Different from the usual bun cha restaurants in Hanoi, the bun cha restaurant of Ms. Nguyen Thi Trang (from Ninh Binh) in Le Van Thiem (Thanh Xuan, Hanoi) uses square rolls, served with vermicelli instead. vermicelli noodles. Ms. Trang said, the shop has been open for two years. “Bun cha square is what many diners call it to distinguish Ninh Binh bun cha and Hanoi bun cha. My family has had 4 generations of making this dish, so I want to bring it to Hanoi to introduce to diners,” said the owner.
Bun Cha in Hanoi usually uses cha pieces or cha balls. Noodle soup Ninh Binh also squeezes the ball, but will arrange the meatballs into large, square pieces, each piece is about 400-450 grams of meat. After forming a square piece of meat, the chef will proceed to grill it on embers
According to the owner, every day, the shop buys fresh pork for preliminary processing, grinds and marinates spices to make sausage. “I use shoulder meat, butt meat and fat in the right proportions. After grinding, the meat will be mixed with spices such as fish sauce, main noodles, and basil powder. Basil powder helps to wake up the aroma. And unlike Hanoi rolls, Ninh Binh grilled pork rolls are not marinated with lemongrass," Trang shared
Coal must be very pink, the new owner put the meat on the grill. Then the new meat is golden evenly, not burning, crispy outside, soft inside. The restaurant uses charcoal to make the meat more fragrant. Each of these "giant" square meatballs costs 100.000 VND. "When grilling meat this way, the meat will lose a little fat, keep the sweetness and softness inside," said the owner
Each serving of grilled vermicelli at the restaurant costs from 40.000 to 55.000 VND. A typical meal will include vermicelli, a bar of cha (each square can be divided into three bars), raw vegetables and fish sauce. Fish sauce is skillfully mixed according to the owner's family's own recipe, indispensable with accompanying papaya
“This square cake is scorched on the outside, soft on the inside, and the meat is very sweet and fragrant. The owner of the restaurant bakes it well, so there is no unpleasant burning smell. With just the tip of my chopsticks, I can separate the big patties into bite-sized balls. The sauce is sour and sour, sweet and sweet, very harmonious," shared Mr. Tran Nam (Thanh Xuan), a customer at the restaurant
Every day, the shop sells 300-400 servings of bun cha. In addition, the shop also has Thanh Tri rolls, seafood spring rolls