Bun cha puts two kinds of pork in one bowl. The slices come off the grill with charred edges, while the patties stay soft and sweet. The hard part is the grilling heat, browning the meat evenly without drying it out.
The pork needs at least 30 minutes in the marinade to take on flavor and color. The pickles are made separately: the carrot and papaya are salted for 15 minutes, rinsed, and only then dressed with vinegar.
This batch weighs about 3.3kg, at roughly 190 calories per 100g.
Method
Rub the pork belly with salt, rinse, drain, and slice thinly.
Marinate the pork belly with 1/2 tablespoon minced shallot, 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic, 1/2 tablespoon seasoning powder, 1/2 tablespoon MSG, 1/2 tablespoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 2 tablespoons honey and 1 tablespoon nuoc mau caramel sauce. Leave for at least 30 minutes.
Marinate the ground pork with 1/2 tablespoon minced shallot, 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic, 1/2 tablespoon seasoning powder, 1/2 tablespoon MSG, 1/2 tablespoon black pepper, 1.5 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon honey and 1 tablespoon nuoc mau caramel sauce. Leave for 30 minutes, then roll into patties.
Make the pickles: peel the carrot and papaya, soak in lightly salted water for 5 to 10 minutes, slice thinly, toss with 1/3 tablespoon salt for 15 minutes, then rinse. Add 1.5 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/4 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic, and leave for another 15 minutes.
Brush oil over the grill and cook the pork slices and patties until golden on both sides.
Make the dipping broth: bring 200ml fish sauce, 180g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 100ml vinegar and 2 bowls of water to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve, then turn off the stove and taste again.
Ladle the dipping broth into bowls, drop in the grilled pork and pickles, and serve with the noodles and fresh herbs.
Tips
Charcoal gives a deeper smoky note than an electric grill.
A full 30 minutes in the marinade is what gives the meat flavor and color.
Slice the pork belly to a medium thinness, as very thin slices dry out on the grill.
Press the rolled patties slightly flat, since thick round balls char outside while the center is still raw.
Honey is still a sugar, so keep to the amount given in the recipe.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.