Bun bo Hué

Name: Bun bo Hué
Yield: Serves four
Cuisine: Vietamese
Ingredients: 1 stalk of lemongrass, bruised; 2.5 litres (4 pts) beef stock; 300 g (10 oz) boned leg pork or pork shank; 300 g (10 oz) boned leg pork or pork shank; 200 g (7 oz) sirloin, rump or fillet steak, finely sliced; 2 tbsp peanut oil; 200 g (7 oz) sirloin, rump or fillet steak, finely sliced; 200 g (7 oz) sirloin, rump or fillet steak, finely sliced; 6 shallots or 1 onion, finely sliced; 6 shallots or 1 onion, finely sliced; 2 red chillies, finely sliced; 1 stalk of lemongrass, white heart only, finely sliced; pinch of salt; ½ tsp sugar; 1 tbsp fish sauce (nuoc mam); ¼ cup coriander leaves; 400 g (14 oz) fresh round rice noodles (bun); 1 spring onion, finely sliced; 1 cup loosely packed bean sprouts; ¼ cup mint leaves or Asian basil leaves; ¼ cup mint leaves or Asian basil leaves

Preparation info

Serves
four

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Noodle

By Terry Durack

Published 2002

About

This hearty, dense, satisfying soup comes from the city of Hué in central Vietnam, the one-time capital of French Indochina and the home of imperial cooking. A city known for its ritual tea drinking and elaborate, time-consuming dishes, it still manages to find room for a little comfort food every now and then.

Ingredients

2.5 litres (4 pts) beef stock
1 stalk of lemongrass, bruised

Asia
Vietnam
Hue
Main course
Noodles
Soup
Gluten-free

Method

Put beef stock, bruised lemongrass and pork in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Skim off any froth that rises to the surface, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove pork and slice thinly.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a hot wok and briefly stir fry beef slices for about 1 minute. Reserve.