Our bún chả Hanoi brings a mouthwatering combination of grilled pork patties (chả) and pork slices in a punchy dipping sauce served with vermicelli noodles (bún) and an abundance of fresh herbs.
Having born and grown up in Hanoi, my dad's love for northern Vietnamese food runs deep. His all time favorite dish, bypassing even pho, is bún chả, a specialty of Hanoi with a mouthwatering combination of grilled pork patties (chả) and pork belly in a punch dipping sauce served with vermicelli noodles (bún), and an abundance of fresh herbs.
My dad reminisced how the smoke wafting from the charcoal grills alone made him salivate everyday he biked home from school in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. This iconic dish earned an international spotlight when President Obama and Anthony Bourdain were seen enjoying a meal on an episode of Parts Unknown. It was a proud moment for me as a Vietnamese! Every family has their own version of bún chả Hanoi, and I couldn’t be more excited to share our family recipe with you.
What Kind of Meat to Use
Traditional bún chả Hanoi has both grilled pork patties and sliced fatty pork or pork belly. With both my parents having high cholesterol, we typically use sliced pork butt which has some fat but not as fatty as pork belly. For the pork patties, I like to use ground pork butt which is a bit fattier compared to other cuts. If you're using lean ground pork, make sure to add twenty to twenty five percent pork fat to keep the patties moist. Refrigerate both the pork mixture for patties and sliced pork for 2 hours to let the flavor develop.
Tips for Grilling Meat
When it comes to grilling, the charcoal grill takes the flavor to the next level. Using a grill pan over the stove or roasting it in the oven won’t give you that authentic bún chả Hanoi experience. Take the pork patties and marinated pork out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling, allowing the meat to cook more evenly from edge center.
Place the coals on one side of the grill, let the temperature rise to about 375-400 degrees F before tossing any meat on it. Start the pork on the hot side of the grill which will sear the meat and begin to caramelize the sugar. Move the meat to the cooler side to let them finish cooking. By using indirect heat, the result is a tender piece of meat without the seared black marks signaling inconsistent cooking.
How to Make the Pickled Vegetables
I use a simple mixture of water, sugar, and rice vinegar for the pickle juice. Cut the carrot into thin slices crosswise. Slice the green papaya into 1 inch long and ⅛ inch thick. Pickle them for 2 hours until you’re ready to eat.
What to Serve Meat With
Traditional bún chả Hanoi is served with vermicelli noodles along with lettuce and herbs like Vietnamese mint (rau răm), Thai basil (húng quế ), peppermint (húng lui), and Vietnamese perilla (tiá tô), pickled carrot and green papaya, and a sweet and tangy dipping sauce (nuoc cham).
How to Eat Bún Chả
In Saigon, bún thịt nướng is served in a bowl whereas the herbs, noodles, and meat are presented separately in Hanoi. Both the grilled pork and pork patties are plunged into the dipping sauce where the smoky flavor and juices from the meat bring a wonderful depth of flavor. To eat, use your chopsticks to grab some noodles and herbs, dip them in the dipping sauce, pick up some of the meat, and slurp everything up. For convenience, I just pile everything in a bowl.
Bún chả Hanoi is hands down one of my favorite Northern Vietnamese dishes. The smoky, flavorful, tender meat along with noodles and fresh herbs are a feast for the senses. Your taste buds will rejoice the moment you slurp up everything in one bite. Having eaten bun cha for over 70 years, my dad is quite particular about how bún chả Hanoi tastes. My dad gave me his stamp of approval for this dish which was a special moment in my culinary journey. With my recipe you can make this iconic Vietnamese dish in the comfort of your kitchen!
Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patties With Vermicelli Bún chả Hanoi
Ingredients
Pork Patties
- 1 pound ground pork butt
- 2 ounces pork fat
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- ¼ cup minced shallot
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper (1 teaspoon if you like a bit more heat)
Marinated Pork
- 1 pound sliced pork butt
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped shallot
- ¼ cup chopped scallion
Pickled Vegetables
- 4 ounces carrot, peeled, cut crosswide about ⅛ inch thick
- 4 ounces papaya, cut into 1 inch length and ⅛ inch thick
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ½ cup sugar
Dipping sauce
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 red bird's eye chili, thinly sliced (optional)
Assembly
- 10 ounces vermicelli noodles
- 1 head of butter lettuce, shredded
- 1 bunch mint, picked and washed
- 1 bunch Vietnamese mint, picked and washed
- 1 Thai basil, picked and washed
- 1 perilla, picked and washed
- dipping sauce for serving
- pickled vegetables for serving
Instructions
Pickled Vegetables
- To make the pickle liquid, combine water, vinegar, and sugar in a bowl and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
- Divide the pickle juice into two bowls. Add carrots and papaya separately in each bowl. Let the vegetables pickle for 2 hours.
Pork Patties
- In a large bowl, combine ground pork, pork fat, garlic, shallot, fish sauce, sugar, and pepper and mix well. Cover bowl and refrigerate mixture for 2 hours to let flavor develop.
- Weigh out about 2 ounces of pork mixture. Form the pork mixture into small patties with oiled hands, about 3 inches in diameter. Put the formed patties on a tray lined with parchment paper.
Pork Marinade
- Combine the hot water and sugar in a bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- In a large lidded container, combine the sugar water, fish sauce, vegetable oil, scallion, shallot, and garlic. Mix everything together. Add the pork and toss well to coat.
- Cover the container and put the pork in the fridge and let it marinate for 2 hours.
Grilling
- Set up the charcoal grill by placing coals on one side and lighting them. Rake the coals to create a flat even bed to create an even steady heat zone.
- Once the coals have burned down to about 375-400 degrees F, place the pork patties and marinated pork over the coals to sear for a minute on each side.
- Move the meat to the opposite side, frequently turning for 6 minutes for pork patties and 4 minutes for marinated pork or until cooked through. Transfer cooked meat to a serving plate.
Dipping Sauce
- To make the dipping sauce, combine everything in a bowl and whisk together until combined. Set aside until ready to serve.
Assembly
- Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and run under cold water. Drain again and set aside.
- Place the noodles, lettuce, and herbs on one platter.
- Divide the pork and pork patties between 6 dipping bowls. Add the pickled vegetables and pour the dipping sauce into each bowl. Each guest should have their own dipping bowl, with the platter of noodles and herbs in the middle of the table.
- Take a mixture of noodles, herbs and meat, and dip into the warm fish sauce with each mouthful.
- For convenience, put the meat, noodles, lettuce, and herbs into individual bowls. Drizzle the sauce over the bowl and enjoy with pickled vegetables.
Minh
So good! Tasted just like how my grandma made it. The patties were moist and juicy and the sliced pork were flavorful.
Lisa
Made this for my family this weekend and there was no leftover! They thoroughly enjoyed it!
Kim
Restaurant quality!
Beverly
My son had allergies so I was wandering do you have a recommended alternative for fish sauce?
Vy Tran
Hi Beverly! You could try vegan fish sauce. During my Vietnam trip, I visited Red Boat Fish Sauce barrel house to learn about making fish sauce. The founder shared that nowadays, a lot of fish sauce is made in the lab with chemicals instead of using just salt and sardines. Not sure which brand your son tried before resulting in an allergic reaction but it could have been due to the chemicals the company used to synthesize the fish sauce.
Nguyen
Really good flavor! I enjoyed piling everything in a bowl. Then again I'm from the south!
Charlotte
This was my favorite dish to eat in Hanoi. Making this was a lot easier than I thought. So delicious!
BA
So good! You're right about the charcoal grill. I made it using the oven and the taste didn't even come close.
Tran
I made this over the weekend. Everyone enjoyed it!
Thuy
Both meats were flavorful and moist especially the patties. I had some leftover thit nuong and made rolls with them. So good even the next day!
Abby
So good! Our family enjoyed both the patties and sliced pork. The flavor was perfect!
Tuong
So good! Just like the one I had in Hanoi!
Su
Tasted just like the restaurant. I didn't realize it was so easy to make. Thanks for the recipe!
Jane
Wonderful flavor! I made extra thit nuong so I could have leftover the next day.
Jenn
Love the flavor and how easy it was to make the meats!
Molly
Restaurant quality with amazing flavors. It was a lot easier to make that I thought!
Tony
So good! Restaurant quality and reminded me of the places I had in Hanoi!
Andrew
Tasted just like the restaurant but a lot cheaper to make it home!
Vy Tran
Hi Andrew! I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's definitely cheaper to make at home now with inflation.
Sarah
Wonderful! It reminds me of the bun cha from our local restaurant but a lot more flavor!
Emily
So flavorful and easy to make!
Son
Hands down one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes! So good!
Binh
Wonderful flavor! Even better than the restaurant!
Vi
So good! I made it a few times already and we never have any leftovers.
Tran
Another winner! One of my favorites from the blog besides the crepes!
Gabby
One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes! Even better than the restaurant I used to order from. Thanks for the recipe!
Leo
I made this for my family and there was no leftover! This will be a regular. Thanks for the recipe!
Steph
Wow this brought back memory of my trip to Hanoi. I remember their sauce is a little sweeter but this is so good!
Nivek S.
This dish was excellent and I will make it again. I used a gas grill so the flavour might not have been as good as if grilled on charcoal. Still, it was fantastic and as good as what I’ve had in some restaurants. Bonus points for requiring minimal ingredients that are all easy to find. I added some finely chopped fresh cayenne peppers to my patties for a bit of a kick, and I’m sure bird’s eye chillies, sambal oelek, or sriracha would work too.
Vy Tran
Hi Nivek! I'm so excited to hear you enjoyed the dish and will be making it again!! Vietnamese recipes tend to have a long list of ingredients so I try to minimize them without compromising taste whenever possible.
Ekim Htims
It might not be considered traditional, but I made the patties pretty much per the instructions (except I used green onion because I had no shallots). I served them on crusty sourdough baguette with carrots and jalapeños pickled in rice wine vinegar plus sugar and fish sauce, with fresh cilantro leaves and thinly sliced cucumber. I made a sauce/spread of peanut butter (I know, shortcut…) with hoisin, sriracha, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, coconut milk, and garden-fresh Thai basil. All I can say is wow, they were delicious! I hesitate to make too many alterations and take recipes far beyond where they “should” go, but at the same time I do like to adapt things and enjoy combinations that just taste great. This is one time it all worked!
Vy Tran
Wow I'm inspired by your adaptations and glad to hear it worked! I'll keep them in mind for my banh mi recipe. The sauce is similar to what I would make for spring rolls sauce minus the Thai basil and rice wine vinegar.
Grog Manchowder
I made these and I must say that they were just Ok. I would add far more green onion and less shallot, and include some sort of fresh hot pepper to the pork. It was good as posted, but I feel some heat (over and above the cracked pepper) is necessary. I’m trying to not be picky, and the base recipe is really good, but it just needs more of a “punch” with some chillies.I will make it again!
Vy Tran
Hi Grog! Thank you for your feedback. The green onion or shallot is definitely a personal preference. Personally for me, I like a lot of garlic. Because we make these for the kids, we don't put as much freshly ground pepper as we would like and also keep the fresh chilies separate for the sauce. Great to hear you'll make it again!
Ashley
I grilled this for Labor Day weekend along with the bo la lot for our vermicelli noodle bowls. Everything turned out delicious!
Maria
So good! Need a bit more garlic in the sauce though =)