Bun Cha

SERVES 4

GLUTEN-FREE · DAIRY-FREE · PALEO IF MODIFIED · GRAIN-FREE IF MODIFIED

Total time: 40 minutes

Vietnamese Spicy Pork Meatballs with Fresh Noodle Salad

One of my all-time favorite restaurants is Elizabeth Street Cafe in Austin, Texas. Anytime I’m visiting, it’s always on the top of my to-do list as far as eats go. They make an incredible marinated pork bun that I order every time I go, which I realized I could re-create at home—with my own healthier spin, of course. Since pork can easily dry out when grilled, I decided it’d be best to do pork meatballs instead. Best decision I’ve ever made! These pork meatballs are everything I have ever dreamed of in meatball form—a little spicy, a little tangy, a little ginger-y. Plus I serve them with nuoc cham, a Vietnamese dipping sauce that has an irresistible sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavor. It keeps for up to 4 months in the fridge, so I highly recommend using it to brighten seafood, add a salty tang to beef or pork, or simply spooning it over steamed rice or noodles for an easy, delicious dinner.

This dish has quickly become one of my husband’s most-requested and is one of my personal favorites, too.

• for the nuoc cham sauce
• ⅓ cup fish sauce (I use Red Boat)
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 to 3 bird’s eye chiles, very thinly sliced (1 for mild, 3 for hot)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• for the pork meatballs
• 2 pounds ground pork
• 1 medium shallot, minced (3 tablespoons)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bird’s eye chiles, very thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (I use Red Boat)
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 1 (½-inch) piece fresh ginger, finely grated
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive or avocado oil, for frying
• to assemble
• 4 cups mixed spring greens
• 2 small carrots, cut into matchsticks
• 1 medium English cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced into matchsticks
• 1½ cups bean sprouts
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves
• ¼ cup fresh Thai or regular basil leaves
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 8 ounces rice vermicelli noodles, cooked according to package directions (replace with daikon radish if paleo or grain-free)
• Lime wedges
• 1 cup cashews, roughly chopped

make the nuoc cham sauce In a medium bowl, combine ⅔ cup water with the fish sauce, lime juice, coconut sugar, rice vinegar, chiles, and garlic. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

make the pork meatballs In a large bowl, combine the pork, shallot, garlic, chiles, fish sauce, coconut aminos, ginger, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to mix until just combined.

Scoop 2 tablespoons of the meatball mixture at a time onto a parchment-lined plate and use your hands to form each into a ball. Repeat until you’ve used all the meat.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat the oil. Working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan, add the meatballs and arrange them in a single layer. Fry them on all sides until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the meatballs are cooked through or no longer pink, 4 to 6 minutes more. Transfer the meatballs to a paper towel–lined plate.

to assemble Divide the spring greens, carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts, mint, basil, and cilantro among four bowls. Add the meatballs and ½ cup of the cooked noodles to each bowl (if using). Spoon your desired amount of nuoc cham sauce over the bowls, add the lime wedges, and sprinkle with the chopped cashews.

from MY KITCHEN to YOURS

My kiddos love this dish. To keep it mild enough for their taste buds, though, I only use one bird’s eye chile in both the meat and the sauce when I serve this to them.