Bun Bo Hue

Bún Bò Huế

The bold, spicy beef and pork noodle soup from the former imperial capital of Huế in central Vietnam. A richly spiced lemongrass-and-chilli broth is ladled over thick round rice noodles and topped with sliced beef shank, pork hock and fresh herbs.

Prep

30 min

Cook

180 min

Total

210 min

Serves

4 to 6

Difficulty

Hard

Recipe ingredients

• •1.5 kg (about 3¼ lb) beef bones (marrow and knuckle), blanched and rinsed
• •700 g (about 1½ lb) beef shank, in one piece, for slicing
• •500 g (about 1 lb) pork hock or pork knuckle, skin-on, chopped through the bone by the butcher
• •30 g (about 2 Tbsp) annatto seeds, or 1 tsp annatto powder; gives the broth its red-orange color
• •60 ml (¼ cup) neutral oil
• •3 stalks lemongrass, smashed and tied
• •1 large piece (about 30 g) galangal, smashed; or use fresh ginger as a substitute
• •120 g (about 1 cup) shallots, peeled, roughly chopped
• •40 g (about 5 Tbsp) Vietnamese purple shallot or yellow onion, roughly chopped
• •8 cloves garlic, crushed
• •60 (¼ cup) dried large red chillies (Huế type if available), stemmed, soaked 20 min in hot water; use 20 g for a milder broth
• •2 Tbsp shrimp paste (mắm ruốc), toasted; the non-negotiable flavor base; vegetarians may omit but flavor changes
• •2 Tbsp sugar
• •1.5 Tbsp fish sauce, plus more to taste
• •20 g (¼ cup) MSG (bột ngọt), optional but traditional; omit if preferred
• •2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• •800 g (about 1¾ lb) fresh bún bò Huế noodles, thick round rice noodles (bún bò); dried bánh phở is not a substitute
• •1 lb thinly sliced beef shank or rare roast beef, for raw-style topping, see step 8
• •1 bunch Vietnamese mint (rau răm), for serving
• •1 bunch Thai basil, for serving
• •1 bunch bean sprouts, rinsed, for serving
• •2 limes lime, cut into wedges, for serving
• •2 sliced red chillies, for serving
• •sliced white onion and chopped scallions, to taste, for garnish

Steps

1. 1 Put beef bones in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil and boil hard for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse the bones under cold water, and scrub the pot clean. This removes scum and keeps the broth clear.
2. 2 Return the blanched bones to the pot, add 4 litres (about 1 gallon) cold water, the pork hock, smashed lemongrass and galangal. Bring slowly to a simmer, skimming off any foam that rises. Simmer uncovered for 2 hours.
3. 3 Meanwhile, make the sate (chilli oil): in a small dry pan, toast the annatto seeds for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant and the oil turns deep red. Strain out the seeds and reserve the red oil.
4. 4 Place the soaked chillies, shallots, onion, garlic and toasted shrimp paste in a food processor. Pulse to a coarse paste. In a heavy pan, heat the 60 ml oil and fry the paste over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until the oil separates and the paste is brick-red and very fragrant. Stir in the sugar and the reserved annatto oil, cook 1 more minute, then set aside.
5. 5 After the broth has simmered 2 hours, drop the beef shank into the pot and simmer another 45 to 60 minutes, or until a skewer slides into the shank with no resistance and an internal temperature of at least 90 °C / 195 °F held for 1 minute in the thickest part. Lift out the shank, cool, and slice thinly across the grain.
6. 6 Skim excess fat off the broth. Stir 3 to 4 tablespoons of the sate paste into the broth (more for spicier). Add fish sauce, salt, sugar and MSG. Simmer 15 minutes, then taste; the broth should be intensely savory, spicy, salty-sweet and slightly funky from the shrimp paste. Adjust with more fish sauce, salt or sate.
7. 7 Meanwhile, cook the pork hock separately if it is not yet tender (it should pull from the bone and reach 85 °C / 185 °F internal). When tender, lift it out, cool slightly, and slice meat and skin into bite-sized pieces. Strain and reserve any additional broth from the hock into the main pot.
8. 8 Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Drop the fresh bún bò Huế noodles in small batches and boil 2 to 4 minutes until just tender but still chewy. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and remove surface starch. Divide among 4 to 6 large bowls.
9. 9 RAW BEEF SAFETY: If using raw thinly sliced beef shank as a traditional topping, use only beef that has been previously frozen to destroy parasites (freeze solid at -20 °C / -4 °F or below for at least 7 days total if using a domestic freezer, or buy previously frozen). Arrange a small mound of raw slices on the noodles, or briefly swish the slices in the hot broth for 10 to 15 seconds until just opaque before serving.
10. 10 Top each bowl with sliced cooked beef shank, sliced pork hock, a generous spoonful of sliced white onion, chopped scallions and a few leaves of Vietnamese mint and Thai basil. Ladle the boiling broth over everything (this will cook the raw beef if used). Serve immediately with the remaining sate on the side, plus bean sprouts, lime wedges, sliced fresh red chilli and extra herbs so each person adjusts the heat and acidity to taste.