Alex Outhwaite's Bun ChaAlex was the winner of the Herb Hero 2011 competition. She impressed the judges, including celebrity chef John Torode, with her Vietnamese recipe for Bún chá which uses fresh sage, coriander and mint. Try her delicious recipe for yourself: Pork Bún chá Prep: 15 mins Cooking: 15-20mins Serves 4 Ingredients: 50g brown sugar 600ml water 400g minced pork 2 spring onions, trimmed 15g fresh sage leaves 1 tablespoon rice/white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon caster sugar half a large red chilli, deseeded and chopped 1 clove of garlic, crushed 4 teaspoons of fish sauce juice of half a lime 15g fresh mint leaves 15g fresh coriander 75g mixed salad or baby spinach leaves 250g medium egg noodles Method: 1. On a low heat, melt 50g brown sugar in a heavy based pan before adding 600ml hot water and stirring until all is dissolved, cool 5 tbsp of the mixture. 2. Chop the spring onion and sage very finely and then add to the minced pork along with a salt and pepper. Add the 5tbsp of cold caramel broth to the pork and mix again. Now use clean hands to divide the mixture into about 16 x 5cm patties. 3. Arrange the patties on a grill rack and grill under a medium heat for about 15 minutes, tunring halfway through until golden on the outside and cooked through. 4. Bring the the rice vinegar, white sugar and 60ml water to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chilli, garlic, fish sauce and lime juice leave to cool. 5. Tear the coriander and mint roughly and mix with the salad leaves. 6. Cook the noodles according to pack instructions, then drain. Divide the noodles between four bowls, heap the salad leaves on top, then ladle over the warm caramel broth. Finish by spooning a little of the chilli sauce over each bowl as desired then serve with chopsticks. Enjoy!
