Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup) – Takes Two Eggs

November 3, 2024

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Bun bo Hue is likely one of the most scrumptious noodle soups that doesn’t get the highlight it deserves. That is fingers down my favourite Vietnamese dish. This bun bo Hue recipe is made with a deeply flavorful and fragrant broth made up of a mix of beef shank, pork hock, shrimp paste, onion, daikon, and a ton of lemongrass.

The most effective half about this Vietnamese beef noodle soup is that you would be able to regulate the spice stage based mostly in your preferences with the sate sauce. Bun bo Hue is probably not as widespread as pho however that doesn’t imply it’s any much less scrumptious.

Chopsticks lifting up noodles from a bowl of bun bo hue.

What’s Bún bò Huế?

Bún bò Huế interprets to beef noodles from Huế in Vietnamese. This Vietnamese dish originated Huế area which is situated in Central Vietnam. This metropolis has a repute for completely spicy meals. This fiery purple, spicy beef soup’s hearty broth derives from each beef and pork broth, shrimp paste, and chili sate sauce.

Bun bo Hue could be served for lunch or dinner. A single serving usually comprises thick rice noodles, tender slow-cooked beef, pork hock, cha lua, and contemporary herbs and greens. Historically, Bún bò Huế comprises cubes of coagulated pig blood, however I omitted that on this recipe as a result of I’m not an enormous fan.

A bowl of bun bo hue surrounded by garnishes.

Components

You’ll find all of those substances for this bun bo Hue recipe at your native Asian or Vietnamese grocery retailer.

Broth

Pork Hocks: is a part of the leg proper above the hoof. For finest outcomes, use 1-inch thick sliced pork hocks. If they don’t seem to be sliced, you’ll be able to ask the butcher to slice them for you.
Beef Shank: is a part of the leg of the cow which is a naturally robust meat that takes time to interrupt down however is extremely flavorful and tender.
Hen Broth and Water: rooster broth provides extra taste to the broth.
Shrimp paste: Shrimp paste is a should. It’s VERY smelly and never appetizing at first look. Nevertheless, it’s diluted and crucial for an genuine bún bò Huế taste.
Palm sugar: provides a refined pure caramel sweetness.
Yellow onion: provides a robust candy taste.
Lemongrass: is the important thing fragrant on this bun bo Hue recipe. You’ll want to pound the lemongrass to launch its pure flavors earlier than including to the broth.
Daikon: provides refined sweetness and depth.
Salt: seasons the broth.
Hen Bouillon Powder: provides a extra concentrated savory taste to the broth.
Fish Sauce: provides a wealthy umami end.

Sate Chili Components

Vegetable Oil: is a impartial oil that has a excessive smoke level.
Annatto Seeds: provides the deep purple shade to bun bo Hue.
Dried Chili Flakes: are the important thing to creating spicy flavors.
Lemongrass, Garlic, and Shallots: add a wealthy fragrant mix to the sate chili sauce.
Bun Bo Hue Powder: a mix of spices akin to paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger powder, cloves powder, and star anise powder that provides a deep layer of heat spices.
Fish Sauce: provides savory umami taste.
Sugar: sweetens the sate to steadiness the very spicy flavors.

All the ingredients for making sate chili organized and labeled.

Noodles, Garnishes, and so on.

Thick Rice Noodles: are usually labeled Bun Bo Hue on the packaging. They’re thick and chewy and take in the soup.
Vietnamese Pork Sausage: cha lua or gio lua is a steamed floor pork meatloaf generally utilized in Vietnamese delicacies. It provides extra protein and taste to the bowl.
Banana Blossom: this can be a particular vegetable that provides crunch and tanginess to this Vietnamese beef noodle soup. To organize, see Professional Suggestions beneath.
Cilantro, Inexperienced onion, Vietnamese Coriander (Rau răm), Purple cabbage, Bean Sprouts, Mint, and Culantro: all add freshness and steadiness the deep savory flavors.
Lime: squeeze a wedge of lime within the broth earlier than consuming so as to add a contact of acidity to brighten the bun bo Hue broth.

All the garnishes for making bun bo hue.

Substitutions and Additions

Substitutions

Brisket: brisket is an effective different to beef shank for a deep beef taste.
Pork Shoulder: as a substitute of pork hock, use pork shoulder
Water: as a substitute of rooster broth, you should utilize water as a substitute.
Sugar: as a substitute of palm sugar, use granulated sugar, or rock sugar.
Impartial Oil: for the sate, use flavorless oils like canola, vegetable, and peanut oil.

Additions

Beef bones: including beef bones like oxtail will present a deeper and richer beef taste.
Pork blood: coagulated pork blood is usually served on this spicy beef soup.
Fried Tofu: add fried tofu for added texture and protein.

Learn how to Make Bun Bo Hue

Listed below are the step-by-step picture directions for this scrumptious bun bo Hue recipe. See beneath for full measurements and detailed directions for this recipe.

Broth

In a medium pot, add the meat shank, cowl it with water, and convey the water to a boil and boil for five minutes. Then drain the pot and rinse the bones underneath working water.

In a separate medium pot, add the pork hocks, cowl with water, convey the water to a boil, and boil for five minutes. Then drain the pot and rinse the bones underneath working water.

A stock pot boiling pork hocks to clean them.

In a big pot, add the meat and pork hock and fill with 8 cups of rooster broth and eight cups of water. Then add the halved onion, 4 stalks of bruised lemongrass, daikon, palm sugar, and salt. Deliver to a boil over excessive warmth. Then scale back the warmth to medium-low, cowl, and simmer for 90-100 minutes or till the pork is tender. Skim any additional scum that reaches the floor. Take away the pork hock and place it in an ice tub.

Combine the shrimp paste with 3/4 cup of water till mixed. Let the shrimp paste sit for 10 minutes to settle. When the shrimp paste has separated, slowly pour the clearer diluted broth on high into the broth and discard the additional sediment that sinks to the underside. After the 90 minutes add the shrimp paste.

Diluted shrimp paste in a measuring cup.

Add the remaining 5 stalks of pounded lemongrass, rooster bouillon powder, and the remaining 8 cups of water into the pot. Simmer for two extra hours.

After 2 hours, add the fish sauce. Then take every little thing out of the pot. Thinly slice the meat as soon as it has cooled.

Sate Chili Sauce

In a medium skillet over medium warmth, add the oil and the annatto seeds and stir till the oil turns a vivid purple shade. Then pressure and discard the annatto seeds.

Cooking annatto seeds in oil in a large skillet.

In the identical skillet, add the anatto oil and warmth over medium warmth. Add the chili flakes, lemongrass, and garlic, and saute till aromatic. Then add the bun bo hue seasoning powder, fish sauce, and sugar and saute till thickened.

Cooking the aromatics for the sate sauce in a skillet.

Season the broth with the sate sauce 1 tablespoon at a time to style based mostly on spice tolerance and simmer for quarter-hour. Add extra sate sauce for a spicier broth.

Assemble

Boil and drain the rice noodles in response to the directions on the bundle.
In a soup bowl, add the spherical vermicelli noodles, high with sliced beef shank, pork hock, and cha lua, and ladle the broth in. Then serve the bun bo hue with a lime wedge, contemporary herbs, and veggies.

A top down view of bun bo hue surrounded by table settings.

Professional Suggestions

Skim the scum off of the bun bo Hue broth. As soon as the broth involves a boil, there could also be remaining scum that floats to the floor. Skim the scum for a cleaner-tasting broth.
Add water all through the cooking. When you can’t match all of the water initially, you’ll be able to periodically add the water as you simmer the meat and pork. The water will prepare dinner off over time.
Examine the tenderness of the meat earlier than eradicating it. The cooking instances of the pork and beef could fluctuate barely relying in your range. Be sure to style and test the tenderness earlier than eradicating.
Add sate sauce to style. The spicy warmth stage of the soup will rely on how a lot sate sauce you add. So add the sate sauce 1 tablespoon at a time to style based mostly in your preferences.
Learn how to put together the banana flower. Take away the outer layer then thinly slice the banana bud and take away the seeds. Soak in chilly saltwater for at the least 10 minutes, after which wash completely with clear water. Lay out to dry. This prevents the banana bud from turning brown.
Sift the broth earlier than serving. Pour the soup by a effective mesh sieve for a clearer broth earlier than serving

Storage

You’ll be able to retailer the bun bo hue broth and the meat separate from the noodles in hermetic containers within the fridge for as much as 1 week. I like to recommend cooking the noodles the day you’ll serve the soup for the very best texture.

Reheat: Pour the broth right into a pot and warmth on the range over medium-high warmth till it reaches a boil.

Freeze: You’ll be able to freeze the broth with the meat in a freezer-safe container for as much as 3 months. Defrost within the fridge in a single day earlier than reheating.

Pairing Options

This spicy Vietnamese beef noodle soup pairs properly with the next appetizers and desserts for a full three-course meal.

FAQ

Are you able to make bun bo Hue much less spicy?

YES! The extent of spice in your bowl of bun bo Hue in the end is dependent upon how a lot sate chili you add to the broth. You’ll be able to at all times skim the highest purple layer to make the broth much less spicy when you unintentionally add an excessive amount of sate sauce.

What’s the distinction between bún bò Huế and phở?

There are fairly a couple of variations between these two Vietnamese noodle soups. First, pho noodles are usually flat whereas bun bo Hue makes use of thick spherical noodles. Second, pho could be made into an all-beef or all-chicken kind of soup, whereas bun bo Hue makes use of a combination of pork and beef with a kick of shrimp paste. Third, pho is often served as a gentle soup with no added spiciness whereas bun Bo Hue is thought to be a spicy soup.

Does Bun Bo Hue have pork?

Sure! This spicy Vietnamese beef noodle soup additionally comprises pork hock as properly.

How do you serve this soup?

You’ll be able to serve bún bò Huế alongside a plate of contemporary herbs and veggies which incorporates however just isn’t restricted to cilantro, inexperienced onion, banana blossom, bean sprouts, Vietnamese coriander, culantro, mint, cabbage, and limes.

Extra Vietnamese Soups to Attempt

Bun Bo Hue Recipe