BUN CHA (Vietnamese Meatball Vermicelli Bowl) 😍

The first time I was exposed to Vietnamese food was 7 years ago, when my little small town of Monterey, CA got a fast-food style Vietnamese restaurant called Chopstix, where I pretty much blew all my allowance on their Pork Vermicelli Bowl (Bún Thịt Nướng). It has slowly become on of my absolute favorite cuisines, because every Vietnamese dish I try has that perfect balance of salty, tangy, sweet, and spiciness to it.

While running my recipe plans for the week by my roommate, who is part Vietnamese, I was trying to think of a way to turn the same flavors of that bowl into a meatball, and she jumps up and yells “Bun Cha!”  – so apparently that already exists 😂 Brainstorming with her, we put this recipe together and I swear this is gonna be in my meal prep rotation every other week because it is SO. DAMN. FLAVORFUL. Add this to your list of recipes to make ASAP!

Ingredients:

For the Bun Cha (Vietnamese Meatballs):

• 1 lb ground pork

• 3 chopped scallions

• 3 cloves minced garlic

• 2 tsps white sugar

• 1 tsp white pepper

• 1 tsp rice vinegar

• 2 tbsps fish sauce (I like Red Boat brand)

• 1 tsp maggi (or sub for soy sauce)

• 1-2 tbsps lemongrass paste

• Pinch of salt

• Avocado oil or vegetable oil for cooking

• ½ package vermicelli noodles

• Butter lettuce

• Cilantro

• Hoisin sauce

• Mint for topping (optional)

• Carrots (optional)

• Peanuts (optional)

• Thai chili (optional)

For the Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce):

• ⅓ cup water

• 2 tbsps white sugar

• 2 tbsps fish sauce

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• Juice from 1 lime

• ½-1 thai chili , sliced thinly

• 2 cloves minced garlic

Directions:

For the Bun Cha:

• Start by making your meatballs. Add scallions, garlic, sugar, white pepper, rice vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, lemongrass paste, and pinch of salt to ground pork. Mix together until well incorporated.

• Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

• Meanwhile, make your dipping sauce by microwaving water and sugar for 30 seconds and mix until sugar is dissolved. Add in fish sauce, vinegar, lime juice, chili, and garlic and stir. Refrigerate until serving.

• Form your meatballs into tablespoon size disks. Flatten slightly to form a patty.

• Heat up a grill pan or skillet on high heat and brush on your oil.

• Add your meatballs in batches, cooking for 2-3 minutes per side.

• Make your vermicelli noodles by covering them in boiling water for 1-4 minutes depending on the thickness of your noodles.

• Drain and rinse under cold water until cooled.

• Assemble by placing lettuce and noodles into a bowl and top with meatballs, cilantro, carrots, mint, peanuts, and Thai chilies. Top with sauce and some hoisin sauce and enjoy!

  Makes 3-4 servings