Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Vietnamese

Bún bò Huế

Non-vegetarian

A robust, spicy noodle soup from central Vietnam: beef and pork simmered in a lemongrass broth seasoned with fermented shrimp paste and chilli oil, served over thick round rice noodles.

Bún bò Huế is a Vietnamese soup, ready in about 3 hours and made with beef chuck, lemongrass and rice noodles. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A mouth-watering bowl of Vietnamese beef noodle soup with fresh herbs and vegetables on a wooden table.
Photo: FOX ^.ᆽ.^= ∫ / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
30 min
Cook
2 h 30 min
Total
3 h
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
669

Ingredients

6 servings

For the broth

For the chilli-lemongrass oil

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the beef and pork in a pot, cover with water, bring to the boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse the meat and the pot. This keeps the broth clear.

  2. Step 2

    Return the meat to the pot with the 3 litres of water, the lemongrass (opens in a new tab) bundle and onion (opens in a new tab). Simmer gently, skimming, until the meat is tender.

    • 120 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, gently fry the shallots (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab) and minced lemongrass (opens in a new tab) in the oil until golden, then take off the heat and stir in the chilli flakes (opens in a new tab) and paprika (opens in a new tab).

    Take the oil off the heat before adding the chilli so it does not scorch.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Lift out the meat and slice it. Remove the lemongrass (opens in a new tab) and onion (opens in a new tab). Season the broth with the strained shrimp paste (opens in a new tab), fish sauce (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt, then stir in half of the chilli oil.

    • 5 min
    An onion being chopped on a board
    How it looks · Photo: Christina & Peter on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Divide the noodles between bowls, top with sliced meat and ladle over the boiling broth. Finish with spring onion (opens in a new tab) and coriander and serve with bean sprouts (opens in a new tab), lime (opens in a new tab), herbs, cabbage (opens in a new tab) and the remaining chilli oil.

    • 5 min

About this dish

Origin
Huế, Vietnam · Well documentedAlso popular in United StatesMore food from Vietnam
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Soups · Noodles · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Boiled
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), aromatic / warmly spiced, umami, savoury
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · High-protein · Low-fat
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Batch cooking · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
Beef chuck · Lemongrass · Rice noodles · Pork shoulder · Onion · Shrimp paste
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Fishfrom fish sauce
  • Contains: Crustaceansfrom shrimp paste, fish sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

669 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 872 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 24%
  • Carbohydrate 43%
  • Fat 33%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy669 kcal77 kcal
Protein40.2 g4.6 g
Carbohydrate72.8 g8.4 g
Net carbohydrate69.1 g7.9 g
Sugars7.5 g0.9 g
Added sugars3.1 g0.4 g
Fibre3.7 g0.4 g
Fat24.2 g2.8 g
Saturated fat6.7 g0.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol111 mg13 mg
Sodium1853 mg213 mg
Salt equivalent4.6 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
984 mg
Calcium
139 mg
Iron
6 mg
Magnesium
102 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
52 µg
Vitamin C
17 mg
Vitamin D
1.2 µg
Vitamin B12
2.9 µg
Folate (DFE)
63 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: mint, cabbage.
  • Shrimp paste: Fish sauce (FDC 174531) at 1.5× as a stand-in salted fermented seafood condiment; protein is understated.
  • Red chilli flakes: Ground cayenne (FDC 170932) used as a stand-in for dried chilli flakes such as pul biber or Aleppo pepper.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Add shrimp paste a little at a time — it should give a deep savouriness, not a fishy smell.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling the broth hard makes it cloudy.

Serve with

  • Traditionally eaten for breakfast in Huế with banana blossom and herbs.

Food safety

  • Simmer the beef and pork until tender; the broth must be boiling when ladled over.
  • Cool leftover broth quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours; it keeps 3 days and should be brought back to a full boil.

Storage

  • Refrigerate broth and meat for up to 4 days; freeze broth for 3 months.

Reheating

  • Bring the broth back to a full boil before ladling over noodles.

Variations

  • With pork blood and crab balls: Many cooks add cubes of pork blood and crab or pork balls (chả cua).

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The liquid foundation

For the broth

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like