Easy Bun Bo Hue - Vietnamese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup
A bold and aromatic Vietnamese noodle soup that features tender slices of beef and pork, round rice noodles, and a complex broth made with lemongrass, shrimp paste, and fermented chili.
Nutrition
Calories: 500kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs beef brisket or beef shank
- 1 ½ lbs pork hock or pork knuckle
- 1 lb beef tendons optional
- 8 stalks lemongrass smashed
- 1 onion halved
- 5 shallots
- 1 ½ tbsp annatto oil
- 2 ½ tbsp rock sugar
- 1 inch ginger peel
- 2-3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/4 cup green onion
- Salt, MSG, and pepper to taste
- Rice vermicelli noodles Bun
- Fresh herbs cilantro, mint, basil
- Bean sprouts and lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Heat the dry pan on high heat until it's visibly hot. Add shallots, half an onion, and ginger and fry until shallots and onion are soft and ginger is fragrant. Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove.
- In the pressure cooker, combine 5 liters of water, beef brisket (or shank), pork knuckle, lemongrass stalks, ginger, onion, and shallots from step 1. Add 2 tbsp of rock sugar, 1 tbsp of fish sauce, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/4 tsp of MSG. Stir thoroughly, then set the pressure cooker to simmer for approximately 60 minutes.
- Once the simmering is complete, release the pressure valve, carefully open the lid of the pressure cooker, and transfer the tender beef brisket and pork knuckle to a plate. You can put it in an airtight container to prevent it from changing color and drying out.
- Strain the broth to a big pot to remove solid ingredients, then return the lemongrass to the strained liquid. Add 1 ½ tsp of salt and 1/2 tbsp of rock sugar to the broth, adjusting the seasoning to your taste. Stir well.
- Bring the broth to a vigorous boil over high heat. When it reaches a rolling boil with large bubbles, taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Finally, add annatto oil to enhance the broth
- Thinly slice the other half of the onion and soak them in the cold water with cilantro.
- Cook rice vermicelli noodles according to package instructions.
- Slice the cooked beef and pork thinly.
- Arrange a handful of rice vermicelli in each serving bowl. Top with sliced beef and pork. Ladle the hot broth over the noodles and meats.
- Garnish with sliced onions, green onions, and cilantro.
- You can serve it with fresh herbs, bean sprouts, lime wedges, or shacha sauce according to your preference.
Notes
If you can't find the exact kind of noodle for the dish, you can use the regular vermicelli noodles or any kind of rice noodles.
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