Bun Cha Hanoi

First, marinate the pork mince and pork belly. Combine the fish sauce, sugar, garlic and shallots in a bowl and mix together.

Pour half the mixture into the pork mince, mix well and set aside to marinate. Slap the pork mince mixture a few times to get the air out — this will help make the mixture firm and prevent it from falling apart when grilled.

Pour the other half in the pork belly mix, stir and set aside.

Roll the pork mince into golf-sized balls.

Light the grill — this dish is best cooked over a charcoal grill.

Prepare the pickle ingredients by cutting the vegetables to size then covering with pickle liquid, making sure all items are covered.

Bring a pot of water to the boil, put bun noodles in the water. Cook for 5 minutes then turn off the heat and leave for 5 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water.

Warm the chicken stock.

When the charcoal is ready, flatten the meatballs and cook over charcoal. Also grill the pork belly, being careful of fat dripping onto the charcoal causing flare-ups.

To serve, place the bun and salad on a large plate. In individual small bowls, place the pickle, nuoc mam, chicken stock and cooked meat. To eat, put a little bun and salad into the nuoc mam bowl, dip and eat.