Bún Bò Huế — sopa picante de macarrão com carne de Huế
The fiery cousin of phở from the old imperial city of Huế: a deep beef-and-pork broth perfumed with lemongrass, stained red with annatto and chilli, and given its soul by a spoonful of fermented shrimp paste. Served with thick round rice noodles, tender beef shank and a mountain of fresh herbs — bolder, spicier and more complex than phở.
Simmer beef shank and pork hock with bruised lemongrass, onion and ginger for a few hours to build a deep broth, skimming for clarity. Bloom annatto seeds in oil for colour and stir in a chilli-lemongrass-shrimp-paste mixture; season the broth with fish sauce, a little sugar and the fermented shrimp paste (mắm ruốc). Cook thick round bún noodles, pile in sliced beef, and ladle over the hot broth. Serve with lime, chilli and a big plate of herbs and sprouts.
- Lemongrass and fermented shrimp paste (mắm ruốc) are the signature flavours — don't skip the paste.
- Annatto (achiote) oil gives the broth its characteristic red colour without extra heat.
- Use the thick round rice noodles (bún bò), not flat phở noodles — they're part of the dish's identity.
Equipment
- Large stockpot
- Small frying pan (for annatto oil)
- Fine skimmer
Ingredientes
Broth
- 1 kg beef shank or brisket
- 500 g pork hock (or pork bones)
- 4 stalks lemongrass, bruised
- 1 onion and 1 thumb ginger, charred
- 30 ml fish sauce, to taste
- 20 g rock sugar
- Salt to taste
Chilli-lemongrass seasoning
- 30 ml annatto (achiote) seeds, for the oil
- 45 ml neutral oil
- 3 shallots and 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 stalks lemongrass, finely minced
- 20 g fermented shrimp paste (mắm ruốc)
- Chilli flakes / chilli paste, to taste
To serve
- 600 g thick round rice noodles (bún bò)
- Sliced beef, pork, optional cubed pork blood
- Bean sprouts, shredded banana blossom, cabbage
- Thai basil, perilla, coriander, lime, sliced chilli
Modo de preparo
- ETAPA01
Blanch the beef and pork to clean them, then simmer in fresh water with the bruised lemongrass and charred onion and ginger. Skim often and cook gently until the meat is tender, 2–3 hours.
- ETAPA02
Warm the annatto seeds in the oil over low heat until the oil turns deep red, then strain out the seeds. In the same oil, fry the shallots, garlic and minced lemongrass until fragrant.
- ETAPA03
Dissolve the shrimp paste in a ladle of hot broth and strain it back into the pot. Add the fragrant lemongrass oil, fish sauce, rock sugar and chilli to taste. Simmer 15 minutes — it should be bold, savoury, spicy and a little funky.
- ETAPA04
Cook the thick round bún noodles until just tender, drain, and divide among deep bowls. Slice the cooked beef and pork.
- ETAPA05
Top the noodles with the sliced meats and ladle over the hot red broth. Serve with a heaped plate of bean sprouts, banana blossom, herbs and lime for everyone to add to taste.
Make ahead
The broth is the make-ahead hero — make it a day or two before and reheat; the flavour only improves. Prepare the annatto-lemongrass oil ahead too. Cook noodles and ready the herb plate just before serving.
Storage
The broth keeps 4 days refrigerated and freezes 3 months — and deepens overnight. Store broth, noodles and herbs separately; cook noodles fresh and assemble to order so they don't go soft.
Variations
Less spicy
Hold back the chilli paste and serve it on the side, so each person adds heat to taste.
Quick version
Use good beef stock plus 1 kg shank, simmered 90 minutes, with the lemongrass-shrimp-paste seasoning for most of the flavour.
Without pork blood
Many versions outside Vietnam simply omit the cubed pork blood — the dish is still authentic and delicious.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Perguntas frequentes
How is bún bò Huế different from phở?
Both are Vietnamese beef noodle soups, but bún bò Huế is from central Vietnam (Huế) and is bolder: a spicier, lemongrass-and-shrimp-paste broth tinted red with annatto, served with thick round noodles. Phở, from the north, is milder and clearer, with flat noodles and a star-anise-led broth.
What is mắm ruốc and can I substitute it?
Mắm ruốc is a Vietnamese fermented shrimp paste that gives the broth its distinctive savoury-funky depth. It's essential to authentic bún bò Huế. If you can't find it, a small amount of another fermented shrimp paste (like Thai kapi) is the closest substitute — use sparingly.
What noodles should I use?
Thick, round rice noodles labelled 'bún bò' (sometimes 'bánh canh'-style thickness) — quite different from the thin vermicelli used elsewhere or the flat noodles of phở. Their chewy thickness is part of the dish's identity.
What does the annatto do?
Annatto (achiote) seeds are steeped in hot oil to release a deep red-orange colour, which gives the broth its signature appearance without adding heat. The spiciness comes separately from chilli; the annatto is purely for that vivid colour.
Can I make it less spicy?
Yes — bún bò Huế is traditionally quite spicy, but you control the heat with the chilli paste. Add less to the pot and offer extra chilli-lemongrass oil (sa tế) on the side so each person can adjust to their taste.
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