Vietnamese Bún Chả (Hanoi Grilled Pork with Rice Vermicelli)

Combine the ground pork with fish sauce, sugar, and minced shallot. Mix until cohesive. Form into small, slightly flat patties, 3–4 cm in diameter and 1.5 cm thick. In a separate bowl, combine the pork belly slices with fish sauce, sugar, and minced shallot. Turn to coat evenly. Thread the belly slices loosely onto bamboo skewers. Allow both preparations to marinate while the charcoal is prepared. The marinade is fully absorbed when the surfaces of the meat appear slightly tacky and the sugar has dissolved — no visible liquid should pool at the base of the bowl.

Light charcoal and allow it to reach full heat — the coals should be glowing white-grey with no remaining black patches and should radiate intense, steady heat when a hand is held 10 cm above the grate. Position the grill grate 5–8 cm above the coals. This proximity and temperature are what the preparation requires.

Place the patties and skewered belly slices over the charcoal. Grill 3–4 minutes per side without moving. This is where the dish lives or dies: the pork must be left to develop a deep, visibly charred exterior — patches of dark, caramelised crust with charred fat at the edges. The instinct to remove the pork before this point produces a pale, under-developed result. The char is the preparation, not an error. Turn once; the second side should match the first. The pork is done when the exterior is dark and slightly crisped in patches, the fat at the edges is rendered and caramelised, and the smoke from the charcoal is actively flavouring the meat.

While the pork grills, combine the nước chấm and water in equal parts. Warm gently — the broth should be hot enough to steam but not at a rolling simmer. Add the sliced green papaya or cucumber if using. Transfer the grilled patties and belly slices directly into the warm broth at service; the pork fat and juices will render into it, enriching the liquid. The broth is ready when it carries the faint scent of rendered pork fat rising with the steam.

Arrange the cooled rice vermicelli in a separate bowl or on a plate. Set the fresh herbs and lettuce alongside. Serve the bowls of warm broth with the grilled pork floating in it next to the cool noodles and the herb plate. The diner combines each mouthful to taste — noodles dipped into or ladled with broth, wrapped in herbs and lettuce as preferred. The contrast between warm broth and cool noodles should be perceptible at the table.