Bun cha Hang Manh

Perhaps in any talk about Hanoi cuisine, bun cha often comes up as a favorite of many generations of Vietnamese. The dish is simple but boasts a very special flavor that never gets boring. The ingredients are very simple, common and easy to find, but making cha requires great meticulousness in every step, from choosing meat, rice vermicelli and even accompanying herbs to making dipping sauce so that everything blends harmoniously. The pork used to make cha must contain both lean and fat in each piece so that after grilled, the meat does not turn dry or contains too much fat. The fresh meat is thoroughly seasoned with salt, onions, lime leaves, caramel sauce… and left for long enough to absorb the spices fully. Cha can be full pieces of pork or pork patties. Pork belly is sliced into pieces, while the loin is minced and formed into patties. The meat is placed in a pair cooking grates and charcoal grilled on high heat, with the cooking grates flipped regularly so that the meat does not get burned. The grilled meat Bun cha (Rice vermicelli with grilled pork patties, herbs and dipping sauce) 10 11 HANOI’S CUISINEHANOI’S CUISINE One of world’s best street foods should have a golden brown color with darker shades on the sides, feel crispy and tastes sweet. The dipping sauce is made with fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, water, chopped chilies and garlic and sprinkled with some ground black pepper. The dish is served with a plate of rice vermicelli, the tangled, thinner type, soft and not crushed easily. Lettuce, water mint from Lang, coriander, Vietnamese balm and perilla… are washed, let dry and served. Furthermore, there may be vegetable pickled made from papayas or kohlrabies and carrots, carved, sliced thinly and marinated with vinegar, that adds more flavor to the dish.