Bún bò HuếVietnamese spicy beef noodle soup

• 1.5 kg3.3 lb beef marrow or knuckle bones (xương ống bò)
• 1 kg2.2 lb pork knuckle / front hock (giò heo), scraped clean, cut across into thick rounds
• 600 g1 1/3 lb beef shank (bắp bò), in one piece, tied with string
• 60 g3 tbsp mắm ruốc Huế (fine fermented shrimp paste)
• 5 l5 1/4 qt water, plus 500 ml (2 cups) for the shrimp paste
• 10 lemongrass stalks (sả), 5 bruised for the broth, 3 tied in a bundle for the end, 2 finely minced for the oil
• 1 onion, peeled, halved
• 1 tbsp rock sugar or sugar
• 3-4 tbsp fish sauce (nước mắm)
• salt, to taste
• 80 ml1/3 cup neutral oil, for the chilli oil
• 1 tbsp annatto seeds (hạt điều màu)
• 4 shallots, for the chilli oil, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, for the chilli oil, minced
• 1-2 tbsp Vietnamese chilli flakes (ớt bột) or minced fresh red chilli, to taste
• 300 g10 oz chả Huế (Huế pork roll, peppery steamed pork sausage), sliced
• 300 g10 oz cooked pork or beef blood cake (huyết), in 3 cm (1 1/4 in) cubes, optional
• 1 kg fresh or 500 g dried2.2 lb fresh or 1.1 lb dried thick round rice vermicelli (bún sợi to / bún bò)
• 1/2 banana blossom (bắp chuối), shredded thinly into water with lime juice; or shredded cabbage
• 200 g7 oz bean sprouts and split water spinach stems (rau muống chẻ)
• 1 bunch each rau răm (Vietnamese coriander), scallions, coriander, scallions and coriander chopped
• lime wedges, sliced chillies and sa tế (chilli-lemongrass paste), to serve

Method

1. 1

   1. Stir the shrimp paste into the 500 ml water, bring it to the boil, skim and turn off the heat. Leave it to settle for at least 30 minutes; you will use only the clear liquid on top, not the grey sediment.

2. 2

   2. Put the bones, pork knuckle and beef shank in a large pot, cover with cold water, bring to a hard boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse everything under running water. This keeps the broth clear.

3. 3

   3. Return the meats and bones to the clean pot with the 5 l water, the 5 bruised lemongrass stalks and the onion. Bring to the boil, then lower to a gentle simmer, uncovered, skimming off the foam often.

4. 4

   4. Pour in the clear shrimp-paste water and add the rock sugar.

5. 5

   5. After about 1 1/2 hours, test the beef shank with a chopstick: when it goes in with little resistance, lift it out into a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes (it firms up and stays pale), then drain and chill it.

6. 6

   6. Lift out the pork knuckle when the skin is soft and the meat yields, after 1 1/2-2 hours; keep it covered. Let the bones simmer for about 1 hour more.

7. 7

   7. Meanwhile make the chilli oil: warm the oil with the annatto seeds over low heat for 3-4 minutes until it turns deep red, then scoop out the seeds. Add the minced lemongrass, shallots and garlic and fry until golden, then stir in the chilli flakes and take it off the heat.

8. 8

   8. Thirty minutes before serving, strain the broth and discard the bones and spent aromatics. Return the broth to the pot with the bundle of fresh lemongrass, the pork knuckle and the blood cake.

9. 9

   9. Stir in about half of the chilli oil and season with fish sauce and salt. The broth should be savoury, lightly sweet, strongly scented with lemongrass and shrimp paste, with a slick of red oil on top. Remove the lemongrass bundle before serving.

10. 10

    10. Slice the beef shank thinly across the grain.

11. 11

    11. Cook dried noodles according to the packet (or briefly refresh fresh ones in boiling water), drain and divide among large bowls.

12. 12

    12. Top each bowl with beef shank, chả Huế, a piece of pork knuckle and a few cubes of blood cake. Ladle the very hot broth over, scatter with scallions and coriander, and serve with the vegetables, rau răm, lime, chillies and the remaining chilli oil or sa tế at the table.