Decided to try making this, since it’s something my husband tends to order when we go to Vietnamese restaurants. Preferably I would pressure cook this for 2 hours, but I was on a time crunch and only had an hour. Luckily it still turned out great!

Ingredients

- bun bo hue noodles

CHILI PASTE
- annatto seeds
- shallots
- garlic
- grated lemongrass
- chili flakes
- fish sauce
- sugar
- water

BASE
- pork bones
- beef neck bones
- oxtail
- beef shank
- onion
- lemongrass

SEASONING
- rock sugar
- salt
- fish sauce
- shrimp paste

TOPPINGS
beef balls, viet ham/gio lua, sliced beef shank, onion, scallion

Directions

1. Bring a pan up to high heat with oil. Fry the annatto seeds on the oil for a few minutes and then strain it out.
2. Add the red oil back into the pan to fry the rest of the ingredients to make the chili paste.
3. Parboil the meats and then rinse a few times.
4. In the pressure cooker- add all the meats, onion, bruised lemongrass, and chili paste. Cook for 1-2 hours.
5. Cook the noodles according to the package- soak in warm water for 30 minutes, boil for 15 minutes, rinse and drain.
6. Prepare the toppings as needed.
7. Skim the broth to bring to a boil. Slice the beef shank, set the oxtail aside, and discard everything else.
8. Assemble- noodles, toppings, broth.

Note

• Some common toppings include pig feet and duck blood, which may add more depth to the broth