Beef

Hue-style beef noodle soup

Name: Hue-style beef noodle soup recipe
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 400 g thick dried rice noodles; 1 fresh banana blossom, outer leaves and bud discarded, petals washed and finely shredded; 1/4 red cabbage, finely shredded; 400 g water spinach, cut into thirds; 400 g bean sprouts; 1 bunch of Vietnamese mint, leaves picked; 1/2 bunch of mint, leaves picked; 1/2 bunch of coriander, leaves picked; 1/2 bunch of Thai basil, leaves picked; 3 spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced; 125 ml (1/2 cup) neutral oil (such as vegetable or grapeseed); 1 tablespoon annatto seeds; 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, finely chopped; 2 red shallots, finely chopped; 5 cm piece of ginger, finely chopped; 1 long red chilli, finely chopped; 1 1/2 tablespoons fermented shrimp paste; 2 teaspoons chilli powder; 1 tablespoon onion powder; 3 teaspoons ground ginger; 1 kg beef bones, cut into fist‐sized chunks (ask your butcher to do this); 1 beef marrow bone, cut into quarters (ask your butcher to do this); 400 g pig’s trotters, cut into eighths (your butcher will do this, too); 500 g oxtail; 500 g gravy beef (boneless beef shank); 500 g brisket beef; Sea salt; 3 lemongrass stalks, white parts only, bruised with the back of a knife; 1 onion, peeled and quartered; 1 pineapple, peeled and cut into 8 pieces

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by delicious. team

delicious. team

May 03, 2020

"While it’s not as well known here, bun bo Hue is one of the most commonly eaten dishes throughout Vietnam, where you’ll find a vendor on practically every street corner," says Khanh Ong. This is an edited extract from A Gay Guy's Guide to Life, Love, Food by Khanh Ong. Published by Plum, RRP $34.99, photography by Lauren Bamford.

400 g thick dried rice noodles
1 fresh banana blossom, outer leaves and bud discarded, petals washed and finely shredded
1/4 red cabbage, finely shredded
400 g water spinach, cut into thirds
400 g bean sprouts
1 bunch of Vietnamese mint, leaves picked
1/2 bunch of mint, leaves picked
1/2 bunch of coriander, leaves picked
1/2 bunch of Thai basil, leaves picked
3 spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced

Spiced oil

125 ml (1/2 cup) neutral oil (such as vegetable or grapeseed)
1 tablespoon annatto seeds
2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, finely chopped
2 red shallots, finely chopped
5 cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons fermented shrimp paste
2 teaspoons chilli powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
3 teaspoons ground ginger

Broth

1 kg beef bones, cut into fist‐sized chunks (ask your butcher to do this)
1 beef marrow bone, cut into quarters (ask your butcher to do this)
400 g pig’s trotters, cut into eighths (your butcher will do this, too)
500 g oxtail
500 g gravy beef (boneless beef shank)
500 g brisket beef
Sea salt
3 lemongrass stalks, white parts only, bruised with the back of a knife
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 pineapple, peeled and cut into 8 pieces
10 cm piece of ginger, peeled and quartered
5 cm piece of yellow rock sugar
3 beef stock cubes
3 tablespoons fish sauce

Method

1.

To make the spiced oil, place the oil and annatto seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5–7 minutes until the annatto seeds release an orange–red colour into the oil. Strain, reserving the oil and discarding the seeds. Return the oil to the frying pan over medium heat and bring to 160°C or until a cube of bread dropped in the oil browns in 25 seconds. Add the lemongrass, shallot, ginger and chilli and cook for 2–3 minutes until fragrant. Add the shrimp paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chilli powder, onion powder and ground ginger and cook for another minute – you want everything to incorporate but not burn. Set aside.
2.

To make the broth, place the bones, trotter, oxtail, gravy beef and brisket into a 15 litre stockpot. Cover with cold water, add 2 tablespoons of salt and bring to the boil over high heat. Cook for 10 minutes at a rolling boil. Tip into a large colander, draining the liquid, then rinse the bones and meat in warm water to wash away any impurities.
3.

Clean the stockpot and return the meat and bones to the pot along with the lemongrass, onion, pineapple, ginger, sugar, stock cubes and 8 litres of cold water (if this doesn’t cover your bones then just add more). Add the spiced oil and bring to the boil over high heat. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, skimming any impurities that rise to the surface every 20 minutes or so. Remove the gravy beef and brisket and set aside in the fridge. Add the fish sauce and 2 teaspoons of salt to the broth and simmer for a further 1 hour. (Don’t strain the broth because you want the wonderful aromatics in the oil to be served in your dish.)
4.

When you’re ready to serve, cook the rice noodles according to the 1 packet instructions and divide among eight large serving bowls. Finely slice the gravy beef and brisket and divide into the bowls. Top with the banana blossom, cabbage, water spinach, bean sprouts and herbs. Ladle 400–500 ml (depending on the bowl size) of broth over the top – the broth should have a nice amount oil floating on top – and finish with a sprinkling of spring onion.