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4.3 from 9 votes

Vietnamese Meatballs (Bún Chả)

Vietnamese Meatballs (Bún Chả) – delicious pork patties served with rice noodles, Nuoc Cham diping sauce, herbs and assorted fresh vegetables

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Additional Time
1 hr
Total Time
23 mins
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course , Lunch
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Ingredients

For the dipping sauce
  • 3 tbsp sugar or Sukrin Gold
  • 80 ml (⅓ cup) tbsp hot water
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 red jalapeno , seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove , minced
For the meatballs
  • 1 ½ tbsp soft sugar or Sukrin Gold
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 shallots peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves
  • 500 g (1 pound) ground pork (pork mince)
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil to pan fry
For the Noodle Bowls
  • 300 g (10.5oz) rice noodles
  • 1 small lettuce chopped or torn
  • 1 small cucumber seeded and sliced
  • 2 carrots grated
  • large handful fresh mint
  • large handful coriander (cilantro)

Instructions

MAKE THE DIPPING SAUCE (Nuoc Cham)
    Cup of Yum
  1. Put the sugar in a bowl and pour hot water over it. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved.
  2. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, finely chopped chili and garlic.
  3. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature (or you can store in an airtight container in the fridge until needed).
PREPARE THE MEATBALLS
  1. Blitz the fish sauce, sugar, shallots, garlic and mint in a food processor to make a paste.
  2. Add the paste to the ground pork and mix well to combine. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours.
  3. Form 20-24 small meatballs (I used a cookie scoop) and then flatten the slightly with your hands to form a little patties.
COOK THE MEATBALLS
  1. Heat oil in a pan and fry the patties for about 2 minutes per side, until golden.
  2. You can also air fry the meatballs at 200°C (400°F) for about 3-5 minutes per side, misting them with a little oil first.
ASSEMBLE THE NOODLE BOWLS
  1. Place the rice noodles in a pot, cover with boiling water and leave them to soften for 8-10 minutes, or according to pack instructions. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Divide the noodles between four bowls.
  2. Add the cucumber, carrots, lettuce and fresh herbs.
  3. Top with the meatballs and a generous amount of the dipping sauce and serve.