Bun Cha (Grilled Pork with Noodle) – Traditional Vietnamese Cuisine
Bun Cha is supposed to originate in Hanoi, but it is also popular in many other Northern areas of Vietnam. This dish can be found at every corner of Hanoi, from big streets to small alleys. People in Hanoi eat these grilled pork meatballs with vermicelli noodles for either lunch or dinner. Read on for more details.
What is Bun Cha?
“Bún chả” is a Vietnamese dish of grilled pork, noodles coming with a heap of pickles and fresh herbs. “Bún” means fresh white rice vermicelli, and “Chả” is pork belly and meatballs grilled on charcoal. Two amazing major ingredients are served with the unmissable dipping sauce including fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, hot chilly, black pepper, which surely determines the dish’s quality.
Fresh herbs are an essential part of Vietnamese food, and you’ll get large bowls served along every time for Bun Cha. Bean sprouts, mint and coriander are the most common, as well as pickled green papaya, carrot and cucumber.
How do we eat?
The way to eat food is also a very important factor that can influence the nutritional value of food. Eating with chopsticks, using multiple dishes, and sharing with people allows you to eat more slowly, to chew the food longer and in the end causes a better digestion and assimilation of nutrients, without overloading the digestive system. Bun Cha is definitely one of those dishes that you share and eat family style.
In Bun Cha, the meat is separated from the noodles. In fact, the meat is actually sitting in the dipping sauce. One way to enjoy this dish and also the most Hanoian is to use chopsticks to pick up some noodles, dunk them into the sauce and then eat with meatballs and herbs. Another way is to add the noodles, lettuce and herbs to a serving bowl, spoon over the dipping sauce with meatballs into the bowl, and then eat.
Regardless of the way you choose to eat it, one bite will light up your taste buds with many flavors, aromas and textures.
Where can you find good Bun Cha in Hanoi?
Restaurants or street food stalls selling bun cha usually look modest with basic plastic tables and chairs. Of course, you can find this dish on the menu of fancier restaurants, but those aren’t the places the locals go to eat Bun cha. Even Chef Anthony Bourdain chose a street food shop to treat the former President Obama to Bun cha in his Parts Unknown series. Let’s have a look at our top list where you can have the best dish of Bun Cha in Hanoi:
Bun Cha Huong Lien – well-known as Bun Cha Obama
Address: 24 Le Van Huu Street, Hai Ba Trung Dist, Ha Noi
Opening time: 08:00 – 20:30
Pricing: 40,000VND – 60,000VND/person
Bun Cha Ha Noi
Address: 34 Hang Than Street, Ba Dinh Dist, Ha Noi
Opening time: 08:30 – 17:00
Pricing: 35,000VND – 55,000VND/person
Bun Cha Dac Kim
Address: 01 Hang Manh Street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Ha Noi
Opening time: 09:00 – 21:00
Pricing: 30,000VND – 45,000VND/person
Bun Cha Hang Quat
Address: 74 Hang Quat, Hoan Kiem Dist, Ha Noi
Opening time: 10:00 – 14:00
Pricing: 30,000VND – 45,000VND/person
