and herbs. So you dunk, slurp noodles, bite into juicy pork, try to cram in a few sprigs of herbs – and that moment when you succeed, when you get a mouthful with a bit of everything…
THAT my friends, is a big, fat mouthful that epitomises all that is great about Vietnamese food. That perfect balance of fresh, savoury, sweet, herb, citrus, tender noodles, and that juicy caramelised pork….. YES!!!
About this Bun Cha recipe
This Bun Cha recipe I’m sharing today is a simple home version that’s a style more familiar to those of us outside of Vietnam. On point with flavour, but presented differently.
To make this a simple dinner recipe, I’ve skipped the pork belly and made noodle bowls with the sauce for spooning over, rather than serving it “soup” style. This Noodle Bowl way of serving Vietnamese food is increasingly popular here in Sydney, especially with the work lunch crowd.
How to make Vietnamese Meatballs
You’ll love how you won’t need to take a trip to an Asian store for this! You’ll also love how versatile this recipe actually is.
The Vietnamese (squished) meatballs are just made with pork, garlic, sugar, fish sauce*, salt, pepper and scallions/green onions. Fish sauce is the key seasoning here, and the touch of sugar that makes the surface beautifully caramelised.
The Vietnamese Sauce is a version of Nuoc Cham, a version of which is served with “everything” in Vietnamese cuisine (and that’s no exaggeration).
The sauce for Bun Cha is made with fish sauce*, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, sugar, garlic and chilli (hot or not hot, or even skip it). It’s diluted with water to make it more like a soup broth. In a nod to the authentic way Bun Cha is served, the idea with this recipe is to use lots of sauce. You need it, to slurp up the noodles!
* I know there are people who aren’t a fan of fish sauce. But fish sauce is as Vietnamese as Banh Mi, so I really do urge you to use it if you can. This recipe is in no way “fishy” tasting like some Vietnamese foods. It’s just a savoury seasoning that has more depth of flavour than soy sauce.
Essential Sides
To complete the bowl, these Vietnamese Meatballs are served traditional Bun Cha style with noodles, fresh vegetables and herbs.
The noodles are rice vermicelli noodles, found “everywhere” nowadays in Australia. Simply soak in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then drain.
Fresh vegetables and herbs are an essential part of Vietnamese food, and you’ll get large bowls served alongside almost every meal. Bean sprouts, mint and coriander/cilantro are the most common, as well as pickled vegetables.
But this is the sort of recipe that’s terrifically versatile that will work well with many types of vegetables. Shredded cabbage or lettuce, or other leafy greens. Finely sliced cucumber, green beans, red radish, cherry tomatoes, even asparagus. Most fresh vegetables will work great in this!
In today’s recipe, I’ve also provided a quick Asian pickled vegetables recipe which is ideal to serve with this Bun Cha recipe. But pickling is optional.
The length of the list of ingredients is actually quite deceptive because there’s a handful of repeat ingredients. So don’t be turned off just because this isn’t a 5 ingredient recipe. 🙂
It’s worth it, I promise. If you love Vietnamese food (and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t!), this one will really hit the spot! – Nagi x
Get your Vietnamese fix!
- Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls
- Lemongrass Chicken – one of my favourite things to grill!
- Vietnamese Caramel Pork – another iconic Vietnamese food! Also see the Chicken version.
- Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls – the super quick version of the above
- Vietnamese Noodle Salad
- Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Bun Cha – Vietnamese Meatballs
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Bun Cha – Vietnamese Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 250 – 300 g/8 – 10 oz pork mince (ground pork)(Note 1)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (Note 2)
- 2 tsp white sugar
- 1/3 cup finely chopped green onions / scallions
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- Pinch of white pepper and salt
- 2 tsp lemongrass paste or fresh finely chopped , optional (Note 4)
- 1 1/2 tbsp oil , for cooking
Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dressing / Sauce – Note 2):
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- 3 tbsp fish sauce (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 birds eye chilli , seeded and finely chopped (Note 3)
- 3 cloves garlic , finely chopped
Serving (Note 4):
- 100 g / 3.5 oz vermicelli noodles , dried
- Big handful beansprouts
- Few lettuce leaves , folded or shredded
- Julienned carrot and white radish (daikon), optional quick pickle (Note 5)
- Handful of coriander/cilantro sprigs , mint
- Sliced red chilli , lime wedges (optional)
Instructions
- Sauce: Mix ingredients. Set aside 10 minutes+.
- Noodles: Pour over boiling water and soak per packet directions. Drain, set aside.
Meatballs:
- Mix all ingredients except oil until combined.
- Shape into 6 mini hamburger patties with your hands.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add patties and cook for 2 1/2 minutes or until golden. Flip, cook 2 minutes then remove.
Assemble Bowls:
- Place noodles in bowl. Top with a handful of beansprouts, wedge in lettuce, carrots and radish in.
- Place meatballs on top, top with coriander and mint.
- Spoon over a generous amount of Sauce (it’s supposed to be like a soup broth), eat and be happy!
Recipe Notes:
8. Adapted from a few Vietnamese cookbooks, including My Vietnamese Kitchen by Uyen Luu and Hanoi Street Food by Luk This and Tom Vandenberghe. 9. Nutrition is for meatballs and sauce only, assuming all sauce is consumed.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Title says it all – this is the Life of Dozer.
I just started visiting your web site this week,am very impressed with your recipes!!!!
(My youngest sister,living in Long Beach Harbor, on a boat, sent me the link to your web site via phone. She had found it doing a “Google” search for Shepard’s Pie. She liked your version better than anyone else’s she saw!
Anyway, my comment, after all that back-ground: I looked at all your Asian Recipes, pages 1 thru 7, and noticed that you do not have a recipe there for “Vietnamese Pancakes”!!!!
We tried them a local Pho shop in the town we live in Washington State,(NW corner of Washington State.
The recipe that I found on the internet, closest to what we had is this one:
Banh Xeo Recipe (Sizzling Saigon Crepes)
http://rasamalaysia.com/banh-xeo-recipe/
http://rasamalaysia.com/banh-xeo-recipe/2/
I will admit that I’ve not yet tried making the recipe. However this one sounds like it will yield much better results than the recipes I tried making previously!!!!
(Judging from the collection of Asian Recipes you have on your web site, I though you would enjoy these Stuffed Crepes!!!?)
Chris
Oh they sound amazing Chris! I’ll have to give them a go!
This was a taste sensation ! ! And one more !
Perhaps my mistake was buying lean pork mince . Maybe I should have bought regular as the patties were slightly dry .
Duh ! I also didn’t read to remove the seeds from the birds eye chilliest … WOW … still enjoyed it though
Hi Terry, yes I always find lean pork mince to be dry but I’m glad you liked it even though it was a little spicy!
Another winner Nagi!! Boiling hot in Melbourne- again so this was the perfect Friday night dinner, quick & super yummy ! ! The husband absolutely loved it too – “a taste sensation” were his words. Thanks again 😍
That’s great Vikki!!
Yay!!!!!! Just in case though a few more wouldn’t hurt N!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was fun!!! 😂
😂😂
You Go Girl!!!!
Use all the exclamation marks you like!!!
I have a tendancy myself to do that… It reflects your passion for what you do and your incredible optimism and love of life!!!!
I will never be able to stop! Sometimes I cull back and I read back over what I wrote and it just sounds depressing or stern 😂 so then I add some exclamation marks back and all is back to normal – ba ha ha!
Go for the !!! I personally do ………… after each comment and believe that annoys some people too!!
Wow, again you knock it out the park!! Not that I’m surprised lol.
Nagi,this was absolutely delicious….I think I’m falling in love with Vietnamese food..I love the sweet and spicy of it most of all the freshness.. Totally addictive.
Thank you Nagi..yet again 👍
So pleased you enjoyed this Phil!!
If I make enough for 4, do I double the amount of ingredients for the sauce and all of the pickling ingredients as well?
Yes double everything, click on servings and slide and all the ingredients will change for you!!
Such a great recipe of Bun Cha! I am Vietnamese and I love your website. Just one thing maybe if you want to make it again, we add grated lemongrass to the meat of Bun Cha, it has a special flavor which I bet you want to make a try.
So funny you mention lemongrass we were having that debate! I wanted to add it but my brother pointed out that not everything has lemongrass, and the bun cha recipes in the cookbooks I got didn’t have it. I will add it as an extra! N xx
The recipe was delicious, but I felt it was missing an ingredient that gives it that extra (Vietnamese) “zing” I love…I’m glad lemongrass was mentioned because I think that’s what I was missing!!!!!! (Exclamation marks added for you, Nagi😉😂😁)
PS Lemongrass option added!!!!!!!!!! (I think between the two of us we blew the exclamation mark quota for this one! 😂)
😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
Lemongrass definitely adds an extra Vietnamese flavour in this that’s familiar to westerners, that’s for sure! But actually, Bun Cha doesn’t have it in it 🙂 I will add it as an optional extra though! We (RecipeTin Family) had a big debate about that – my bro said that not EVERYTHING has to have lemongrass in it cause then it all tastes the same. Which is true. So I let him win! 😂 N x
Awww…and there’s the kicker: it’s a taste we westerners are accustomed to. Good to know.
Btw, there’s a Vietnamese & Thai restaurant in Sacramento, California called Lemongrass (Mai Pham is the owner). I have the cookbook from there. It was the first place I ever had sticky rice with mangoes and I was hooked! Needless to say, I received the recipe book from there as a gift long ago,
Could you use beef mince instead of pork for this recipe as I don’t eat pork?
Thanks for all the great Dozer pics (& fab recipes too)…. we love him!!!
Sure thing! Chicken or turkey next best, beef also great!
Easy to make and so much flavour!!! Thank you for your awesome recipes!!!
So glad to hear that Neta!! N xx
Tried these little beauties tonight. A resounding success with the family. Thanks again Nagi & big kisses to Dozer.
No kisses for dozer, he’s wet and smelly!!😂 So glad you enjoyed this! N x
Just love your recipes but could you print them in smaller type as I am using too much ink and paper. Looking forward to the above meatballs etc.
Hi Denise! There’s a print button on the recipe that will only print out the recipe itself! 🙂 N x
Yum yum yum. Just what I needed right now – a different flavour of meatball. Fish sauce too! My favourite asian seasoning – I buy the huuuge bottles 😛 Please keep hitting that ! key. No matter how many you use, it doesn’t make me cringe the way the constant F bombs do in other blogs I read 😀
I will never stop!!!!!!!!!!!!! (No f-bombs around here. I might slip up in real life, but when typing, there is no excuse!)
Hi Nagi, just wondering what brand of fish sauce you use? My attempt looks much darker than the sauce in your video… Thanks heaps!
Squid Brand fish sauce with the lime green lid that’s available everywhere!! https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/99484/squid-brand-fish-sauce If you can get real Vietnamese fish sauce from a Vietnamese grocery store, it’s even better 🙂 N x
Omg N!!!!! I love meatballs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I have a different recipe to try!!!!! That makes me happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is that enough explanation marks for you or would you like more?!!! I’m happy to oblige!!!!! 😂😂😂
Oh Dozer!!!!! Aren’t you having fun!!!!! He’s happy!!!!! Excited!!!!! Enthusiastic!!!!! Just rearing to go go go!!!!! ❤
Between the two of us I think we blew the !!! quota for this one! 😂
Nagi, made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing!!!!!! You made a lot of tummies very happy.
I’m so pleased to hear that!!! Thank you for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed this! N x
How rude!!!! I am guilty of overuse of exclamation marks too. No-one has been rude enough to comment on it. I bet that you didn’t realise that people tuned in to check yr grammar as well as yr recipes. Ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel like I have a team of proof readers!!! 😂 N x
Nagi – you are ten times the cook and raconteur I am, but the number of exclamation marks used in my Ehaspeak will beat yours any day 🙂 !!! Used to be almost embarrassed in the ‘old days’ since have actually written ‘professional English’ all my life but, as far as the reader goes, (s)he knows where my heart lies and these days it is just one of these things !! Vietnamese food: almost daily! Love the meatballs and addenda and since yours are simpler than mine . . . guess what is in the kitchen already? With thanks and a hug and enjoying Dozer . . .
Hi Nagi
I am an excessive user of exclamation marks too. It shows I am enthusiastic !!
So pleased you do not pay any attention to punctuation Nazi’s !
These meatballs sound yummy…I cant wait to try as I love your recipes and always raving about them to friends!
Your exclamation marks get me enthused & shows how dedicated you are about cooking, don’t stop!
Will be making these at the weekend.
What a great life Dozer has, gorgeous boy!
Btw I make your potato salad recipe all the time.