Imperial Hue

We don’t get too far before I see a handwritten sign on a fence, ‘bun bo Hue’ — a regional noodle soup of Hue and one that my mother makes on special occasions. It has the same origins as pho, but with added chilli, shrimp paste and lemongrass, with rice noodles that look like spaghetti. My mother’s version, which I included in my first cookbook, has added pig trotters and blood jelly. I’m curious to find out if this soup is authentic to Hue or if it’s another complex version of the south.