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Title: Bún Bò Huế (Beef Noodle Soup)
Categories: Soups, Vietnamese
Yield: 1 Batch

1 kg Oxtail bones
1 kg Pork shanks
2 1/2 kg Pig's knuckles and feet
1 kg Flank steak or shank steak
- of beef
20 Hue style sausages; (Chả
- cây Huế)
200 g Shallot
100 g Fresh ginger
200 g Hue shrimp paste; (Mắm
- ruốc Huế)
1/2 c Cooking oil
10 Whole lemongrass sprigs
2 tb Lemongrass; chopped
1 tb Garlic; chopped
3 tb Chili flakes; sea salt, rock
- sugar, fish sauce,
- (Nước mắm)
3 kg Thick rice vermicelli; (Bún
- bò Huế)
500 g Limes; shredded banana
- blossom, shredded morning
- glory, beansprouts,
- chopped long coriander,
- Vietnamese mint,
- peppermint, (Húng Cay),
- chopped green onion,
- sliced onion, chilies,
- trussing band

Wrap the shrimp paste in aluminum paper or banana leaf, char-grill
until aromatic. Mix the charred paste in warm water and wait until
the paste sinks to the bottom of the bowl. Gently pour the clear
water into another bowl. Throw away the paste.

Soak the chili flakes with 1 cup warm water for five minutes. Heat
the oil in a frying pan, add the chopped garlic, chopped lemongrass
and fry until aromatic. Add the soaked chili (with the water), turn
down the heat. Stir gradually. Season with 1 tb sugar, 1 tb fish
sauce. Cook until the mixture in the pan appears as a paste.

Char-grill the ginger and shallot. Peel off the burnt crust.

Wash and tie together the whole lemongrass sticks.

Chop the pig's knuckles into 20 chunks. Shave off the fur. Tie the
trussing ban around them so that they will stay intact after being
cooked.

Blanch the prepared pig's knuckles and the other bones in boiling
water. Drain off the water then wash well in cold water. Marinate the
knuckles with 1 ts salt and 1 ts fish sauce.

Soak the steak in salted water then gently squeeze off the blood. Tie
trussing band around it so it won't shrink after it is cooked.

Make a stock using the pork shanks and oxtail bones with 10 L water.
Bring to a boil. Skim off the scum and lower the heat. Add the
knuckles and the steak then the charred ginger, charred shallot, 50g
sea salt, 1 Tbsp chili paste (#2 above), 1/2 of the shrimp paste
water. Skim gradually. After about 45 minutes, check if the meat on
the knuckles is tender then take them out. Pour ice water over the
knuckles so they stay crunchy and bright in color. Marinate the
cooked knuckles with 1 tb salt and 1 tb nuoc mam. Remove the trussing
band.

Cook the steak for another hour then do the same as the knuckles.
Marinate then thinly slice.

Add hot water to the stock to make up the 10 L. Taste and add more
seasoning if needed (sea salt, rock sugar, the rest of the shrimp
paste water and 1 tb chili paste.

Serving:

Cook the noodles in boiling water. Add 120 to 150 g of noodles to each
bowl. Arrange a few slices of steak, 1 slice of knuckles and 1 Hue
sausage. Sprinkle with the onion and chopped herbs. Serve hot with
Hue shrimp paste, chili paste, lime, and vegetables/herbs.

Tip:

If you have time, try this method of cooking the pig's knuckles for a
more crunchy texture. Take the knuckles out of the stock halfway
through cooking (after about 20 minutes). Soak them in ice water
until the knuckles completely cool down. Return the knuckles to the
stock and cook until tender. Soak in ice water again but don't leave
them in the water for too long. Marinate as above.

Recipe by Pho And Other Vietnamese Noodle Soups by Bui Thi Suong, 2013

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