Bún Bò Huế

Name: Bún Bò Huế
Cook time: 165 min
Total time: 165 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 4 stalks of Lemongrass, very finely minced (white parts only); 3 Shallots, minced; 4 cloves of Garlic, minced; 3 tbsp Chili Flakes, adjust to heat; 1 tbsp Fish Sauce; 1 tsp Sugar; 1/2 tsp Salt; 800g Dried Thick Round Rice Vermicelli (Bún Bò Huế Noodles); 300g Chả Lụa (Vietnamese Pork Ham), sliced; 1 small Banana Blossoms, cored, very thinly sliced and soaked in acidulated water; 4 Scallions, finely sliced; 1 bunches of Cilantro, chopped; 1 bunches of Sawtooth Herb (Ngò Gai), chopped; 1 small White Onions, thinly sliced; 3 Limes, cut into wedges; 2 Fresh Red Chilies, thinly sliced; 1 tsp Pepper (Black), freshly ground; 150g Beef Bones, marrow/knuckle; 550g Pork Hock, whole; 455g Beef Shank, whole; 5 l Water; 8 stalks of Lemongrass, lightly bruised and tied (some reserved for sate); 1 large Yellow Onions, halved; 1 pieces of Ginger, smashed; 2 tbsp Fine Shrimp Paste (Mắm Ruốc Huế), dissolved in hot water and strained; 8 tbsp Fish Sauce, plus more to taste; 2 tbsp Rock Sugar; 1 tbsp Salt; 120ml Neutral Oil; 2 tbsp Annatto Seeds

Bún Bò Huế is a fragrant, savory Vietnamese beef-and-pork noodle soup famed for its bold, lemongrass-scented broth and vibrant red annatto oil. Tender slices of beef shank and pork hock mingle with thick rice vermicelli and slices of chả lụa, while fresh herbs and lime brighten every spoonful. It’s rich, slightly spicy, and deeply comforting—perfect for a leisurely weekend meal.

Bún Bò Huế is a fragrant, savory Vietnamese beef-and-pork noodle soup famed for its bold, lemongrass-scented broth and vibrant red... Show more

Traditional Vietnamese Recipe

Health Grade

C · Balanced

Rating

4.6

Time

2 hrs30 min

Price

3,93 €

Calories

1182 kcal

high protein

low sugar

comfort food

vietnamese

Method

Wash the produce

Rinse the banana blossom, scallion, cilantro, sawtooth herb, white onion, lime, fresh red chilies, yellow onion, ginger, lemongrass, shallots, and garlic. Set the herbs aside to dry, and keep the aromatics together so they are easy to prep.

Prep the garnishes

Trim the tough outer leaves from the banana blossom, cut away the hard core, and slice it very thinly. Put the slices into a bowl of cold water with a squeeze of lime to keep them crisp and pale. Finely slice the scallion, chop the cilantro and sawtooth herb, thinly slice the white onion and fresh red chilies, and cut the remaining lime into wedges. Peel and mince the shallots and garlic. For the lemongrass, finely mince the tender white part from about 2/3 stalk for the chili oil, then lightly bruise and tie the remaining stalks into a bundle for the broth. Halve the yellow onion, smash the ginger, and thinly slice the Chả lụa.

Start the broth

Put the beef bones, pork hock, and beef shank into a large pot and cover them with cold water from the tap. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil 10 minutes to pull out impurities. Drain everything, rinse the bones and meat well, and quickly wash out the pot. Return the bones and meat to the clean pot with the measured water, the bruised lemongrass bundle, the yellow onion, and the ginger. Bring it just up to a boil, skim off any foam, then lower the heat and keep it at a very gentle simmer, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours, or until the beef shank is tender and the broth smells rich and meaty.

Season and finish broth

Stir the fine shrimp paste with a few spoonfuls of hot broth until dissolved, let any grit settle for a moment, then strain only the liquid into the pot. Add the fish sauce, rock sugar, and salt, then simmer for 20 minutes so the flavors meld. Taste the broth and add a little more fish sauce if you want more depth. Lift out the beef shank and pork hock; slice the beef shank thinly across the grain, and cut or pull the pork hock meat into serving pieces, discarding any large bones. Remove the aromatics, and strain the broth if you want it extra clear.

Make the chili oil

Heat the neutral oil with the annatto seeds in a small skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute, until the oil turns a vivid orange-red. Scoop out or strain off the seeds. Add the minced lemongrass, shallots, and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until fragrant and lightly golden. Stir in the chili flakes, sugar, a splash of fish sauce, and a pinch of salt, and cook for 30 seconds more. Take the pan off the heat and set the chili lemongrass annatto oil aside.

Cook the noodles

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the dried thick round rice vermicelli and cook for 8 minutes, then start testing; they should be tender but still pleasantly springy. Drain and rinse briefly under cool water to stop the cooking and keep the noodles from clumping. Divide the noodles among serving bowls.

Assemble the bowls

Bring the broth back to a lively simmer so it is fully hot for serving. Arrange the sliced beef shank, pork hock pieces, and chả lụa over the noodles. Ladle the hot broth into each bowl, then top with drained banana blossom, white onion, scallion, cilantro, sawtooth herb, fresh red chilies, and spoonfuls of the chili lemongrass annatto oil. Finish with freshly ground black pepper and serve with lime wedges on the side for squeezing.

Ingredients

Method

For 6 servings

Adjust servings

Chili lemongrass annatto oil

4 stalks of Lemongrass, very finely minced (white parts only)
3 Shallots, minced
4 cloves of Garlic, minced
3 tbsp Chili Flakes, adjust to heat
1 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
120ml Neutral Oil
2 tbsp Annatto Seeds

Noodles and proteins

800g Dried Thick Round Rice Vermicelli (Bún Bò Huế Noodles)
300g Chả Lụa (Vietnamese Pork Ham), sliced

Herbs and garnishes

1 small Banana Blossoms, cored, very thinly sliced and soaked in acidulated water
4 Scallions, finely sliced
1 bunches of Cilantro, chopped
1 bunches of Sawtooth Herb (Ngò Gai), chopped
1 small White Onions, thinly sliced
3 Limes, cut into wedges
2 Fresh Red Chilies, thinly sliced
1 tsp Pepper (Black), freshly ground

Broth

150g Beef Bones, marrow/knuckle
550g Pork Hock, whole
455g Beef Shank, whole
5 l Water
8 stalks of Lemongrass, lightly bruised and tied (some reserved for sate)
1 large Yellow Onions, halved
1 pieces of Ginger, smashed
2 tbsp Fine Shrimp Paste (Mắm Ruốc Huế), dissolved in hot water and strained
8 tbsp Fish Sauce, plus more to taste
2 tbsp Rock Sugar
1 tbsp Salt

🧂 Plus ~4g of salt

Nutrition

Per Serving.

Calories

1182 kcal

59% of Daily kcal

Protein

58 g

100% RDI

Fat

53 g

15g sat fat

Carbs

123 g

45% RDI

Sugar

13 g

25% RDI

Fiber

9.1 g

30% RDI

Salt

12 g

100% RDI

Quality Profile

Scored against dietary guidelines.
Tap rows for a deeper breakdown.

Composite score - weighted by current nutrition science

C · 6.3 / 10

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