Bun cha Hanoi

Bun cha Hanoi is a traditional Vietnamese dish that is so worth getting to know. A delicious combination of flavorful meatballs, rice noodles and a tangy dipping sauce/broth, you'll immediately love all the flavors and textures.

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The first time I came across bun cha was not eating it but seeing Anthony Bourdain and Barack Obama enjoying it on an episode of Parts Unknown. It was one of the few TV shows we watched avidly. I definitely miss it both for the wonderful foods he enjoyed with a range of interesting people, as well as his insights into cultures, both the good and bad. 

That particular episode was both an interesting conversation over their meal and the food itself looked delicious. I knew I needed to hunt some down myself. 

When I tried it, I could see what all the fuss was about and why it is one of Hanoi's favorite foods. It's a wonderful combination of flavorful pork, soft noodles, a simple but delicious dipping sauce and fresh herbs. 

Where does bun cha come from?

Bun cha is a specialty of the Hanoi area of Vietnam, but beyond that the origins are a bit vague. In Hanoi, the dish is called just bun cha, while elsewhere it is often called bun cha Hanoi to distinguish it. 

"Bun" means rice noodles, and you'll find a few dishes that combine the noodles with different meat, fish and vegetables. With pork, "cha", though is a favorite.

You'll typically see this served as a lunch dish, like another Hanoi favorite pho. It's the kind of dish you'll find in many little side-street cafes and stalls.

Variations on the dish

As with many traditional recipes, there are a few variations in the ingredients. But a few things are consistent, like making slightly-sweet pork meatballs flavored with lemongrass, garlic and a little shallot.

Some recipes use some of the same flavorings for pork belly as well, but I've kept things a little simpler with just meatballs here. They have plenty flavor, so don't feel you are missing out.

The dipping sauce is almost like a broth, just without actual stock since it's on the lighter side. Again, the exact ingredients vary, but most at least have some fish sauce and sugar. 

The sauce is a kind of nuoc cham that you will probably see with many other dishes and is easy to make with lots of flavor. You typically add some slices of chili and papaya slices are also common, so I added both here since I can never say no to either.

I've drawn on a few recipes for inspiration, particularly this one from Delightful Plate and this recipe from Vicky Pham. I used Vicky Pham's recipe to make caramel sauce, which I do think is the best option here to add a wonderful flavor to the meatballs, if you are willing to give it a try. Just do be careful, obviously, when the caramel is hot.

You can make the meatballs ahead of time and refrigerate them. The resting time helps the flavors to mingle more, too. Traditionally, the meat is cooked over a charcoal grill and that is the best if you can. But even a griddle pan indoors helps to bring out plenty of delicious flavor.

How do you eat bun cha?

One warning comes with this dish - it can be a bit messy! You traditionally try to take a little of everything to get all the flavors together. So try to pick up some meat, noodles and herbs/lettuce, all dipped in the dipping sauce. With chopsticks, just to make it trickier!

But the mix of flavors and textures is worth the messiness, believe me. 

In the South of the country, this dish is sometimes slightly different (and called bun thit nuong) and served all together. In the North, the noodles and herbs are always on the side. Then the meatballs (and pork belly, if included) are served in a small bowl in with the dipping sauce. I typically just put a few in at a time partly for space, but also so they don't sit too long and disintegrate.

Bun cha has a few components, but each is pretty easy to make and they all come together to make one truly delicious dish. Comforting, packed with flavor and sure to win you over in no time.

Try these other tasty meatball dishes:

• Kofte-style lamb meatballs in a tomato pepper sauce
• Keftedes (Greek meatballs with mint)
• Pork meatballs with arugula and lemon
• Thai basil pork meatballs with peanut sauce
• Plus get more Southeast Asian recipes in the archives.

If you're a noodle fan, you might also like to try japchae, a Korean stir fry using sweet potato starch noodles, and Taiwanese pumpkin rice noodles.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

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