Vietnamese Bun Cha, Grilled Meat with Noodles
Bun cha is not a mixed dish — the sauce (nuoc cham) is served in a warm bowl holding the grilled meat and the pickles, with the noodles and herbs alongside, and everyone dips. What gives the dish its character is the balance of that sauce: salty, sour, sweet and hot.
- Prep
- 90 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 110 min
- Calories
- 480
Bun cha is Hanoi's famous lunch dish. Meat grilled over charcoal in a diluted fish sauce with pickled carrot, alongside cold rice noodles and a basket of fresh herbs. The contrast between hot and cold is the pleasure of it.
Method
-
1
Marinate
Mix the marinade ingredients and divide them between the minced meat and the sliced meat. Refrigerate at least an hour.
⏱ 65 min -
2
The pickle
Put the carrot and radish in a mixture of two spoonfuls of vinegar, a spoonful of sugar and a pinch of salt for 30 minutes.
⏱ 32 min -
3
The nuoc cham
Dissolve the sugar in the warm water, then add the fish sauce, lime, garlic and chilli. Taste it — it should be balanced between salty, sour and sweet, and light rather than concentrated.
⏱ 6 min -
4
The patties
Shape the minced meat into small flat patties (5 cm).
⏱ 8 min -
5
Grill
Over charcoal or a very hot griddle pan, grill the patties and slices for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges brown and caramelise.
⏱ 12 min -
6
The noodles
Boil the noodles, rinse them in cold water and drain. They are served cold.
⏱ 8 min -
7
Assemble
In a bowl for each person: warm nuoc cham + the grilled meat + the pickle. Alongside, a plate of cold noodles and a basket of herbs.
⏱ 5 min -
8
Eat
Each person takes some noodles and herbs and dips them into their bowl of sauce and meat.
Cooked it? Rate it
Your rating tells the next cook whether this recipe is worth their time.
✓ Thanks — your rating is in.
Tips that actually matter
- The sauce is light, not concentrated — it is a dipping bath, not a dressing.
- Taste the sauce and adjust it: salty, sour and sweet must balance.
- Cold noodles and hot meat — that contrast is part of the dish.
- Herbs in large quantity — Vietnamese eat them by the handful, not as a garnish.
People also ask
What is nuoc cham?
The fundamental Vietnamese dipping sauce: fish sauce diluted with water, sugar, lime, garlic and chilli. Its strength varies by dish, and here it is light because you dip into it.
What can replace fish sauce?
Light soy sauce with a pinch of salt and a drop of vinegar. Not the same depth, but it works. Fish sauce is available in Asian grocers.
How is it different from pho?
Pho is a hot soup with the noodles eaten in it. In bun cha the noodles are cold and separate and the meat sits in a warm dipping sauce — a lighter, summery dish.
Cook mode
Vietnamese Bun Cha, Grilled Meat with Noodles
-
1
Marinate
Mix the marinade ingredients and divide them between the minced meat and the sliced meat. Refrigerate at least an hour.
-
2
The pickle
Put the carrot and radish in a mixture of two spoonfuls of vinegar, a spoonful of sugar and a pinch of salt for 30 minutes.
-
3
The nuoc cham
Dissolve the sugar in the warm water, then add the fish sauce, lime, garlic and chilli. Taste it — it should be balanced between salty, sour and sweet, and light rather than concentrated.
-
4
The patties
Shape the minced meat into small flat patties (5 cm).
-
5
Grill
Over charcoal or a very hot griddle pan, grill the patties and slices for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges brown and caramelise.
-
6
The noodles
Boil the noodles, rinse them in cold water and drain. They are served cold.
-
7
Assemble
In a bowl for each person: warm nuoc cham + the grilled meat + the pickle. Alongside, a plate of cold noodles and a basket of herbs.
-
8
Eat
Each person takes some noodles and herbs and dips them into their bowl of sauce and meat.
Comments
Cooked it? Tell us how it went, or ask a question — we read every comment.