These 5 ingredient Pork and Lemongrass Patties are loosely based on the beloved Bun Cha of Hanoi, Vietnam. Please don’t mistake this for an authentic Bun Cha recipe (I’ll be posting that one soon).
I will never forget the sea of traffic with Mandarin trees piled high on motorcycles for Lunar New Year. It was chaotic and beautiful; a memory forever ingrained in my heart. If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I probably wouldn’t believe it!
1. Exploring a small temple in a local neighborhood of Hanoi.
2. A quiet neighborhood just outside of the main buzz in Hanoi.
3. A Buddhist offering at Ho Chi Minh’s Residence.
4. A view of colonial era St Joseph’s Cathedral, the oldest church in the capitol city.
5. Stained glass art at The Mad Botanist, a cocktail bar specializing in Gin based drinks.
1. View of Hoan Kiem Lake (Red Bridge Lake) from a restaurant patio.
2. The ceiling of French Colonial Hanoi Opera House.
3. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the final resting place of revolutionary leader and President Ho Chi Minh.
Pork and Lemongrass Patties
This wildly easy 5 ingredient recipe is loosely inspired by the beloved Bun Cha of Hanoi Vietnam.
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 silicone spatula
- 1 large bowl
- 1 large baking sheet
- 1 wire baking rack
Ingredients
- 2 stalks of lemongrass see instructions
- 2 tsp fresh ginger grated
- ½ cup shallots chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 lb ground pork
Instructions
- Trim a good 1 ½ inches off the bottom of the lemongrass and cut the fibrous top end. Don't throw away the tops!! They're highly aromatic and great for flavoring homemade broths etc. Slice the stalk in half lengthwise and remove the tough outer leaves. Keep removing layers until you reach the soft and meaty part (you should be able to stick your thumbnail into the flesh), slice into thin half moons; set aside.
- Add all of the ingredients except for ground pork to the bowl of a food processor (lemongrass added last at the top); pulse until smooth. I added the lemongrass last because the liquid from the other ingredients help break down the fibrous stalk. You may have to add a tbsp of water and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula as you go.
- Combine lemongrass paste with ground pork in a medium-large sized bowl. Mix with clean hands to combine, being careful not to overmix; cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour (ideally).
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set a rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set a baking/cooling rack on top.
- Spray the baking rack with some kind of oil to prevent any sticking (I used an olive oil spray). Roll mixture into 1 ½" balls and place on the baking rack as you go. This recipe yielded 10 patties for me.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through (internal temperature measuring 160° F).
Notes
I served these flavorful patties with gorgeous seasonal pink salad. This plate features 2 kinds of heirloom radicchio (yes, that’s pink lettuce), radish, and homemade pickled turnip roses. It was Valentines week okay?!
