Bun Bo Hue

Central Vietnamese·Hard·1 hour 4 min

Fiery central Vietnamese noodle soup with a complex lemongrass-chili broth, beef shank, and thick round noodles.

From Huế, the former imperial capital of central Vietnam, where it grew out of the city's bold, imperially-influenced cooking after Hue became the Nguyen-dynasty capital (19th century). Hue cooking is famously stronger and saltier than the rest of Vietnam — the imperial palette favored bold lemongrass, shrimp paste, and chili in deliberate contrast to the lighter northern broths. The dish migrated nationally only after the 1975 reunification.

Hue's imperial-court spicy beef noodle — lemongrass-and-shrimp-paste broth (mam ruoc is what makes it Hue, not just spicy pho), thick round rice noodles, beef shank, pork knuckle, congealed pig blood, banana flower on the side. The annatto oil sits red on top.

A deep red-orange bowl that smells of lemongrass before chili. Round rice noodles thicker than pho's, beef shank that's been simmered for hours, a slab of pork knuckle, a cube of congealed pig blood. The broth burns the lips slowly, not sharply — the heat is from annatto oil and chili paste, not raw chilies. Banana blossom and bean sprouts go on at the table.

Mam ruoc — fermented shrimp paste — is the unseen anchor. A spoonful goes into the broth pot, lending the deep funk that distinguishes bun bo Hue from a regular beef noodle soup. Skip it and the soup tastes hollow; use too much and it becomes barnyard. Pho cooks taste their broth for cleanness; bun bo Hue cooks taste theirs for the ferment-meets-citrus seam.

Variations

Hue style (with mam ruoc and pork knuckle, the original); Saigon adaptation runs sweeter and skips the blood; Hanoi rarely serves it well; American Vietnamese restaurants often add cha lua (pork sausage) and meatballs.

On the Palate

Where Bun Bo Hue sits in the Vietnamese flavor cloud

Cook to learn

The fermented shrimp paste is the whole identity: bloom one spoonful into the broth and it lends the deep funk that separates bun bo Hue from a plain beef noodle soup — too little tastes hollow, too much turns barnyard.

Techniques

Simmering Sauteing

How it's made

5 steps · 1 hour 4 min

1
10 min
In a large pot, bring water to a simmer and add lemongrass stalks, bruised to release their oils, along with sliced onions. Let them simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the broth with their aromatic essence.
Watch out
Bruise the lemongrass stalks with the back of a knife before they go in — crushed fibers release far more of that citrus-woody oil into the broth.
2
40 min
Add the pork knuckle and beef to the pot. Simmer gently until the meats are tender, about 40 minutes, skimming any impurities that rise to the surface for a clear broth.
Watch out
Hold a bare simmer and keep skimming the grey scum as the meats give it up; that patience is what keeps the broth clear.
3
5 min
In a separate pan, heat oil and add minced garlic and chili peppers. Stir-fry until fragrant, then add fermented shrimp sauce, letting it cook for a minute to deepen the flavors.
Watch out
Fry the garlic and chili until fragrant, then add the shrimp paste and let it cook a full minute — the raw funk should mellow into a rounder, deeper savory smell.
4
4 min
Remove the meats from the broth and slice them thinly. Return them to the pot, along with pig blood curd and rice noodles, cooking until the noodles are just tender, about 4 minutes.
Watch out
Drop the noodles in only near the end and pull them at about 4 minutes, still springy; the blood curd wants warming, not boiling to mush.
5
5 min
Serve the noodles and meats in large bowls, ladling the rich broth over them. Garnish with fresh mint and a squeeze of lime for brightness.