Authentic Bun Bo Hue Recipe - Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (2024)

5 from 3 votes

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 4 hours hours

For the broth

• 2 lb pork bones
• 2 lb brisket
• 7 qt water
• 1 large white onion

Spices

• 1 piece ginger about 2x2 inches, cut into thin slices
• 2 stalks lemongrass cut into 3 inches, smashed
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 each whole cloves

Oil mixture

• ¼ c pure sesame oil
• 1 tbsp annatto seeds
• 5 medium shallot minced
• 5 cloves garlic minced

Seasoning mix

• 2 tbsp pure sesame oil
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes adjust spiciness according to your taste
• 3 tbsp lemongrass minced
• 2 tbsp shrimp paste
• 2 tbsp chicken bouillon
• 1 tbsp Kosher salt
• 2 tbsp fish sauce

Soup ingredients

• 1 medium white onion thinly sliced
• 5 stalks green onion chopped
• 1 lb beef tenderloin thinly sliced
• 1 bag premium Hue noodles

Vegetables

• water spinach shredded
• banana flower shredded
• beansprout
• fresh oregano leaves
• lime wedges
• red cabbage shredded, optional

Sauce on the side

• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 slices Thai chilies
• 1 tbsp shrimp paste

Make the broth

• In a medium cooking pot, fill with water and bring to boil. Add pork bones to the pot and cook over high heat for 10 minutes to get rid of impurities.

  2 lb pork bones

• Drain and wash pork bones with cold water. Set aside for later use.

• Use the same pot and quickly blanch brisket, then drain and wash like pork bones. Let them cool down, set aside for later use.

  2 lb brisket

• In a cooking pan over medium heat, toast the spices over medium heat until everything is fully fragranced. Then tie cinnamon sticks and lemongrass using kitchen twine. Put the rest into a sachet.

  1 piece ginger, 2 stalks lemongrass, 5 cloves garlic, 1 cinnamon stick, 5 each whole cloves

• In a large cooking pot, bring 7qt of water to a boil, then add pork bones and brisket. Bring the whole pot back to boiling point, then lower the heat enough to simmer everything.

  7 qt water

• Then add spice sachet, lemongrass stalks, and cinnamon sticks to the pot.

• Simmer the pot over medium-high heat for 45 minutes, and occasionally skim away the impurities that floated on the surface. Do not stir the pot to keep the broth as clear as possible.

• After 45 minutes of simmering, add whole white onion to the pot and continue cooking the broth over medium-high heat for another 45 minutes.

  1 large white onion

Make oil and seasoning mixture

• Meanwhile, add sesame seeds and annatto seeds to a stainless steel cooking pan to make the oil mixture for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Strain, discard annatto seeds, and return infused sesame oil to the pan.

  ¼ c pure sesame oil, 1 tbsp annatto seeds

• Add minced garlic and shallot to sesame oil and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Set aside for later use.

  5 medium shallot, 5 cloves garlic

• Use the same pan and sauté seasoning ingredients in sesame oil for 3-4 minutes. Set aside for later use.

  5 medium shallot, 5 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp pure sesame oil, 2 tsp red pepper flakes, 3 tbsp lemongrass, 2 tbsp shrimp paste

Season bun bo Hue broth

• Remove the brisket and let it cool down for later use. Remove and discard other ingredients. Add more hot water to the pot (about 8 cups). Then add the oil mixture, followed by the seasoning mixture.

• In a small mixing bowl, combine the rest of the seasoning mix ingredients with half a cup of hot broth. Stir to dissolve all ingredients completely, then pour the mixture back into the broth.

  2 tbsp chicken bouillon, 1 tbsp Kosher salt, 2 tbsp fish sauce

• Continue simmering the broth for 20 minutes. Then put the broth on low heat setting while waiting for serving.

Assemble bun bo Hue

• Cut brisket into thin slices and quickly blanch tenderloin slices in hot water, wrap in plastic wrap to keep them warm.

  1 lb beef tenderloin

• Cook noodles following instructions on the package. Keep the noodles warm.

  1 bag premium Hue noodles

• In a large soup bowl, fill half the bowl with noodles, then add slices of brisket and tenderloin. Garnish with white onion and green onion. Ladle the broth in the bowl enough to submerge the noodles completely.

  1 medium white onion, 5 stalks green onion

• Serve with vegetables and dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy!

  water spinach, banana flower, beansprout, fresh oregano leaves, lime wedges, red cabbage, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 3 slices Thai chilies, 1 tbsp shrimp paste

• Clear broth: to make a perfectly clear broth, both pork bones and brisket need to be at room temperatures (after blanched) before adding to a hot, boiling pot of water.
• Broth appearance: the broth is supposed to be clear and has a layer of reddish fat on top made from sesame oil, annatto seeds, and other spices.
• Pork blood cake: many authentic Bun Bo Hue recipes called for these special ingredients, but I omitted them due to food safety. If you can find a reliable source for this pork blood cake, you're welcome to eat it with the soup. Otherwise, I recommend steering clear of this ingredient.
• Adjust seasoning: everybody can adjust seasoning accordingly by using dipping sauce served on the side.
• Other meat ingredients: you can use pork shanks and knuckles for cooking the broth and serving them with the noodles. Many restaurants decide to use them as optional add-ons. Moreover, besides brisket and tenderloin, flank is another perfect cut of beef that can be used for this recipe.