VietnamesefoodwriterVuBang
oncedescribedHanoiasa town
“transfixedbybúncha”.Herein
Australia, we’re equally obsessed.THENOODLES
Bún,orvermicelli,are
thin,quick-cooking
ricenoodles,popular
throughoutAsian
cooking.Here,use
chopstickstopickup
a bite-sizedbundle,
dipin thesauce,and
slurpaway.THEVEGETABLES
If servedin onebowl,
verdant,leafygreensare
piledhigh.Pickled
vegetables,suchas
carrots,daikonandgreen
papaya,areaddedfor
much-neededtangand
crunch.Mintand
corianderbringboth
fragranceandflavour.Find
oneBún cha
W
hilebúnchacomprisesthe
quintessentialflavoursof
Vietnamesecuisine– sweet,salty,
spicyandsour–itsoriginsliestrictly
inthenorth.You’llfindit onnearlyeverymenu
inHanoi,frombustlingrestaurantstochaotic
streetvendors.“Youwon’tfindbúnchaanywhere
elseinVietnam,”saysJerryMai,chefandowner
ofMelbourne’sAnnam,BiaHoiandPhoNom.
“Youmightseeit inSaigon,butonlybecausepeople
havemigratedsouth,”shesays.Búnmeansvermicelli
noodles,whilechais thegenerictermforanysort
ofmeatpattyorsausage;thechaherecomesinthe
formofchargrilledpatties,andis oftenaccompanied
bygrilledslicesofporkbelly.Howit’splatedvaries,
buttypicallyyou’llfindthesauce-brothhybrid
servedontheside.Diptheslipperynoodlesin,
with bites of cha, herbs and salad in between.Forgreatbúncha,JerryMairecommends
RiceKitcheninSouthMelbourne.If you’re
inSydney,headtoVNStreetFoods in
Marrickville or Wolli Creek.THEMEAT
Herethemeatis cookedand
servedin twodifferentways.
Therearethepatties,orcha,
madefromporkminceand
grilledovercharcoal,imbuing
a distinctsmokyflavour.Then
comestheslicedporkbelly,
whichis brushedwitha sticky,
sweetmarinade.THESAUCE
Knownasnươcchâm,the
sauceis oneofthemost
importantlayershere,acting
asa brothforallthe
componentstobedunkedin.
It bringsa subtleheatand
salty-sweetflavour,thanksto
a blendoffishsauce,sugar,
limejuice,ricewinevinegar,
chickenstock,chilliandgarlic.GOURMET TRAVELLER 53WORDS GEORGIE MEREDITH. PHOTOGRAPHY BEN DEARNLEY.
Anatomy of a dish