Vietnamese noodle salad, or Bun Cha as it’s also known, is one of those great dishes that is both light and filling. Perfect for warm summer days, it can be eaten without that horrible heavy feeling. Originating in Hanoi, Vietnam, this rice noodle salad is normally paired with pork meatballs. I’ve embraced the asian flavours here and created some truely delightful veggie meatballs that are both tasty and easy to make. Baked in the oven, these pair perfectly with the salad dressing.
I like to serve this on a bug central plate, allowing everyone to build their bowls as they like and use the dressing for dunking the noodles, vegetables and herbs as much as you like. You’re aiming for thath perfect balance of fresh, savoury, sweet, herb, citrus, tender noodles, contrasted with crunchy nuts. This story of contradictions is the epitome of Vietnamese cooking that makes it just so unique.
- Makes: Serves 3-4
Ingredients
For the Vegan Meatballs:
- 160g Cooked Red Kidney Beans
- 110g Cooked Rice*
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 Garlic cloves
- 190g Cooked Green Split Peas
- 25g Ground Almonds
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Puree
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce substitute (See allergy note below)
- 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 15g Fresh Coriander
- 1 Chia Egg**
- 4g Methylcellulose
- 1 tbsp Vegan Fish sauce
- 1/4 tsp Ground White Pepper
- 2 tsp Ginger, grated
- 2 tsp Lemongrass Paste
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 Lime Leaves
- 1/4 cup Peanut Butter
- 1/2 cup Oats
- 2-4 tbsp Chickpea Flour
For the Noodle Salad:
- 300g Fine Rice Noodles, cooked according to the instructions
- 2-3 Carrots
- half a large Cucumber
- 1/2 Cup of Peanuts, roughly chopped
- Fresh Peas***
- Fresh Salad Leaves, a mix of spinach and peppery rocket works well
- Bean Sprouts (optional)
- Fresh Mint
- Fresh Coriander
For the Dressing:
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 125ml Water
- 60ml Vegan Fish Sauce
- 60ml Lime Juice
- 2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 Red Chilli, diced
- 1 Spring Onion, finely sliced
Directions
Starting with the meatballs, Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (180 Fan/400 F). Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onion and garlic and saute until fragrant and just starting to brown. Remove from the heat and place into the bowl of a food processor. Add the kidney beans, split peas, rice, coriander, almond flour, lime leaves, peanut butter and oats before blending to a coarse texture. Putting the chickpea flour to one side, add the rest of the ingredients and blend until just combined. Now add the chickpea flour a tablespoon at a time until you get a thick dough.
The mix will be sticky so with oiled hands, shape into balls and place onto a lined baking tray. Brush each ball with a little oil before baking in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until browned and cooked through.
Mix together the dressing and taste for balance. If too sharp add a touch more sugar, too sweet more vinegar.Place to one side while you prepare the salad. Cut both the carrots and cucumber into thin strips, I use a peeler that shreds as well but you can use a knife. Roughly chop the herbs and place to one side mixed together.
Now plate up. I like to have a distinct pile of each salad ingredient and the meatballs, topped with the herbs and nuts before sprinkling everything with a touch of dressing. At the table give everyone their own little dish of dressing so they can dip or dress their own portions to their hearts content.
Enjoy!
Notes
* We’d run out of quinoa but this would work equally well here.
** If you’re not familiar with the process to make a chia egg it’s really very simple and makes a great binder. Mix together 1 Tbsp of ground Chia Seeds with 3 Tbsp of water and set to one side for at least 10 minutes. This should make a thick sticky paste, very similar in texture to a beaten egg
*** Edamame makes a really good substitute here if you’re not trying to avoid soy.
Allergy Notes; you may be a little tired of this note by now but those of you that don’t know, I’m going to keep saying this – Soy Sauce is NOT gluten free as the brewing process contains wheat. A good gluten free option is Tamari which normally (not always! check your brand) contains no gluten, is slightly less salty, and thicker than soy sauce. We use coconut aminos in our house, while not quite as rich as soy sauce, it’s both gluten free and soy free but different brands vary tremendously – you may have to look around before finding one that suits you.
This recipe is vegan, gluten free, and soy free. If nuts are an allergen for you then try substituting the ground almonds and peanut butter for a mix of sunflower seeds and sunbutter.
