BUN BO HUE RECIPE
BROTH
2 lbs pork hock
2 lbs beef bones
2 lb beef brisket or beef shank
8 lemongrass stalks*
2 small onion (or 1 large)
Rock sugar*
2 TBSP salt
5 liters water*
Shrimp Broth (3/4 cup water + 1 TBSP shrimp paste/ shrimp sauce )*
1/2 cup sate lemongrass oil
*NOTES*
*we need 8 stalks of lemongrass total stalks but we are using 4 stalks first and then another 4 stalks later
*we need rock sugar the size of a golf ball or 3 TBSP of granulated sugar
*5 liters of water + as much as needed. For me, it was an extra 3 liters of water
*If you do not want to use shrimp paste, you can season to preference with chicken bouillon, fish sauce, salt, and/or whatever other seasoning you prefer.
1. Place beef bones and beef brisket in a large enough pot, cover with water and par boil. Do the same to pork but make sure to keep pork and beef parts separate
2. To prepare lemongrass, cut off the leafy ends, peel off the first couple outer layers and then gently bruise lemongrass with a mallet or spine of your knife.
3. Once everything is prepared, place all of your ingredients into a large stock pot: 2 lbs pork hock (parboiled), 2 lbs beef bones (parboiled), 2 lbs beef brisket (parboiled), 4 stalks lemongrass (peeled and gently bruised, 2 small onion, rock sugar the size of a golf ball, 2 TBSP salt, and 5 liters of water.
4. Bring everything to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1.5 hours. Simmer with the lid on and occasionally skim out any foam that floats on top.
5. After 1.5 hours, take beef brisket and pork hock out. I accidentally over cooked my pork hock but it’s still pretty tender. To avoid over cooking, remove after 30-45 mins. Allow your brisket to cool and then thinly slice. We are going to use this as a topping in our bowl.
6. Now with what’s remaining in your stock pot, it should be your beef bones, onions and lemongrass. Fill your stock pot back with water to where it originally was. For me, I added another 3 liters of waters. Bring this back to a boil and simmer for another 2 hours.
7. After 2 hours, add your SHRIMP BROTH*. You can get shrimp broth by mixing together 3/4 cup of water + 1 TBSP shrimp paste. Also add in another 4 stalks of lemongrass, again our lemongrass is peeled and lightly bruised, and 1/2 cup of sate lemongrass oil. Cover and simmer this for another hour.
8. After 1 hour, discard beef bones and onions BUT reserve a couple pieces of your lemongrass and add it into your stock pot. We’re doing this to maximize the lemongrass smell/ flavor.
9. Your broth is now done. All you need to do is assemble your bowl with your preferred toppings. Popular toppings are: thinly sliced brisket, beef balls, cha lua (Vietnamese ham), cilantro, scallion, shredded cabbage, shredded banana blossoms, dap ca (fish mint), perilla (tia to), any other additional topping/ veggies you’d like. This dish is also popular with pork blood but I don’t like that so I leave it out.
