GF, LF, FF - see below for notes

A few years ago we had a brilliant holiday in Hanoi, Vietnam.  Hot weather and BBQs for dinner has had me craving the delicious Bun Cha Bowls we enjoyed, so I set about recreating my own.  Bun Cha bowls feature delicious barbecued pork patties flavoured with fish sauce and spring onions.  I think what makes them super delicious is the warm dipping sauce they are served with.  I've loaded our bowls with tons of salad and just a few noodles to make them a great light summer dinner option.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g pork mince 
• 3tsp fish sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tab ketchup manis or dark soy
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• cracked black pepper
• 5 spring onions 
• big bag Asian salad
• spiralised carrot
• cucumber
• mint and coriander, picked
•  200g rice stick noodles, cooked

DIPPING SAUCE

• 2 tab fish sauce
• 2 tab rice vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 fresh red chilli, finely choppped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• juice of 1/2 lime

METHOD

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the pork mince, egg , ketchup manis, ,spring onions, garlic and pepper.   Mix well and leave for 2 hours if you have time.
2. In the meantime make the dipping sauce -  add fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and water to a saucepan. Mix, then bring to the boil. Transfer to a dipping bowl and add chilli, garlic and lime juice (do this right before cooking the patties so that the sauce is warm)
3. Place the noodles, herbs and salad ingredients in different bowls
4. Form the pork mixture into small balls, (I got 16 out of the mixture)  and press down slightly to make the patties
5. BBQ the patties for 4 minutes on each side until just cooked through.
6. Each guest can make their own bun cha bowl by filling their bowl with salad, noodles, patties and topping with dipping sauce
7. Serves 4

GF - check fish sauce, ketchup manis or use tamari, check label of rice stick noodles

FF (FODMAP friendly) - omit garlic, use only green tops of spring onion, use tamari in place of ketchup manis