Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Hue Style Noodle Soup With Lemongrass)

guppymo's Note:

My parents are from Hue. Although growing up in Sai Gon, I am a big fan of this noodle soup. Cooking and eating bring me back memories of the old time

• Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 3 hrs
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6

Yield: 1.0 bowl

• 1 lb ham hock
• 6 stalks lemongrass, crushed and sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons nuoc nam
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons shrimp paste (mam ruoc)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 ounces boneless sirloin
• 4 ounces boneless pork loin
• 16 ounces rice noodles, cooked
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 4 sprigs Thai holy basil (regular basil ok)
• 4 sprigs fresh mint
• 4 sprigs fresh cilantro
• 4 teaspoons sambal oelek or 4 teaspoons hot chili sauce
• 4 -8 fresh Thai red chili peppers (optional)
• 1 lime, cut into quarters

Directions:

1. Bring 2 1/2 quarts water to a boil; add ham hocks and lemongrass.
2. Skim constantly for 10 minutes then cover the pan, reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours.
3. Strain the broth, reserving ham hocks if you desire them.
4. Dilute the shrimp paste in 1/4 cup of cold water and set aside for 10 minutes.
5. Add nuoc mam, shrimp paste solution, sugar, salt and pepper,sirloin, and pork loin to the broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until meat is cooked and tender; remove meat.
6. Thinly slice meats into small pieces.
7. To serve, place a portion of noodles in serving bowl,top with some bean sprouts,pork, beef, and some ham hock (if using),and ladle the broth over; add herbs,chili sauce,chilies, and lime juice to taste.

Reviews

[Sage0925]

Very excellent...although you'll probably hate me for what I did with it. I didn't have any ham hocks, so I used a smoked turkey leg, which tastes enough like ham to make the transition. Omitted the beef, because I had enough pork sirloin, and didn't want that much meat. (Besides, this was a last minute deal, and I didn't have any beef thawed.) I also put in twice of everything on the seasonings, except the salt, cause that shrimp paste and fish sauce are salty enough. I also added some soy sauce. Please don't feel badly, I double the seasonings on almost every recipe I've ever used. And I put soy sauce in almost everything.

I do appreciate you posting the basic recipe, however...I was able to work with that to suit my tastes.

[Wusthoff Chef]

Awesome combination of flavours, this recipe is defnitely for more than 6 servings, probably closer to 12.

[A Graham]

my favorite food too