Spicy Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Bun Bo Hue)

When the weather turns cold, I turn to good ole Vietnamese noodle soups for warmth. Making these noodle broths from my culture connects me to it like nothing else. One of my favorites is Bun Bo Hue. Bun Bo Hue is one of the most popular noodle soups in Vietnam, but it’s not well known in the US. I like it consider it the spicy cousin of pho. It has a spicy beef and pork based broth and is served with thick rice noodles, beef, pork leg, and lots of veggies.

The origins of Bun Bo Hue

What does Bun Bo Hue mean?

Bun Bo Hue literally translated means noodles from Hue. Hue is a city in central Vietnam that was once the capital of the country. This dish is called Bun Bo Hue, so people know where it comes from. In that region, it is simply called Bun Bo.

When I think of Bun Bo Hue, I think of my uncle’s house. This is his signature dish. I remember when I was a kid he used to make gallons of BBH broth and invite all of our friends and family over for dinner. It was his way of connecting with other people through his food. My cousin and I would watch him cook the soup for hours, waiting and anticipating when we could have a bowl. The thing I probably remember most about his broth is how SPICY it was. He does not joke around. I could not handle my spicy foods back then, but that didn’t stop me. I would just have a large glass of milk ready.

Making my version of Bun Bo Hue

In my version of bun bo hue, I use a combination of beef and pork to make the broth. Pork is something that is very commonly use in Vietnamese cooking to get a deep sweet and umami flavored broth. Other than bun bo hue, you can also find it in other Vietnamese favorites like banh canh cua, canh chua, and bun rieu. In this broth, pork adds some sweetness which helps balance out the savory flavor from the beef. It is definitely the ultimate example of balance in Vietnamese cooking.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Beef shank – This is part of the leg of the cow, so it has a lot of muscle and tough meat. Sometimes depending on supply, you can’t find beef shank at the market. Good substitutes are beef chuck and beef brisket. Definitely try incorporate some beef bone somewhere to get that full rich broth.
• Pork leg – Pork leg is also difficult to find unless you have an Asian market near you. You might be able to find these things at your local butcher. Make sure to get the butcher to cut it into small pieces for you because it’s difficult to cut on your own. A good substitute for pork leg is pork shoulder with the bone still attached.
• Brisket – This is mostly for flavor and extra meat to go on top of the bowl of noodles.
• Garlic – Use 3-4 cloves of garlic. Keep them whole, so you can take them out easily after the soup is done.
• Bun bo hue powder – This powder is for the red color and the taste. BBH powder can be found at Asian grocery stores. It can also be recreated at home using equal parts paprika, chili powder, ginger powder, and onion powder.
• Shrimp paste – Shrimp paste gives the soup a umami flavor. There are no real substitutes for this paste. If you can’t find it, I would recommend using fish sauce instead.
• Daikon – This vegetable adds some subtle sweetness to the soup.
• Onion – I used a white onion for my recipe, but you can also use a yellow onion. Traditionally, it’s more common to use a yellow onion.
• Lemongrass – This adds a slightly sour flavor to the soup.
• Fish sauce – Add fish sauce to taste. I added 2 tablespoons, but you can add more if you feel the soup is not flavorful enough.
• Sugar – I used white sugar for my recipe, but for a healthier alternative, use coconut or palm sugar.

Making my Bun Bo Hue recipe

I am not going to lie, this noodle soup takes WORK. It has a lot of ingredients and more than a few steps. But in the end, the effort is well worth it. Here’s how you make it!

1. Clean the meat. Put the pork leg, beef shank, and beef chuck into a big soup pan and add water until it just covers the meat. Bring it to a boil. Once the water boils, remove it from the heat and pour out the water. Take out the pork leg and beef chuck and set aside.
2. Add 3 cloves of garlic and a tablespoon of oil to a soup pan. (You can use the same one you used to cook the pork leg to save time.) Cook the garlic for about a minute. Add in the beef shank and brisket, bun bo hue powder, and shrimp paste. Cook until beef shank is brown on all sides. Add in water until it just covers the meat, and bring it to a boil. Scoop away any impurities that you see.
3. Lower the heat, and add in the onion, daikon, and lemongrass. Simmer for an hour and a half.
4. While the soup is simmering, use the edge of a knife and scrape away any hairs or dirt you see on the pork leg skin.
5. After you simmer the broth for 1.5 hours add back the pork leg. In addition, add salt, fish sauce, and sugar to the soup. Simmer the soup for another 30 minutes.
6. Take out the beef shank and pork leg and set aside. Slice the beef shank into thin pieces.
7. Make the chili oil while the soup is simmering. Add annatto seeds and oil to a sauce pan and cook until the oil takes on a red color (1-2 minutes). Remove the seeds and add in minced garlic and shallots and cook until they are brown.
8. Taste the soup and see if there is enough flavor. If not, add more fish sauce until it tastes just right. Turn off the heat.
9. Grab a handful of cooked noodles and put them in a bowl. Top it with some of the beef shank slices, a piece of the pork leg, cilantro, green onions, bean sprouts, and cha lua. Ladle some soup over these yummy ingredients and serve.

Tips on how to make the perfect bun bo hue

Optional Toppings

Some optional toppings that you can add: blood cake, red onions, and shredded cabbage.

Adding extra spice to the dish

If you want to make it real spicy, add in some Thai chilis. Traditionally, people usually take a bite of the chili then eat a big spoonful of bun bo hue.

Cleaning the meat is the key to a good broth

It is really important to clean the meat first before you make the soup. That is the key to any good Vietnamese soup. Do this by adding meat to water and bring it to a boil. Then throw away all the water. All the gross stuff from the meat will go away with the water.

Dried vs Fresh noodles

Just like in pho, fresh noodles are the key to a good bowl of noodle soup. They take only a few minutes to cook, and they take on the flavor of the broth so well! Fresh noodles are really hard to find however. I would check your local Vietnamese market or larger Asian market chains. If you can’t find fresh noodles, dried noodles work too. While not as good as fresh noodles, they do absorb the flavor of the broth pretty well, and they have a longer shelf life.

Where can I get all these exotic ingredients?

For me, the hardest part of this recipe is finding all the right ingredients. Almost all the ingredients can be found at Whole Foods. The only ingredients that can’t be found there are bean sprouts, cha lua, noodles, pork leg, shrimp paste, and bun bo hue powder. If you don’t have an Asian market around you I would omit bean sprouts and cha lua. For the shrimp paste, I would substitute with fish sauce. For the noodles, I would use any kind of rice noodles you can find. And lastly for the bun bo hue powder, use equal parts paprika, chili powder, onion powder, and ginger powder to recreate.