Bun bo Hue is hardest at the broth. It has to be clear and still carry the smell of lemongrass and fermented shrimp paste. Beef shank and pork hock taste best while they still have bite, and an over long simmer turns them mealy.
The pork bones are roasted for 30 minutes with bruised lemongrass, ginger, onion and pineapple before they go into the pot. The meat goes straight from the blanching water into a bowl of ice water, which tightens it and keeps the broth clearer.
This batch weighs about 6.8kg, at roughly 65 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse 2kg pork bones, 700g beef shank and 700g pork hock in lightly salted water with bruised ginger.
Blanch all the bones and meat in boiling water with bruised shallot, lift out, rinse and drain.
Tie the beef shank and pork hock tightly with string, blanch briefly in boiling water with lemongrass stalks and onion, then drop straight into a bowl of ice water.
Roast the pork bones with 2 bruised lemongrass stalks, ginger, onion, pineapple and red chili for 30 minutes, blanch briefly, then drop into ice water.
Put the onion, bruised ginger, sliced pineapple, green chili and lemongrass stalks in a pot of water, bring to a boil, then add the beef shank, pork hock and bones to simmer. Skim the foam, lower the heat, and lift the meat out once it is cooked through.
Lift out the onion, lemongrass, ginger and pineapple, and top up with boiling water to replace what has evaporated.
Season with 1/2 tablespoon salt, 2 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 3 tablespoons fish sauce and 80g mam ruoc dissolved in a little of the broth.
Make the sate: heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil and fry the spring onion, cilantro, shallot, garlic and blitzed lemongrass, then add 100g ground chili and 1 tablespoon annatto oil. Spoon half into a small bowl and stir fry the other half with the beef shank.
Shave the banana blossom and water spinach stems finely and soak in water with lime juice.
Slice the beef shank and pork hock, and cut the 20 pieces of cha la Hue.
Blanch the thick rice noodles, arrange the meat and sausage in bowls, ladle over the hot broth, scatter with spring onion, and serve with the fresh greens and sate.
Tips
Dropping the bones and meat into ice water after blanching gives a clearer broth and firmer meat.
Every jar of mam ruoc has its own saltiness, so add it slowly and taste again.
Let the tied beef shank cool completely before slicing, since slicing it hot makes the roll fall apart.
Skim continuously for the first 15 minutes and the broth will stay clear.
Serve the sate chili oil in a separate bowl so each person adds their own and the pot does not turn fiery.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.