Bun Cha – Chargrilled Pork Patties and Vermicelli

Introduction:

There were three dishes that stuck with me more than most from my month in Hanoi: banh cuon (rice paper pancake with minced pork and wood ear mushroom), pho bo (Beef noodle soup) and bun cha (grilled pork patties with thin rice noodles). Of the three dishes the bun cha was the one that titillated the senses the most. It would start with the smoke that would emanate from the small charcoal fires on each street corner in Hanoi. The smoke would be enhanced with the delectable fragrance of barbecued minced pork as the heat broke down the proteins and the meat caramelised in to deep rich sweet and salty patties. Then you have the beautiful dipping broth that the patties are served in – it’s that perfect Vietnamese combination of salt, sweet and sour, with a super hint of chilli and garlic.

The icing on the metaphoric cake, however, was the selection of herbs. Most notably in Hanoi these were coriander, Asian basil, Vietnamese mint, mint, and the discovery of the trip, perilla leaves. Perilla leaves have a very unique flavour and really stand out, in a good way. The herb is from the mint family, has broad red or purplish green leaves, and is very similar to Japanese shiso.

In my quest to replicate this majestic Hanoian dish back in Melbourne, it was necessary to take back some recipe weaponry, and there was nobody better than our landlord hosts from Vietnam. The first thing was to replicate the beautiful dipping broth and I was supplied with an empirical recipe for it – whilst trying to take note of quantities I was told ‘See what goes in, but I won’t tell you the quantity because that can only be determined by your taste.” I took note of those wise words.

For the patties, the key thing was to use minced blade (shoulder) that has a good ratio of fat to flesh. After eating bun cha a  few times in Hanoi it was clear that there were variations in the way the patties were made, but what seemed common was the presence of fish sauce, soy sauce (perhaps), garlic, spring onions (scallions) and garlic chives (which are also very popular in Vietnam).

Thankfully here in Melbourne there is a great Vietnamese community, and thus the presence of a ‘Little Vietnam’ where virtually any Vietnamese ingredient can be sourced. The only problem I had was to replicate the barbecuing of the pork, as I have a gas powered barbecue which just does not cut the mustard for this dish.

I came up with a solution: a disposable roasting dish with easy lighting charcoal briquettes. I bought a couple of clam-shell grills, identical to the ones used on the street corner of Hanoi. All set, it was time to see if I could virtually transport the family back in time to the smouldering fragrant experience of Hanoi street food.