Bun Bo Hue - Hue Spicy Beef Soup

How can anyone not crave a bowl of Bun Bo Hue after watching No Reservations Vietnam? This past Monday we all got a glimpse of "The Lunch Lady" and her special soup of the day. I could barely get through the whole episode without wanting to ingest a hot bowl right then. So as soon as it ends I began preparing my groceries list for the weekend. I was so glad to see her squeeze a whole pineapple and threw it into the pot. My mom does this with her Bun Bo Hue as well. Some of my friends are really amused when they see chunks of pineapple floating in my Bun Bo Hue pot.

Bun Bo Hue is a specialty noodle soup of the imperial capital of Central Vietnam, Hue. It consist of a rich broth with plenty of proteins, definitely a hearty meal. The unique broth is made by slowly simmering beef bones, pork bones, and pork feet; and then flavoring it with lemongrass, garlic, chillies, pineapple, shrimp paste, and even pork blood. In the end you get a savory, spicy, and tart taste. Each bowl of bun bo hue is a little different depending on the cook. Some like it mild, others like it spicy, still there are others that like it HOT! Not only is it delicious but also fun to eat! The noodle is bigger and slippery then most typical Vietnamese noodles so expect to do some slurping.


Ingredients:

beef bones
beef shank
congealed blood cubes (optional)
lemon grass (8-10 stalks depending on size)
garlic
chili powder
fresh chili
shrimp paste
pineapple
anato seed
cooking oil
salt
rock sugar
fish sauce

Garnish:

green onion
yellow onion
cilantro
bean sprout
basil leaf


Prep:

Minced 1 tablespoon of garlic
Minced 1 tablespoon of lemongrass


1. Pre-boil beef bones and beef shank in water with plenty of salt.

2. Rinse bones with cool water.
3. Cover bones with cold water in a large pot.
4. Let pot come to a boil. Add rock sugar, salt, and msg.
Let bones simmer on medium heat.
5. Char ginger roots and 1 medium onion. (Broil in oven)
Remove charred skin and add to pot.
6. Add 6-8 lemongrass stalk to pot.
7. Add fish sauce to your liking and let pot simmer for
2 hours.

8. Add about 2 tablespoon of shrimp paste to cold water
and stir. Let the mixture sit.



9. Sauteed minced garlic and lemongrass with anato seed
oil, add sugar and salt for taste. Set aside for later.
10. Sauteed garlic and sliced chilies in oil. Let cool and then
stir in chili powder to your liking. Set aside for later.

11. Remove beef shank when tender.
12. Go back to shrimp paste mixture. By now there should
a clear liquid on stop and the shrimp paste should have sank
to the bottom. Ladle only the clear liquid into the beef broth.
Add more water into the shrimp paste mixture and repeat
2 -3 more time. 13. Add lemon grass and chili powder mixture to broth.
Let broth simmer for another hour. 14. Squeeze pineapple juice into broth. 15. Add blood cube into broth.
16. Prepare onions and cilantro mixture. ENJOY!