Vietnamese Bún Chả Rice Noodle Bowls
Bún Chả Noodle Bowls
Grilled Vietnamese pork patties served with rice vermicelli, crisp herbs, quick pickles, and a bright nước chấm dipping sauce.
Bún chả is a Hanoi-style meal built around smoky pork, cool rice noodles, fresh herbs, pickled vegetables, and a dipping sauce that is salty, sweet, sour, and gently spicy. This bowl version keeps the same balance while arranging everything for an easy home dinner: each serving gets noodles, grilled patties, crunchy vegetables, and plenty of nước chấm for spooning over the top.
The pork patties are seasoned with fish sauce, garlic, shallot, a little sugar, and black pepper, then grilled until the edges caramelize. A short rest in a spoonful of warm sauce helps them stay juicy and lets the seasoning mingle with the noodles once the bowls are assembled.
Quick-pickled carrot and daikon bring the sharp crunch that makes bún chả feel complete. They only need about 20 minutes in rice vinegar, sugar, and salt, which is just enough time to cook the noodles, wash the herbs, and heat the grill.
Serve the bowls with mint, cilantro, lettuce, cucumber, lime, and sliced chile so every bite can be adjusted at the table. The recipe is best eaten right away, but the patties, pickles, and sauce can be prepared ahead and chilled for a faster meal.
Nutrition (per serving)
Directions
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1
Stir the carrot, daikon, rice vinegar, sugar for pickles, and kosher salt in a bowl until the vegetables are coated. Let stand for at least 20 minutes, tossing once or twice.
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2
Mix the ground pork with fish sauce for pork, sugar for pork, shallot, garlic, and black pepper until evenly seasoned. Shape the mixture into 12 small patties about 1/2 inch thick.
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3
Whisk the warm water, lime juice, fish sauce for dipping sauce, sugar for dipping sauce, and sliced chile until the sugar dissolves. Taste and add a little more lime juice or fish sauce if needed.
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4
Cook the rice vermicelli according to the package directions, then rinse under cool water and drain well. Shake off excess water so the noodles do not dilute the sauce.
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5
Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat and lightly oil the grates. Grill the pork patties for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until browned at the edges and cooked through.
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6
Transfer the hot patties to a shallow bowl and spoon 2 tablespoons of the dipping sauce over them. Rest for 5 minutes while preparing the bowls.
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7
Divide the noodles among serving bowls, then add lettuce, cucumber, mint, cilantro, drained pickles, and the grilled pork patties.
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8
Serve with the remaining dipping sauce on the side so each bowl can be dressed at the table.
Ingredients
- ground pork:1 1/4 lb
- rice vermicelli noodles:12 oz
- fish sauce for pork:2 tbsp
- granulated sugar for pork:1 tbsp
- shallot, finely minced:1
- garlic cloves, finely minced:3
- black pepper:1/2 tsp
- carrot, cut into thin matchsticks:1 cup
- daikon radish, cut into thin matchsticks:1 cup
- rice vinegar:1/2 cup
- granulated sugar for pickles:2 tbsp
- kosher salt:1 tsp
- warm water:3/4 cup
- lime juice:1/4 cup
- fish sauce for dipping sauce:1/4 cup
- granulated sugar for dipping sauce:3 tbsp
- red chile, thinly sliced:1
- small romaine lettuce leaves:2 cups
- English cucumber, thinly sliced:1
- fresh mint leaves:1 cup
- fresh cilantro sprigs:1 cup
Tips & Notes
- For the best texture, mix the pork just until the seasonings are evenly distributed; overmixing can make the patties dense.
- If using a charcoal grill, cook the patties over a medium-hot zone so the sugar caramelizes without burning.
- The pickles and dipping sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated separately.
