Vietnamese “Bun Cha”- Vegetarian Caramelized OmniPork Patties With Vermicelli Noodles & Fresh Herbs

Watch the Instagram reel -here-

Wow, Bun Cha!  This is one of my favorite childhood dishes. 

It's also a classic Vietnamese street food made of caramelized pork meat patties, served with vermicelli noodles, fresh herbs and a tasty nuoc cham (a tasty quintessential Vietnamese dipping sauce). 

Did you know that this dish is entirely plant based!? Say what??

It's made with OmniPork which is 100% plant-based made with all natural ingredients such as peas, shitake mushrooms, and rice!  It's a healthier option than pork but also packs in lots of protein and fiber. 

For those already following me that was the intention to starting Whiskey and Booch. To take all my parents recipes and turn them into plant based dishes. This is one of my first conversions and it’s absolutely mind blowing how similar in taste it is to its real pork recipe counterpart.

For the rest of the month, Veganuary, I challenge you to eat more plant-based meals like this!

About OmniPork Ground: It took over two years perfecting the signature OmniPork Ground, a meat analog made from all natural ingredients including proteins from peas, non-GMO soy, shiitake mushrooms, and rice. This plant-based pork packs in 11 grams of protein per serving and also contains fiber! You can read more about OmniFoods -here-.

Raw Omnipork patties. Take these to the grill or on your cast iron skillet until they have a beautiful char to them!

INGREDIENTS

1 pound Omnipork Ground (Find it -here-)
1/2 pack of Vietnamese vermicelli "bun" noodles (round noodles) 

MARINADE
1 tablespoon minced shallot (or regular onion if you can’t find)
2 small garlic clove minced
1 tsp sugar
~1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 bunch of spring onions (sliced thinly)
1/2 tbs vegan fish sauce
1/2 tbs dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp vegan oyster sauce (aka stir fry sauce)

PICKLED VEGETABLES

• 2 carrots: jullienned or chopped into small crinkle slices

• Daikon or Papaya (peeled and sliced)

Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce:
1/4 c vegan fish sauce (if you are pescatarian, you can use regular fish sauce as instead)
2 tbs white vinegar
3-4 tbs white sugar
1 1/4 cup water
1 red thai chilli pepper, finely chopped
1 garlic cloves, finely chopped
About half a lime (juiced to taste)

Herbs / Garnish
1 bunch Vietnamese mint (washed)
1 bunch Thai basil (washed)
Few perilla leaves (washed)
1 head of butter lettuce, sliced thin
1 bunch mint (washed)
Cilantro (washed)

PREPARATION

1. In a bowl, combine ground Omnipork with marinade ingredients and mix well. Cover let refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours so flavors infuse and meat hardens for easy forming.
2. For the nuoc cham, combine the fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and hot water in a bowl and bring and mix until sugar has dissolved. Add chilli pepper, garlic and add lime juice to taste. If it’s a little strong/salty, just add some more water a couple tbs at a time. It shouldn’t be salty or too strong so depending on your vegan fish sauce and how strong it is, you may need to dilute more than listed.
3. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Run under cold water and drain in colander.
4. Place the noodles in one bowl. Place lettuce, and herbs on another platter.
5. Lightly oil your hands and form the pork patties into small 2-3 inch patties. Refrigerate until ready to cook (if not they will get soft and mushy).
6. Put oil in a cast iron pan and cook patties at a medium-high heat setting until slightly charred at edges and flip, lower heat to medium, and cook for a couple more minutes until the other side is charred and transfer to a bowl or plate.
6. Divide the pork patties into smaller bowls (about 3 pieces to a bowl) add pickled vegetables and ladle in some nuoc cham dipping sauce into each bowl with a little black pepper.  Garnish with cilantro.

To eat: With your chopsticks grab some noodles, herbs and dip into your individual pork pattie and nuoc cham bowl. Dip into the sauce and take a bite.

Alternately, you can also fill your bowl with a little noodle, pork patties, pickled veggetables, and garnish with some fresh herbs for an easier way to eat.