bún chả

a take on Vietnamese-style grilled turkey and prawn meatballs, served in a tangy sauce with rice vermicelli, a side of pickled kohlrabi and carrot, and fresh herbs

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Bún chả

Serve: 6 portions

Ingredients

Meatballs (18 patties)

• 600g turkey breast

• 300g deshelled prawns

• 3 garlic cloves

• 1 shallot

• 1 lemongrass

• 2 bird’s eye chillis

• 50g coriander stems

• 50g oyster sauce

• 30g fish sauce

• 1 whole egg

• black pepper

• sea salt

Sauce

• 300g lime juice

• 80g fish sauce

• 60g white sugar

• 200 hot water

• 2 bird’s eye chillis

• 2 garlic cloves

Pickles

• 2 carrots

• 1 kohlrabi

• 150g vinegar

• 70g white sugar

• 150g hot water

• sea salt

For serving

• 400g rice vermicelli

• salad leaves

• fresh coriander

• fresh mint

• bird’s eye chillis

• garlic cloves

• lime

Extra note

• While this dish can be made in a single day, I recommend spreading it over two days for the best flavour. On the first day, prepare the prawn and turkey mixture and let it rest in the fridge so the flavours have time to develop. You can also make the pickles at this stage. Then, on the second day, prepare the sauce, cook the rice vermicelli, finish the meat, and bring everything together for serving

• I used a mix of turkey and prawns for the patties, but if you’d like to go for the more traditional route for bún chả, opt for minced pork for the patties and marinated pork belly

Method

FIRST DAY

Meat

Peel away the tough outer lemongrass layers with your hands until you reach the white and fragrant part. Cut off the bottom (about 0,5 cm) and the top part (around 7 cm). Thinly slice the lemongrass, then finely chop it with a sharp knife as shown below.

Finely dice one shallot, two chillies, and mince three cloves of garlic. Pick the coriander leaves and set them aside, then thinly slice the stems.

Next, if you prefer your prawns deveined, feel free to do so - though I skipped this step, as I don't find it makes much difference in taste.

Place the prawns into a food processor and blend until you achieve a coarse, paste-like consistency, as shown below.

Transfer the prawn mixture to a bowl, then roughly chop the turkey breasts into smaller chunks. Add the turkey pieces to the same food processor and pulse until the turkey reaches a mince-like texture. If your food processor is on the smaller side, work in two batches. Once done, combine the turkey with the prawn mixture.

Add the chopped shallot, chillies, garlic, lemongrass, and sliced coriander stems to the prawn and turkey mixture. Then, mix in the oyster sauce, fish sauce, an egg, and a pinch of black pepper and salt.

Mix everything until well combined. If you’re unsure about the seasoning, heat a small pan with a bit of vegetable oil and cook a tiny portion to taste. Adjust with more salt if needed.

Once you're happy with the flavour, cover the mixture with cling film and refrigerate it.

Pickles

Heat water in a kettle. Once hot, measure out 150 grams and pour it into a bowl. Add 70 grams of sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Add 150 grams of vinegar. Set the mixture aside to cool.

Prepare kohlrabi:

• Trim off the leaves, the top and the bottom using a sharp knife

• Peel the outer skin and cut the bulb in half

• Halve each piece again

• Take one of the quarters and slice it into two segments

• Cut the segments into thin slices, about 2 mm thick

• Repeat the steps with the rest of the kohlrabi

Carve two carrots into flowers:

• Peel the carrot and trim the ends off

• Cut the carrot into 5 cm segments

• Using a very sharp knife, make an angled cut into the carrot until you reach the darker orange core

• About 5 mm away, make a second angled cut, forming a small V-shaped groove

• Repeat the V-shaped cuts around the carrot to create the look of flowers

• Place the curved carrot piece horizontally and cut 3 mm slices

• Continue the process with the remaining pieces

Add a pinch of salt to the vegetables and gently massage them with your fingertips. Let them sit for about 20 minutes.

If there’s any water at the bottom of the bowl after salting, drain it off. Then, pour the brine over the carrots and kohlrabi, and let it sit overnight to pickle.

SECOND DAY

Sauce

Heat water in a kettle.

Meanwhile, juice the limes, and finely dice two garlic cloves and two bird’s eye chillies.

In a bowl, measure out 100 grams of hot water. Add white sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Stir in the fish sauce, then add the chopped garlic and chillies, mixing well to combine.

Rice vermicelli

Cook the rice vermicelli according to the package instructions.

Once done, drain them in a colander and rinse under cold water a couple of times. This helps stop the cooking process and prevents the noodles from sticking together.

Finish meat

Shape the mixture into 18 evenly sized flat patties. For consistency, you can use a kitchen scale - each patty should weigh approximately 60 grams.

Serving

Chop garlic cloves and slice chillis for serving, and set aside.

Arrange the salad leaves, fresh coriander, extra lime wedges, and rice vermicelli on a plate.

Pour the sauce into a small pan and warm it gently over low heat - it just needs to be slightly heated, not hot.

Heat vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully add the patties and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, or until they're golden brown and cooked through. When done, transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.

Place the patties in a bowl, then ladle the lime sauce over them. Add pickles, chopped garlic, and chillies on top. To eat it, dip a small portion of noodles, lettuce, and coriander into the sauce, and enjoy them together with the meatballs.