Duration
1 hour
Serves
4
If you’re a fan of Anthony Bourdain at all, you likely remember the iconic momenthe sat down with Barack Obama at comically small stoolsto clink a couple of beers and have a meal. The steaming bowl of broth, meat, and noodles they tuck into is bún chả, a local street food. The dish originated in Hanoi, where the now-famous meeting occurred.
Classic Vietnamese preparation uses pork, but these flavorful grilled patties are well suited for a variety of game meats, from ground goose to bear. Just be sure to use a grind ratio with a fat content of at least 20% to help the patties stick together and retain moisture.
This meal is served slightly deconstructed, with the patties placed innước chấmwarmed with boiling water alongside a pile of rice noodles, fresh herbs, and pickled vegetables. This makes this meal highly customizable to your tastes—if you like it hot, add more peppers; if you don’t, leave them out; if you want it more brothy, add more water to the nước chấm; or ditch the soup factor entirely and place all the ingredients in a big leafy green and eat it like a lettuce wrap.
To me, this is the epitome of an early fall dinner. Still clinging on to grilling season, but easing into the warm, brothy comforts of colder weather cooking.
Ingredients
For the Patties
- 1 lb. ground wild game (20% fat)
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. fish sauce
- 2 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp. lemongrass, minced
- 2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp. toasted rice powder (see note)
- High-heat oil, as needed
Nước Chấm (Dipping Sauce)
- ¼ cup lime juice (about 2 limes worth)
- 2 tbsp. fish sauce
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 to 2 hot peppers (bird’s eye, etc.) minced
- Boiling water for dilution
Serving Suggestions
- Fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, and mint—served whole and torn into bowls
- Rice noodles, cooked
- Pickled vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, or radish (recipe here)
- Lime wedges
- Extra chiles, sliced
Note: If you can’t find toasted rice powder in your local grocery store (I certainly can't), toast dry, glutinous (sticky) rice in a pan until browned and use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to grind until fine. As a bonus, you can use any leftovers in these deliciousThai lettuce cups.
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Mix all ingredients for the patties except the rice powder into a bowl. Once mixture is well combined, fold in the rice powder until just incorporated. The mixture will be a bit sticky; you can oil your hands or wear gloves to shape into slider-size flattened patties. Allow patties to rest in fridge for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
- While the meat is chilling, you can prepare the sides like pickling vegetables, cooking rice noodles, washing fresh herbs, and making the nước chấm dipping sauce. To make the nước chấm, mix lime juice with fish sauce and sugar and stir until combined. Add in the garlic and hot peppers to taste.
- Start the grill. You can place the patties in a grill basket like this for easy flipping or cook directly on the grates. If cooking on grates, use a paper towel soaked in high-heat cooking oil to lightly grease the grates, and if using a grill basket, wipe that down with oil before placing patties inside.
- Once grill is hot (around 450°F) and greased, cook patties for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until done. If you’re serving Hanoi style, add a cup or so of boiling water to nước chấm in a serving bowl until you reach the desired broth dilution level and place pickled vegetables and patties in broth. Optionally, you can serve the nước chấm on the side, not diluted. Enjoy with pickled vegetables, rice noodles, and plenty of fresh herbs.
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Wild Game Bún Chả
Duration
1 hour
Serves
4
If you’re a fan of Anthony Bourdain at all, you likely remember the iconic momenthe sat down with Barack Obama at comically small stoolsto clink a couple of beers and have a meal. The steaming bowl of broth, meat, and noodles they tuck into is bún chả, a local street food. The dish originated in Hanoi, where the now-famous meeting occurred.
Classic Vietnamese preparation uses pork, but these flavorful grilled patties are well suited for a variety of game meats, from ground goose to bear. Just be sure to use a grind ratio with a fat content of at least 20% to help the patties stick together and retain moisture.
This meal is served slightly deconstructed, with the patties placed innước chấmwarmed with boiling water alongside a pile of rice noodles, fresh herbs, and pickled vegetables. This makes this meal highly customizable to your tastes—if you like it hot, add more peppers; if you don’t, leave them out; if you want it more brothy, add more water to the nước chấm; or ditch the soup factor entirely and place all the ingredients in a big leafy green and eat it like a lettuce wrap.
To me, this is the epitome of an early fall dinner. Still clinging on to grilling season, but easing into the warm, brothy comforts of colder weather cooking.
Ingredients
For the Patties
- 1 lb. ground wild game (20% fat)
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. fish sauce
- 2 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp. lemongrass, minced
- 2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp. toasted rice powder (see note)
- High-heat oil, as needed
Nước Chấm (Dipping Sauce)
- ¼ cup lime juice (about 2 limes worth)
- 2 tbsp. fish sauce
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 to 2 hot peppers (bird’s eye, etc.) minced
- Boiling water for dilution
Serving Suggestions
- Fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, and mint—served whole and torn into bowls
- Rice noodles, cooked
- Pickled vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, or radish (recipe here)
- Lime wedges
- Extra chiles, sliced
Note: If you can’t find toasted rice powder in your local grocery store (I certainly can't), toast dry, glutinous (sticky) rice in a pan until browned and use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to grind until fine. As a bonus, you can use any leftovers in these deliciousThai lettuce cups.
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Mix all ingredients for the patties except the rice powder into a bowl. Once mixture is well combined, fold in the rice powder until just incorporated. The mixture will be a bit sticky; you can oil your hands or wear gloves to shape into slider-size flattened patties. Allow patties to rest in fridge for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
- While the meat is chilling, you can prepare the sides like pickling vegetables, cooking rice noodles, washing fresh herbs, and making the nước chấm dipping sauce. To make the nước chấm, mix lime juice with fish sauce and sugar and stir until combined. Add in the garlic and hot peppers to taste.
- Start the grill. You can place the patties in a grill basket like this for easy flipping or cook directly on the grates. If cooking on grates, use a paper towel soaked in high-heat cooking oil to lightly grease the grates, and if using a grill basket, wipe that down with oil before placing patties inside.
- Once grill is hot (around 450°F) and greased, cook patties for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until done. If you’re serving Hanoi style, add a cup or so of boiling water to nước chấm in a serving bowl until you reach the desired broth dilution level and place pickled vegetables and patties in broth. Optionally, you can serve the nước chấm on the side, not diluted. Enjoy with pickled vegetables, rice noodles, and plenty of fresh herbs.