Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Hue Beef Noodle Soup)

Ingredients

• 1 kg beef short ribs
• 500 g pork belly, in one piece
• 3 l water
• 4 lemongrass, bruised and cut into lengths
• 4 shallot, halved
• 6 garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp red pepper paste
• 5 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 400 g rice noodles
• 200 g bean sprouts
• 200 g white cabbage, very finely shredded
• 4 tbsp thai basil
• 3 spring onion, thinly sliced
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Method

1. 1.

   Blanch the meat — Put the short ribs and the pork belly in a large pot, cover with cold water and boil hard for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse the meat under the tap and scrub the pot clean — this blanching is what keeps the finished broth clear.

2. 2.

   Start the lemongrass broth — Return the meat to the clean pot with the 3 l fresh water, the lemongrass, shallots, half the garlic and the salt. Bring to a simmer and cook at the barest bubble for 90 minutes, skimming the surface every so often. Lift out the pork belly and leave it to cool.

3. 3.

   Tenderise the short ribs — Carry on simmering the short ribs for another 60-90 minutes, until the meat pulls away from the bone under a fork but has not fallen apart. Top up with hot water if the level drops below the bones.

4. 4.

   Make the chilli oil — Make the chilli oil: warm the vegetable oil in a small pan over low heat, take it off the heat and stir in the chilli flakes, the red pepper paste and the remaining garlic. Let it stand for 5 minutes until it turns a deep, glossy red.

5. 5.

   Season the broth — Fish the lemongrass and shallots out of the broth and season it with the fish sauce and sugar, then stir in half the chilli oil. Taste and adjust: it should be assertively salty, faintly sweet and openly hot.

6. 6.

   Cook the noodles and slice the meat — Cook the rice vermicelli according to the packet, drain and rinse under cold water so the strands stay separate, then divide between four deep bowls. Slice the cooled pork belly thinly and pull the rib meat into large chunks.

7. 7.

   Assemble the bowls — Ladle the boiling broth over the noodles, arrange the pork and beef on top and pile on the bean sprouts, shredded cabbage, thai basil and spring onions. Spoon over the rest of the chilli oil and serve with lime wedges to squeeze at the table.