Bun Bo Hue: Spicy Beef Noodle Soup
Bún bò Huế is a dish that originated in the former imperial capital of Vietnam, Hué. This is one of Vietnam's most popular soups, defined as "the best soup in the world" by celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain on his travel and cooking show Parts Unknown.
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 3 hours
6 persons
Vietnam
Ingredients
Based on 6 persons
- 400g rice vermicelli
Broth*:
- 50g lemongrass
- 1 large onion
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 30g fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 shallots
- 1 pork trotter
- 500g pork or beef bones
- 1kg beef shank with the bone
- 2 Tbsp sunflower oil
- 3 liters salted water
- 2 Tbsp nuoc-mâm sauce
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp shrimp paste (ruốc huế)
- 1 Tbsp satay powder
- 1 Tbsp chilli pepper paste
Garnish:
- 1 bunch rau ram coriander
- 1 bunch Thai chives
- 1 bunch ngo gai culantro
- 1 bunch coriander
- 10 green salad leaves
- 2 limes
- 150g of bean sprouts
Tools:
- Wok
- Cooking pot
- Pan
- Broth
Pre-cut the lemongrass. Cut the ginger in half. Grill the onion and ginger in a pan. Peel and chop the garlic and shallots. Wash the meats under cold water and dry them. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok and heat it over high heat before adding the bones, shank, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, onion and cinnamon. Stir for 5 minutes.
Put everything in a pot and add 3 liters of salted water. Add the nuoc-mâm, sugar and shrimp paste. Bring the broth to a boil, then cover it before leaving it to cook over low heat for 2 hours. Stir occasionally and skim off the scum when it begins to rise to the surface. Add the pork trotter and continue to let the broth cook for 1 hour over low heat.
Oil a pan and put it over the heat. Brown the chopped shallots, the chilli pepper paste and the satay powder. Stir for 2 minutes. Pour this mixture into the broth. - Garnish
Chop the chives, the salad leaves, the herbs and cut the limes into pieces. - Vermicelli
Cook the rice vermicelli in a large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process. - Serving
Remove the smoking pork trotter and beef shank from the broth. Cut the trotter into four pieces and slice the boneless shank into thin strips. Arrange the bowls with the vermicelli, the beef, a piece of pork trotter and the bean sprouts. Pour hot broth in the bowls, then sprinkle the soups with herbs and limes. - *Suggestion
Nothing beats a homemade broth, but if you are in a hurry and do not have time to prepare it yourself, you can use our ready-made Bún Bò Huế special broth. To do this, replace the broth ingredients with:
-6 Bao Long Bun Bo Hue broth cubes (approx. 110g)
-3 liters water