When we think of Vietnamese food, people usually think of Phở, a very popular Vietnamese noodle soup made from either beef (Phở Bò) or chicken (Phở Gà). But have you heard of its fiery cousin, Bún Bò Huế?
Bún Bò Huế isn’t quite as popular as Phở but I think it’s slowly getting into the spotlight as one of the tastiest Vietnamese noodle soup dishes.
What is Bun Bo Hue?
Bún is noodles, Bò is beef, and Huế is a city in Central Vietnam, also the former capital of Vietnam, from which it originated.
Despite its name, Bún Bò Huế is also made from pork bones. This can cause a lot of confusion on a menu, especially if you don’t eat pork.
The broth for Bún Bò Huế is prepared by slowly simmering various types of beef and pork bones and meat (ox tail, brisket, beef shank, pork neck bones, pork feet, pork hocks, and pork knuckles) and loads of fresh lemongrass.
To assemble a bowl of Bun Bo Hue, thick round rice noodles are added to a bowl and then topped with slices of meat, meaty bones, and cubes of congealed pig’s blood (blood cake).
The savory broth is ladled on top of the rice noodles.
The bowl is garnished with green onions, cilantro, and/or thinly sliced white onions, and served alongside a vegetable platter of lime wedges, shredded white and purple cabbage, banana blossoms, bean sprouts, mint leaves, water spinach, and other Vietnamese herbs.
Sometimes a small bowl of fermented shrimp (mắm ruốc) and additional sate sauce are served on the side for further customization.
Vietnamese Chili Sauce (Ot Sa Te)
The fiery spices in Bun Bo Hue are made up of frying together shallots, lemongrass, garlic, red pepper powder, and fresh chilies in neutral oil and then seasoning the mixture with fish sauce, sugar and if your heart desires, a bit of MSG.
Sometimes, ground annatto seeds or annatto oil are used instead of neutral oil to achieve a more vibrant red color.
This spicy mixture is what we call Ớt Sa Tế or Vietnamese chili sauce.
You can make the Vietnamese chili sauce in advance, which allows you to have part of the Bun Bo Hue recipe already done, speeding up the process. I have the full recipe here with video here.
If not, no worries. I’ll still show you how to make the chili sauce below.
If you can’t find Bún Bò Huế seasoning powder, no worries. Simply substitute with paprika or similar red pepper powder.
The Use of Pineapple in Bun Bo Hue
I always get people scoffing at the fact that I add pineapple in my stock.
“My grandmother and mother never add a pineapple. That’s not authentic!” is what some would say.
But if these people simply give it a try, they’ll realize it works very nicely. It’s just the same purpose as squeezing a lime in at the end of the finished bowl, where the acidity complements the fatty flavor of the broth.
The use of pineapple in the stock is something I learned from watching Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations (RIP Mr. Bourdain) when he interviewed The Lunch Lady in Vietnam.
She added a very ripe pineapple to her stock. The addition of pineapple tenderizes the meat and also gives the broth a very delightful fruity and citrusy flavor. Of course, you can always squeeze in a bit of lime juice at the end too.
This tip really took my broth to a whole new level so I highly recommend it.
If you don’t have fresh pineapple, you can use canned pineapple. I used a small can and used both the pineapple and all its juice. It works just as well.
Vietnamese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Bun Bo Hue)
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Have you tried Central Vietnam’s spicy beef noodle soup? If you love pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) and looking for a fiery version, you will like its spicy cousin.
Ingredients
Bones/Meat
- 2 lbs pork hocks/feet and/or knuckles (1-inch thickness or bite sized pieces)
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless pork shank
- 1/2 lb beef tendon (optional, requires longer cook time)
- 1 1/2 lbs beef brisket or beef banana shank (shank requires a longer cook time)
Bun Bo Hue Stock
- 6 quarts water
- 4 large lemongrass stalks
- 10 shallots or 1 large yellow onion
- 1 large chunk ginger (about 50g, unpeeled, slice into coins then smash gently)
- 1/4 ripe pineapple and its core (can sub with a small can of pineapples and all its juices)
Broth Seasonings
- 1 tablespoon chicken or mushroom bouillon powder
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 2 tablespoons fermented shrimp paste
- 20 grams rock sugar
Vietnamese Chili Sauce (Sa Te)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large shallot (finely diced)
- 1/3 cup sliced lemongrass
- 3 garlic cloves (finely diced)
- Fresh red chilies (as much as you like)
- 3 tablespoons Bun Bo Hue seasoning mix
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Noodles, Garnishes, Other Meaty Toppings
- 2 lbs package dried extra-large rice vermicelli (usually labeled Bun Bo Hue noodles)
- 1 stick Vietnamese ham (chả lụa/giò lụa)
- Pork blood cake
- Green onions (thinly sliced)
- Cilantro (thinly sliced)
- 1 lime or lemon (slice into wedges)
Vegetables (Optional)
- Bean sprouts
- Banana blossom (thinly sliced)
- White/purple cabbage (thinly sliced)
- Mint leaves
- Morning glory stems (thinly shredded)
Instructions
- Clean the bones and meat: Add the bones and meat to a large stockpot and cover them with water. Bring the pot to a boil. Once it reaches a rolling boil, allow it to cook for about 5 minutes or until the impurities float to the surface. Turn off the heat and drain the contents of the pot into a colander in the sink. Thoroughly rinse the bones and meat under cold running water to remove any remaining scum. Drain well. For the boneless pork shank, wrap it tightly with kitchen twine to create a uniform bundle; this ensures the meat stays intact and is easier to slice later.
- Prepare the stock: Wash the used pot thoroughly and return it to the stove. Transfer parboiled bones/meat to the pot and fill with 6 quarts of water. Smash the lemongrass stalks, cut in half so they can fit into the pot and tie them with twine. Add lemongrass bundle, shallots and ginger to the stockpot. Bring the pot to a boil then lower heat to cook on a low simmer, covered, for 2 hours. If using shank and tendon, you will need to add another hour. Occasionally skim the surface of the stock to keep it clear.
- Check for doneness and prepare meat: Monitor the meat throughout the simmering process, as different cuts will finish at different times. After about one hour, the smaller pork hocks, feet, or knuckles should be ready. Test them by piercing with a chopstick; if there is little to no resistance, they are done. The pork shank and brisket typically take about two hours. If you are using beef banana shank or tendon, these will likely need at least another half hour to reach the desired tenderness (about 2.5 hours total). As each piece becomes tender, remove it from the pot. To make slicing easier, submerge the meaty pieces in an ice bath or place them in the refrigerator to cool quickly. Once chilled, slice the meat into thin pieces and set them aside to use as toppings.
- Strain and season stock: Remove all remaining solids (onions/shallots, ginger, lemongrass, and pineapple) from the stockpot. Season stock with chicken stock powder, fish sauce, sea salt, rock sugar, and fermented shrimp paste. Add a little at a time to your liking. For the fermented shrimp paste, it’s best to whisk it together with a bit of stock water to prevent clumps then pour it into the stockpot.
- Make the sate sauce: In a small saucepan, heat up vegetable oil on medium-low heat. Add shallots and lemongrass. Pan fry for 10 seconds or until fragrant. Add garlic, your desired amount of chili peppers, and Bun Bo Hue seasoning packet next. Keep in mind that the Bun Ho Hue seasoning mix has some heat to it already with red chili powder. Pan fry for 5 seconds then turn off the heat to prevent burning. If you can’t find Bún Bò Huế seasoning powder, substitute with paprika or similar red pepper powder. Season with fish sauce and sugar. Add sate sauce to the stock. For those with children or anyone who can’t handle spicy food, divide the stock before adding sate sauce, or simply add sate sauce to individual bowls instead.
- Prepare the noodles: Cook the noodles for 20 minutes or until soft (disregard package instructions as I typically find that it’s never long enough). Place a colander in the sink and drain noodles into the colander. Rinse with cold water to prevent sticking.
- Assemble and serve: Place a handful of noodles into a bowl. Add desired amount of sliced boneless shanks, pork knuckles/hocks, sliced Vietnamese ham (Cha Lua/Gio Lua) and pork blood cubes (if using). Ladle in hot broth. Garnish with sliced green onions and cilantro. Serve with a platter of fresh vegetables and lime/lemon wedges. You can also serve with a small bowl of shrimp paste and sate sauce on the side for further individual customizations.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
