Bún bò Huế
Bún bò Huế
A central Vietnamese beef-and-lemongrass noodle soup — thicker noodles, a redder broth, and more chilli than phở.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Bún bò Huế.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 3 hr
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 3 hr 30 min
- Difficulty
- A bit of work
- Spice
- Hot
- Cost
- A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Bún bò Huế is not phở with chilli. The broth is beef (and often pork), lemongrass, fermented shrimp paste if you can face it, and a chilli-oil that should stain the soup. The noodles are round and thicker. Hue is proud of it. We will not flatten it into 'spicy pho'. Lemongrass needs bruising and time in the pot; a few pretty stalks on top do nothing. Shrimp paste is pungent in the jar and quieter once cooked — add a little, wait, then decide. A chilli oil you fry yourself will taste rounder than a squirt of hot sauce. Thick round noodles overcook into rubber; watch them. If the broth is muddy, you boiled it like a punishment instead of a steady simmer. Skim. Pork bones plus beef is more traditional in spirit than a pale chicken stand-in, though the stand-in will still feed you.
Ingredients
- Beef, shank and brisket1.2 kg
- Lemongrass4 stalk
- Ginger40 g
- Fresh chilli, flakes, bloomed in oil44 ml
- Fish sauce44 ml
- Sugar15 ml
- Rice noodles, thick round bún bò if you can500 g
- Lime2
- Mixed herbs1 bunch
- Water3½ l
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Parboil bones and meat 10 minutes, rinse. Simmer with smashed lemongrass, charred onion and ginger 2.5–3 hours. Skim.
180 minStep 2
Lift the meat, slice. Season broth with fish sauce, sugar and chilli oil. It should smell of lemongrass first.
10 minStep 3
Noodles, meat, broth, herbs, lime. Banana blossom if you can find it.
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 October.
Substitutions
Beef shank → Oxtail plus brisket
Different cut, same long simmer.
Tips
- A teaspoon of shrimp paste in the broth is the Hue note. Start small.
- Sate chilli oil on the table lets each diner finish the heat.
History & culture
Hue breakfast and lunch. A louder bowl than Hanoi phở. Herbs and lime still finish it. Hue treats this bowl as civic volume: louder, redder, prouder than the northern beef noodle it gets compared to. Breakfast shops still fill before office hours. Lime and herbs at the table are participation, not garnish. Homes outside Vietnam often fear the shrimp paste and then wonder why the soup tastes like spicy beef water. That paste is the accent. You do not need a lot. You need some.
Royal-city cooking that became a street bowl. Shrimp paste (mắm ruốc) is the disputed soul. A former royal capital's street cooking is not the same as palace banquet food, even when the city likes the association. Lemongrass-heavy beef and pork soups became a public bowl. Factory rice noodles and bottled chilli oil helped it travel. The argument about shrimp paste is a flavour argument with a history of scarcity and smell in shared housing. Cook it anyway. A cuisine that hides its fermented notes is doing a different job.
Regional variation
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Bún bò Huế take?
3 hr 30 min all in — 30 min prep, 3 hr cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
A bit of work.
How spicy is it?
Hot.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Fish, Shellfish. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Stockpot.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list salt as its own ingredient. Saltiness comes from Fish sauce — 3 tbsp. Taste at the end rather than adding a number we did not write.
How much fish sauce?
3 tbsp of Fish sauce.
How much sugar?
1 tbsp of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Beef shank → Oxtail plus brisket. Different cut, same long simmer.
Any tips from this recipe?
A teaspoon of shrimp paste in the broth is the Hue note. Start small. Sate chilli oil on the table lets each diner finish the heat.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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