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Overhead shot of bun bo Hue in a white bowl: thick round rice noodles in brick-red beef broth with sliced beef shank, pork hock, blood cake cubes, sliced Vietnamese pork sausage, bean sprouts, shredded banana blossom, rau ram, and lime wedges

Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)

Central Vietnam's fiery beef noodle soup: lemongrass broth with shrimp paste and red annatto-chili sate, served over thick round rice noodles with beef shank, pork hock, blood cake, and fresh herbs.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the broth
  • 2 lb beef shank cut into large chunks
  • 1 lb pork hocks cut into pieces; ask the butcher
  • 4 quarts water plus more as needed
  • 5 stalks lemongrass smashed and cut into 3-inch pieces
  • 1 yellow onion halved
  • 1 3-inch piece fresh ginger smashed
  • 2 tablespoons shrimp paste (mam ruoc) divided; dissolved in hot water and strained
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce plus more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons rock sugar or granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt plus more to taste
For the annatto-chili sate
  • 1/4 cup neutral oil avocado, canola, or vegetable
  • 2 tablespoons annatto seeds (achiote)
  • 2 stalks lemongrass finely minced
  • 2 shallots finely minced
  • 3 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons chili flakes plus more to taste
For the noodles and toppings
  • 1 lb thick round rice noodles labeled bun bo Hue or thick rice vermicelli
  • 8 oz Vietnamese pork sausage (cha lua or cha bo) sliced
  • 8 oz coagulated pork blood cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/2 lb beef sirloin or eye of round very thinly sliced
  • 2 cups shredded banana blossom or green cabbage
  • 2 cups bean sprouts
  • 1 cup rau ram (Vietnamese coriander) and mint leaves
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
  • 1/2 white onion very thinly sliced and soaked in cold water
  • Lime wedges and sliced Thai chilies for serving

Method
 

  1. Parboil the bones and meat. Put the beef shank and pork hocks in a large stockpot, cover with cold water, and bring to a rolling boil. Boil 5 minutes, then drain, rinse the meat and bones under cold running water, and scrub the pot clean.
  2. Start the broth. Return the rinsed meat and bones to the clean pot with the smashed lemongrass, onion, ginger, and 4 quarts of water. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of the shrimp paste in 1 cup of hot water, strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and stir into the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to the gentlest simmer. Skim foam during the first 20 minutes. Simmer, uncovered, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
  3. Pull the meats as they finish. At about 1 hour, lift out the pork hocks when the skin is tender. At 2 1/2 to 3 hours, test the beef shank with a chopstick — it should slide in with barely any resistance. Lift it out, cool briefly, then wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes for easier slicing. Discard the spent lemongrass, onion, and ginger.
  4. Poach the blood cake. Rinse the blood cubes, put them in a small pot with fresh water, a smashed shallot, and a slice of ginger. Hold at the barest simmer — never a rolling boil — for about 1 hour, until firm and set. Drain and rinse with cold water.
  5. Make the annatto-chili sate. Heat the oil over medium heat, add the annatto seeds, and cook about 90 seconds, until the oil turns vivid amber-red. Strain out and discard the seeds. Return the red oil to the pan, fry the minced lemongrass, shallots, and garlic 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant and golden, then stir in the chili flakes and the remaining 1 tablespoon of shrimp paste and cook 1 minute more. Reserve half for the table.
  6. Season the broth. Stir half the sate into the simmering broth with the fish sauce, rock sugar, and salt. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes. Taste and adjust: savory and aromatic first, lemongrass up front, slow chili warmth at the back.
  7. Cook the thick noodles in a separate large pot of boiling salted water until fully tender with no chalky core, usually 10 to 20 minutes depending on brand. Drain, rinse under cold water, and shake dry.
  8. Slice the chilled beef shank against the grain as thin as you can, about 1/8 inch.
  9. Assemble the bowls. Divide the noodles among six large warmed bowls. Arrange sliced beef shank, a piece of pork hock, blood cake cubes, pork sausage slices, and raw sirloin slices over the noodles. Ladle the hot broth over everything. Serve immediately with the vegetable platter, lime wedges, chilies, and reserved sate on the side.

Notes

Note 1: Dissolve the shrimp paste in hot water and strain it before it goes into the broth. Shrimp paste added straight from the jar sinks in clumps that taste raw and harsh; dissolved, it melts into the broth completely.
Note 2: Do not burn the annatto seeds. Pull them off the heat the moment the oil turns vivid amber-red — scorched annatto is bitter and will taint the whole pot of sate.
Note 3: Chill the cooked beef shank 30 minutes before slicing. Warm shank shreds and tears; cold shank cuts into thin, clean slices against the grain.
Note 4: Poach the blood cake, never boil it. A lazy simmer for about an hour sets it smooth; a rolling boil turns it honeycombed and rubbery.
Note 5: Noodles go in the bowl first, broth last. The hot broth reheats the cold-rinsed noodles without turning them mushy — cook them in a separate pot so the broth stays clear.