Bún bò Huế Spicy Beef and Pork Vietnamese Soup
Move aside Phở, the next best Vietnamese soup is in town! Introducing Bún bò Huế, a taste bud tantalising beef and pork noodle soup that is sure to have you slurping from the bowl!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 to 10 serves
Ingredients
- Rice noodles
- 1 Bunch of fresh mint
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 150g bean sprouts
- lime wedges
For the Broth:
- 1kg large cut of beef, such as brisket or flank steak
- 1kg Beef Bones
- 1kg Pork bones (see notes)
- 6 spicy pork sausages (see notes)
- 2 unpeeled large brown onions, cut into quarters
- 2 heads garlic, cloves separated (do not peel, but slightly crush them)
- 10 lemongrass stalks, bruised
- 1/3 cup fish sauce
- 1 tbsp dried shrimp paste
- ½ tbsp. ground black pepper
- ½ tbsp. slat – plus more to taste
- 40g Annatto Seeds
- ¼ cup neutral oil (such as vegetable or canola)
Instructions
For the Broth:
- In a large stock pot, place the beef, sausages, beef bones, and pork bones and submerge in water. Bring to the boil. Remove the meat and bones and discard the water.
- Return the meat and bones to the stock pot along with the brown onions, garlic cloves, lemongrass stalks, fish sauce, shrimp paste, pepper and salt. Once again add enough water to submerge everything and bring to the boil. Cover and allow to simmer for one to two hours or until the beef and sausages are cooked. Remove the beef and sausages. (At this point you can strain the stock to get rid of the bones, onion, lemongrass and garlic but, to save time I kept them in until the entire process was finished).
- Grind the annatto seeds in a blender or spice grinder. Add the ground annatto seeds to a small pan or skillet along with the neutral oil and fry for a few minutes until fragrant and the oil becomes red in colour. Pour the oil, through a sieve, into the stock. Stir until well combined. (At this point the stock, and the cooked meats can be cooled and stored for up to 3 days in the fridge, and simply reheated when needed).
Assembly:
- Cook the rice noodles according to the packet’s instructions. Thinly slice the beef and sausages into bite-sized pieces. Divide the noodles, beef and sausages among bowls. Ladle the stock into the bowls (Once again, you can choose to pour the entire stock through a sieve to remove the bones and other ingredients before serving, or you can ladle the soup through a sieve which can save a little time and effort)
- Serve with cilantro, mint, beans sprouts and lime wedges on the side.
Notes
The Sausages: The most authentic sausages to use would obviously be spicy Vietnamese pork sausages. But, like me, if you do not have access to spicy Vietnamese pork sausages, you can use other Asian style sausages or, as I did, chorizo. Yes, it may not be as “authentic” but it still tastes awesome!
The Bones: The first time I tried this recipe, I used plain pork hocks, but the second time I used smoked ham bones and the added favour this gave the broth was incredible. But whatever you can get your hanses on will be just fine!
Find it online: http://thymetomango.com/bun-bo-hue-vietnamese-soup/
