Vietnamese Beef Meatball Salad - Bun Cha
Vietnamese flavoured meatballs served with a crunchy fresh salad all coated in a zingy dressing. This is an easy dinner for hot summer nights. Prepare the meatballs in the morning and leave in the fridge for a quick cook later!
Serves 4
Effort: Easy
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Gluten free
Ingredients
Meatballs
500g beef mince
3 tbsp Trang Hue BBQ marinade
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup spring onion, finely chopped
pinch of salt & pepper
Salad
200g vermicelli noodles
2 carrots, julienne or grated
1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
lettuce leaves - cos
4 spring onion, thinly sliced lengthways
1/2 cucumber, sliced into batons
fresh mint & coriander
Vietnamese Dressing
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tbsp Trang Hue BBQ marinade
3 tsp caster sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
Fresh chilli, diced finely - optional
Instructions
In a bowl combine the meatball ingredients together. Shape into 16 mini balls and flatten each one slightly before placing on a plate.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a skillet over medium high heat, add the meatballs and cook for 2 1/2 minutes or until golden. Flip, cook for 2 minutes more then remove from the pan.
Meanwhile, place noodles in a bowl & pour over boiling water and soak per packet directions. Drain, rinse with cold water & set aside.
Julienne the carrot, thinly slice the other salad veg & wash the lettuce.
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together. Add diced chilli if using, stir through. Taste & adapt to suit your taste buds - adding more sugar for sweetness or vinegar for tang.
Assemble the Bun Cha platter - arrange the noodles on the platter, followed by the lettuce leaves, sliced veggies & bowl of salad dressing
Top with cooked meatballs and serve the fresh herbs on the side.
Place in the middle of the table, create your own Bun Cha bowl with lashings of dressing & fresh herbs.
Hints & tips
Mince - Easily swap to chicken or pork mince in this recipe.
Salad veg - Swap veggies for any summer veg you have to hand. Finely sliced green beans, cabbage or ribboned zucchini would all work. Any type of pickled veg would be a delicious extra too!
Dressing - This is a thin dressing meant to be slurped up. Leftover dressing will keep in the fridge for a week.
Serving suggestion - Make Bun Cha bowls. Use lettuce to make cups loaded with Bun Cha flavours. Looking for something more subsantial - turn leftovers into banh mi using baguettes.
Portion size - Serves 4 or 2 with leftovers. Can easily double.
Storage - Store in the fridge covered. Put dressing in a airtight container separately.
