Bún Chả is a refreshing and complex Vietnamese dish from Hanoi, famous for its two types of grilled pork (patties and slices) served in a sweet-and-sour dipping broth (nước chấm), accompanied by a mountain of cold rice vermicelli and fresh herbs.

Prep Time	Cook Time	Serves
45 minutes	20 minutes	4

Part A: Ingredients

Pork

• 1 lb Ground Pork (for patties), $1/2$ lb Pork Shoulder or Belly (thinly sliced).
• Marinade: 2 Tbsp Fish Sauce, 1 Tbsp Sugar, 1 Tbsp Minced Shallots, 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic, 1 tsp Black Pepper.

Dipping Sauce (Nước Chấm)

• 1/4 cup Fish Sauce, 1/4 cup Sugar, 1/4 cup Lime Juice (fresh), 1 cup Warm Water, 1 Garlic Clove (sliced), 1 Red Chili (thinly sliced), 1 Tbsp Vinegar.

Serve

• 1 lb Rice Vermicelli Noodles (Bún), Lettuce Leaves, Mint, Perilla, and Cilantro (a variety of fresh herbs).

Part B: Instructions

Step 1: Marinate the Pork

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together.
2. Divide the marinade into two: use half to coat the sliced pork and the other half to mix thoroughly with the ground pork.
3. Form the ground pork into small, flat patties (about 1 inch thick). Marinate both types of pork for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Prepare the Sauce and Sides

1. Noodles: Cook the vermicelli according to package directions, drain, and rinse in cold water.
2. Nước Chấm: Whisk the fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, water, and vinegar until the sugar dissolves. Add the sliced garlic and chili. The sauce should be balanced sweet, sour, and savory.

Step 3: Grill the Pork

1. Preheat a grill or broiler to medium-high heat.
2. Grill the pork patties and the sliced pork for 4-6 minutes per side, until cooked through and nicely charred.

Step 4: Assembly

• Gently warm the dipping sauce (Nước Chấm).
• Place the grilled pork patties and slices directly into the warm dipping sauce bowls.
• Serve bowls of the pork-and-sauce mixture alongside platters of cold vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs.
• To Eat: Diners assemble each bite by dipping a handful of noodles and herbs into the bowl of sauce with the pork.