Hanoi-Style Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm Platter

Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)

• Yield: 4 servings (sharing platter)
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Quick Ingredients

• 450 g skin-on pork belly
• 300 g dried rice vermicelli (bún)
• 400 g firm tofu, cut in 2.5 cm cubes
• 200 g chả cốm (premade) or 300 g ground pork + 80 g green rice flakes (cốm) for homemade
• 2 cups mixed herbs (perilla, Vietnamese balm, mint), 1 large cucumber
• Neutral oil for frying (about 750 ml)
• Mắm tôm dip: 6 tbsp fermented shrimp paste, 3 tbsp sugar, 6 tbsp just-boiled water, 2–3 tbsp lime juice, 1 bird’s eye chili, 1.5 tbsp hot oil
• Nước chấm (gentler) dip: 4 tbsp fish sauce, 6 tbsp water, 3 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp lime juice, garlic, chili

Do This

• 1. Simmer pork belly in 1.5 L water with 1 tbsp salt and 2 slices ginger until tender, 30–35 minutes; ice-bath 5 minutes, chill, then thinly slice.
• 2. Boil rice vermicelli 4–6 minutes until just tender; rinse cold, drain very well, and coil/nest.
• 3. Wash and dry herbs; slice cucumber into batons or half-moons.
• 4. Whisk mắm tôm with sugar and just-boiled water; add lime and sliced chili; stream in 1.5 tbsp hot oil to bloom.
• 5. Heat oil to 180°C; pat tofu dry and fry 6–8 minutes until deep golden; drain on rack, sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
• 6. Pan-fry chả cốm 2–3 minutes per side (or form and fry homemade patties 3–4 minutes per side).
• 7. Arrange everything on a platter; serve with mắm tôm (or nước chấm) for dipping.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• A true taste of Hanoi: crunchy tofu, cool herbs, bouncy noodles, and that iconic funky-sour-sweet dip.
• Flexible: pick mắm tôm for full-on funk or nước chấm for a gentler, family-friendly sauce.
• Restaurant-style platter at home with straightforward techniques and easy-to-find swaps.
• Great for sharing: perfect centerpiece for a weekend lunch or casual dinner party.

Grocery List

• Produce: Limes, cucumber, bird’s eye chilies, garlic, ginger, scallions (optional), mixed herbs (perilla/tía tô, Vietnamese balm/kinh giới, mint; Thai basil optional), banana leaf for plating (optional)
• Dairy: None
• Pantry: Rice vermicelli (bún), fermented shrimp paste (mắm tôm), fish sauce, sugar, neutral oil, salt, white pepper (optional), green rice flakes (cốm; if making chả cốm), firm tofu, pork belly, premade chả cốm or ground pork

Full Ingredients

Pork Belly

• 450 g skin-on pork belly, in one piece
• 1.5 L water
• 1 tbsp kosher or fine sea salt
• 2 slices fresh ginger
• 2 scallions, smashed (optional)
• 1 tsp rice vinegar (optional; keeps the pork bright)

Rice Vermicelli

• 300 g dried rice vermicelli (bún), or 600–700 g fresh bún if available
• 2 L boiling water + 1 tsp salt

Tofu

• 400 g firm tofu, cut in 2.5 cm cubes, patted very dry
• 750 ml neutral oil (canola, peanut, or rice bran), for frying
• Pinch of salt, to finish

Chả Cốm (Green Rice Patty/Sausage)

Option A: Premade

• 200 g premade chả cốm, sliced 1 cm thick
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, for pan-frying

Option B: Homemade (easy)

• 300 g ground pork (about 20% fat)
• 80 g green rice flakes (cốm)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground white or black pepper
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated (optional)
• 1 tbsp neutral oil (plus 1 tbsp for frying)

Herbs & Vegetables

• 2 packed cups mixed herbs: perilla (tía tô), Vietnamese balm (kinh giới), and mint
• 1 large cucumber, cut into batons or half-moons
• Banana leaf or lettuce leaves for lining the platter (optional)

Dipping Sauces

Mắm Tôm (Fermented Shrimp Paste Dip)

• 6 tbsp fermented shrimp paste (mắm tôm; 90 ml)
• 3 tbsp sugar (36 g)
• 6 tbsp just-boiled water (90 ml)
• 2–3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (30–45 ml), to taste
• 1 bird’s eye chili, thinly sliced (to taste)
• 1 small garlic clove, finely minced (optional)
• 1.5 tbsp very hot neutral oil or hot pork fat (22 ml)
• Pinch of MSG (optional)

Nước Chấm (Gentler Dip)

• 4 tbsp fish sauce (60 ml)
• 6 tbsp warm water (90 ml)
• 3 tbsp sugar (36 g)
• 3 tbsp lime juice (45 ml)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 small Thai chili, thinly sliced (to taste)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Simmer the pork belly

In a medium pot, combine 1.5 L water, salt, ginger, scallions (if using), and rice vinegar. Add the pork belly and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a bare simmer (small lazy bubbles), cover partially, and cook until tender and just cooked through, 30–35 minutes. The meat should feel bouncy but sliceable; internal temperature should reach 68–70°C.

Transfer immediately to an ice bath for 5 minutes to stop cooking and firm the fat. Pat dry and refrigerate while you prepare other components; chilled belly slices more cleanly.

Step 2: Cook and cool the vermicelli

Bring 2 L water to a rolling boil with 1 tsp salt. Add dried rice vermicelli and cook 4–6 minutes (or per package) until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water to stop cooking. Drain very well, then coil into small nests so they’re easy to pick up. If using fresh bún, cut into palm-sized slabs.

Step 3: Prep herbs and vegetables

Rinse the herbs and spin dry thoroughly (wet herbs will dilute the dips). Tear large leaves into bite-size pieces. Slice the cucumber into batons or 0.5 cm half-moons. Line a large platter with banana leaf or lettuce if using.

Step 4: Make the dipping sauces

Mắm tôm: In a small bowl, whisk shrimp paste with sugar and just-boiled water until dissolved and slightly frothy. Whisk in 2 tbsp lime juice, chili, and garlic (if using). While whisking, stream in 1.5 tbsp very hot oil to bloom the paste; it should turn glossy and lightly foamy. Adjust with more lime or sugar to taste; add a pinch of MSG if you like.

Nước chấm: Stir sugar into warm water until dissolved. Add fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, and chili. Taste and balance: you want salty-sour-sweet with a gentle heat.

Step 5: Fry the tofu to shattering crisp

Heat 750 ml neutral oil in a deep skillet or wok to 180°C. Pat tofu cubes bone-dry. Fry in batches 6–8 minutes, turning occasionally, until deep golden and audibly crisp. Drain on a rack (not paper towels) and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Keep warm in a 120°C oven while you finish the rest.

Step 6: Cook the chả cốm

Premade: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Fry 1 cm slices 2–3 minutes per side until lightly golden and warmed through.

Homemade: Mix ground pork, green rice flakes, fish sauce, sugar, pepper, garlic (if using), and 1 tbsp oil. Knead until sticky, 30–60 seconds. Form 6 small patties (about 2 cm thick). Pan-fry over medium heat with 1 tbsp oil, 3–4 minutes per side, until cooked through and lightly browned.

Step 7: Slice, assemble, and serve

Thinly slice the chilled pork belly across the grain into 2–3 mm pieces. Arrange on the platter with crispy tofu, vermicelli nests or slabs, chả cốm, herbs, and cucumber. Serve immediately with bowls of mắm tôm and/or nước chấm. To eat, pick up a piece of tofu or pork with noodles and herbs, dip generously, and enjoy.

Pro Tips

• Dry matters: The drier the tofu, the louder the crunch. Press gently with paper towels just before frying.
• Bloom the paste: That spoonful of very hot oil turns mắm tôm silky and aromatic—don’t skip it.
• Ice bath the belly: Chilling firms the fat, making ultra-thin, clean slices.
• Use a rack: Draining fried tofu on a rack (not paper) keeps it crisp.
• No thermometer? A wooden chopstick dipped into oil should bubble steadily for ~180°C.

Variations

• Air-fryer tofu: Toss tofu with 1 tbsp oil and 1/2 tsp cornstarch; air-fry at 200°C for 14–18 minutes, shaking once.
• Extra add-ins: Add steamed pork hock, fried spring rolls (nem rán), or green starfruit and unripe banana slices for classic Northern flair.
• Vegetarian: Skip pork and use more tofu or fried oyster mushrooms; serve with nước chấm chay (soy-lime-garlic-chili-sugar-water) instead of mắm tôm.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Boiled pork belly can be cooked up to 3 days ahead; keep whole, wrapped, and slice just before serving. Vermicelli is best same day but can be cooked 1 day ahead; rinse, drain very well, toss with a few drops of oil, and refrigerate—refresh in hot water for 10–20 seconds and drain before serving. Fried tofu is best fresh; to re-crisp, bake at 200°C for 8–10 minutes. Premade chả cốm keeps 3–4 days refrigerated; homemade patties can be frozen (raw or cooked) for up to 2 months. Mắm tôm dip is best within 24–48 hours (re-whisk and re-bloom with a little hot oil if needed); nước chấm keeps 1 week refrigerated.

Nutrition (per serving)

Approximate: 880 kcal; 40 g fat; 68 g carbohydrates; 32 g protein; 2,300 mg sodium; 4 g fiber. Values will vary with frying oil absorption and dipping sauce amounts.