Bún bò Huế recipe is a secret Vietnamese treasure that is been unable been unable to “make it” in mainstream American food culture. It’s a smoky and rich soup that has layers of flavor. It’s a delicious and spicy soup. Central Vietnamese soup is paired with tender cuts of pork and beef and then served with lots freshly picked herbs.
I got advice from my favourite Vietnamese cook-Mom on how to prepare Bun Bo Hue. Also, to discover the sublimeties that help make BBH authentic. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this BBH version!
Not as popular as pho….yet?
Pho has taken over some significant territory and is becoming famous quickly. According to information from Google from 2004, when as compared to March 2021 the popularity of pho has increased by 830%. That is a remarkable increase.
See more: Phở Bò Recipe- Vietnamese Traditional Beef Noodles Soup
For the past year, which began March 2021, Bun Bo Hue has been significantly less well-known, with just 1.2 percent of searches for the word Pho. Why isn’t pho’s hot and attractive cousin allowed to join in the fun?
It’s got a lot of known and easily identifiable ingredients, which is a great way to convince people to try something new. BBH has some niggles that may be holding it from gaining more widespread acceptance including pork blood and shrimp paste.
America appears to not be yet ready to accept this as it is not yet a staple, but the concept of pho is readily identifiable and is sold as chicken or beef noodles soup. However, bun bo Hue isn’t something you should be looking at. Definitely take a chance and you might like it more than the pho!
Bun Bo Hue history
Hue is a city in the province of Hue was placed on the map as the capital of Vietnam in 1802, when the Nguyen Dynasty gained control over the country. It was ruled by the city’s central location.
This city is known for its spicy food-not that is common to other Vietnamese dishes. My mom thinks there’s no reason to do it , other than to increase the flavor of food in the absence of other alternatives. It’s a lot like the hot sauce lovers are doing, right?
Hue may also be the source of some of my most-loved foods. The city is responsible for banh nam and banh bot loc. Com Hen (omg) and of course, bun bo Hue. Lez get cookin!
The blood will flow (congealed and cut)
The most authentic ingredient of BBH is congealed cubes pork blood. It is coagulated by putting the fresh blood within a containerand then boiling it with salt to form it. It’s a bit dense, chewy, and keeps its shape when it’s bitten.
In a recent episode on Parts Unknown, Anthony Bourdain talks about what he is looking for in a partner for love: “I would definitely bring an evening date with [bun bo hue”bun bo hue. If she doesn’t like it, I don’t have any chance of a romantic relationship. If she says, “Oh I don’t know there’s blood and other things in the sand,’ that could be a relationship-ending thing to me. I’m not lying.”
If I made BBH only for me I’d rather not risk my time with Bourdain and leave out the blood of a pork. Shh!
The banana flower
Another interesting and popular recipe ingredient is the sliced banana flowers (or the banana blossoms).
These are sold at Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai and many other Asian markets. I even saw this in the local Persian market! This is a great option to serve with this dish however it is not needed. If you are unable to find a banana flower, you can skip it. You can still make stunning BBH without the flower.
Make your lemonade bowl water and then take out each of the flowers. Remove all the little frosts (the miniature banana-like frogs). Lemon juice keeps the petals from becoming brown and neutralizes some of its bitter taste.
If it’s not a Hue-specific restaurant there aren’t many shops that serve this as it’s costly and difficult to make. If you’re not able to get access to these blooms and you don’t want to spend the money, follow what restaurant owners do, and substitute red cabbage instead as a substitute.
The spicy chile / sate condiment
See my Vietnamese Sate Sauce recipe . Easy to make it.
BBH is an extremely spicy soup, which is why it’s no you’ll be surprised to find a chile-based condiment or paste to accompany the soup! It’s also extremely easy to prepare, as it contains a variety of ingredients.
It’s as simple as rehydrating dried chiles, chop the fresh aromatics, and then add everything to a saucepan that is heated to medium, and stir it up until the mixture thickens and gets more intense.
It’s a long process but it’s well worth it! It is possible to create more than what I’ve listed in the recipe below for storage in the refrigerator to use at future BBH gatherings or to offer away.
To address some frequently requested queries…
See more: Bò kho bánh mì – Vietnamese Beef Stew
What is what is the main difference between Bun Bo Hue and Pho?
There are so many things! Let’s start by talking about noodles. Pho is named for the flat noodles that are used in the soup, whereas bun bo Hue recipe is made with round noodles.
The broth used in pho is generally made up of beef or all chicken and served with meat cuts taken from one animal and Bun Bo Hue usually includes both pork and beef within the exact same soup. The broth of Bun Bo Hue packs more an impact due to the inclusion of pork bones and chilli paste.
Pho isn’t deficient in flavor however, it can be extremely delicious and satisfying in its own unique way.
Is bun bo Hue Spicy?
It is traditional and usually. However, in the Bun Bo Hue recipe broth base recipe we create below, I prefer to make it not very spicy not at all. My family as well as friends groups, there’s always a range of spice that people can tolerate.
If you keep the broth with no spice and put an incredibly spicy paste of chiles to the side, you can add as much spice the way they want.
Does bun bo Hue have pork?
Yes. It’s kind of funny “bun bo Hue” means Hue beef Noodle soup, but it can contain as much, or even more pork than beef.
In the recipe below we make use of the pork hocks in our recipe, Hue Style pork sausage and congealed pork blood. Beware of vegetarians.
What does bun bo Hue mean?
“Bún Bò Huế” literally means Hue beef Noodle soup.
See more Bun Bo Hue What is it that is it that makes it such legendary ?
Where do bun bo Hue originate?
Hue is located located in central Vietnam from which this soup of noodles originates.
What do you think of the bun bo Hue?
With chopsticks, soup spoons and spoons! However, you should prepare your soup in a bowl, mix it with broth and broth, and add as little or as much of the meat as you’d like, and then add the following vegetables such as mint Thai beans, basil and banana flowers.
The vegetables make it a bit healthier and also help keep the soup cool too.
The final element will be the amount of spicy chilli paste you add to the soup, along with the addition of lime juice If you like.
How do you think about Bún riêu ?
Bún Bò Huế – Spicy Vietnamese Pork & Beef Noodle Soup
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
BROTH BASE AND Seasoning
- water, I used an 8-quart pot and added water to cover the meat.
- 24 oz chicken broth
- 12 stalks of lemon
- grass leaves, tops and roots removed. crushed
- 2 Yellow onions, large The halving process is then taken out of the soup when the broth has been cooked to perfection.
- 3 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 1 tbsp of shrimp paste
- 3-4 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 TSP MSG (monosodium glutamate) if you don't have oxtail, you can add 4 teaspoons
AROMATICS and COLORING
HERBS and VEG
- mint
- Basil
- Bean sprouts
- birds eye jalapeno or chile
- limes cut into slices
STATE (SPICY CHILE CONDIMENT)
- 20 g dried Thai chile crushed
- 1/2 1 neutral cooking oil
- 80 g shallot, or white onion chopped
- 40 grams minced garlic
- 30 g lemongrass chopped
- 2 tbsp Korean chile powder (gochugaru)
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 2/3 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp MSG (monosodium glutamate)
Instructions
BROTH
- Get the meat cleaned: Put all of the meat into a pot with enough water to cover it. Bring it to boiling. Rinse and drain thoroughly under water that is running. Add the broth, the meat as well as lemongrass and onions into the pot and cover with water until it fills to the top. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium to keep it at a low simmer. Include the seasoning.
- Keep it simmering and regularly examine the meats to ensure they are cooked and then remove them when they are cooked. It is recommended that the pork be cooked within an hour. the beef could take between 3 and 4 hours.
- Once all the meat has been removed, allow it to cool before cutting it into pieces. Adjust the seasoning, as needed. Add water into the pot of broth If needed.
- Color the aromas and before adding them to the pot.
- Cook noodles in accordance with the instructions on the package.
- Set up your bowl, and serve it with fresh veggies and herbs on a platter.
AROMATICS AND RED COLORING
- Sauté seeds in oil over moderate heat until the seeds lose their bright red color. take out the seeds. Add garlic and shallots, sautéing until the garlic is brown.
- All of this is added to the broth pot to give it the color.
PORK BLOOD (HUYET / TIET)
- The easiest way to prepare is buy it prepared and boil to get it warm. If you are using the uncooked type, like the one we used for this dish, chop it into 1inch cubes and boil for 30 to 45 minutes.
FLOWER BANANA
- Make a bowl with about two cups of water together in with juice from one lemon.
- Cut the flower into thin slices and add to the mixture. Allow to sit for around 30 minutes. Do not add tiny frosts (that appear like miniature bananas) and then removing them when you come across them. They are bitter!
STATE (SPICY CHILE CONDIMENT)
- Take the dried Thai chillies, then soak them in hot water that the chillies are covered for about 20 minutes. Rinse the water.
- All the ingredients for the sate into an oven on medium heat . Stir continuously until get brown, then cook and reduce slightly the chile paste by around 30-40 minutes. If, at any time, it gets too dry you can increase the amount of oil you use, as much as 50 percent of the amount you began with. Taste and then re-season by adding salt or sugar depending on your preferences. Take a look at the picture to show what the finished product will appear.
- Cool and then transfer into a sealed container to be stored in the refrigerator . It is possible to add 2 teaspoons of the recipe to your soup pot to give it the added color and flavor or allow each person to add their bowls and spice it up you like!
