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Bún Chả Salad — Vietnamese Pork Meatball & Noodle Salad

5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Yield 4 servings
Category Lunch/Dinner, Main Dish
Cuisine Vietnamese

Description

A salad version of the traditional Vietnamese pork meatball dish. This salad features loads of crisp veggies, nuoc chom, and tender rice noodles.

Ingredients

Noodles and Salad

  • 8 ounces dry rice vermicelli
  • 1 head Boston lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
  • 1 cup mint leaves

Nuoc Cham

  • ¼ cup fish sauce
  • ¼ cup lime juice (2 limes)
  • 2 tablespoons honey, or cane sugar
  • 1 small Thai chile or serrano, stemmed and minced
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced

Pork Patties

  • cup minced scallions, green onions
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1 pound ground pork

Instructions

  • Cook noodles per packet directions. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. spread on a large plate and set aside.
  • Arrange lettuce, cucumber, cilantro, and mint in a large serving platter. Drop noodles in bunches around salad.
  • For the nuoc chom, combine ½ cup water, ¼ cup fish sauce, lime juice, honey, minced chile, and garlic; set aside.
    minced scallions in a measuring cup filled with water and fish sauce
  • Combine scallions, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, sugar, baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in medium bowl.
    minced scallions in a light brown bowl with a fork sitting in it
  • Add pork and mix until well combined.
    ground pork minced with scallions in a light brown bowl
  • Divide pork into 12 portions then form into patties, each about 2½ inches wide and ½ inch thick.
    uncooked pork patties on a large white plate
  • Preheat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add patties in a single layer (depending on size of skillet, you may need to cook the patties in two batches); cook until browned on first side, 3–4 minutes. Flip, and continue to cook until browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the centers registers 160ºF, 3–4 minutes more.
    cooked pork patties in a cast-iron skillet
  • Transfer cooked patties to nuoc cham and gently toss to coat. Let stand in sauce 5 minutes.
    cooked pork patties in a marinade in a glass bowl
  • Arrange patties over noodles in serving bowl with salad. Drizzle nuoc chom over patties. Build personalized bowls as desired and serve with additional nuoc chom.

Notes

Charcoal Grill: Open bottom and lid vent completely. Light chimney filled with charcoal. When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour over half of grill. Arrange cooking grate over coals, place grill lid over top, preheat 5 minutes. Grill over coals as directed in recipe.
Gas Grill: Preheat grill on high for 15 minutes. Cook patties over high as directed in recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of recipeCalories: 570kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 25gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 2321mgFiber: 2gSugar: 13g
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