Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup - Instant Pot)

This recipe for Bun Bo Hue is my streamlined shrimp-free version, made in an Instant Pot. It features a beef and pork bone soup flavoured with lots of lemongrass, thick rice noodles, and a Vietnamese sate chili oil.

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Vietnamese

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Servings

Calories 221kcal

Author Michelle

Equipment

Instant Pot (pressure cooker)

Ingredients

Lemongrass Base Soup Broth

2 lbs beef bones
2 lbs pork bones
3 lbs boneless beef shank
8 stalks lemongrass halved and bruised
1 large onion halved
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp sea salt
2 tablespoon coconut sugar or granulated sugar
2 tablespoon fish sauce
4 C chicken broth
enough water to cover the meat and bones

Annatto Seed Oil

1 tablespoon annatto powder
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon shallot minced
1 tablespoon garlic minced
2 tablespoon lemongrass minced

Vietnamese Sate Chili Oil

⅓ C high smoke-point oil canola, grapeseed or peanut
5 fresh Thai chilies chopped
1 medium shallot minced
5 cloves garlic minced
2 stalks lemongrass minced
1 tablespoon fish sauce
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika

To serve:

1 pkg dried round rice noodles cooked, drained & rinsed
1 pkg cha lua (Vietnamese ham) sliced
beef shank (from the lemongrass soup) sliced
pork blood optional, cooked + cubed
1 banana blossom sliced + soaked in water & lemon juice
1 pkg bean sprouts lightly blanched
mint
basil
Thai chilies or jalapeno optional
1 lime cut into wedges

Instructions

Make the lemongrass base broth:

Rinse and clean the beef/pork bones.
Place the bones into a large pot and cover with water.
Bring the bones up to a vigorous boil for 5 minutes.
Drain and rinse the scum off the bones under running water.
Add the par-boiled bones to the Instant Pot liner.
Next, add in the beef shank, bruised lemongrass stalks, onion, salt, sugar, fish sauce and chicken broth.
Top with enough water to cover the bones and meat.
Place the lid on, set the vent to SEAL, and use the MEAT function: 50 minutes at HIGH PRESSURE.
Do a quick release and open the lid.
Remove the bones, aromatics (lemongrass, onion) and beef shank.
Remove the meat from the bones, discard lemongrass and onion.
Strain the soup broth through a sieve into a large pot to remove any impurities.
Keep the broth warm.

Make the annatto seed oil:

In a small sauce pan or frying pan, heat up 3 tablespoon oil over medium heat.
Add in minced shallot, garlic, lemongrass and sauté for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Add in 1 tablespoon annatto powder and continue to sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Stir all of the annatto seed oil into the lemongrass base broth.

Make the Vietnamese sate chili oil:

In a small sauce pan, add in oil and heat over medium heat.
Add in Thai chilies, minced shallot, garlic, lemongrass and sauté for 2 minutes.
Next, add in chili powder, paprika, fish sauce, salt and sugar.
Continue to cook for another 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and transfer to a clean glass jar.
Store at room temperature.

Assemble:

Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions (the thicker round rice noodles will take at least 20 minutes).
Drain and rinse the noodles under cold running water.
Portion the noodles into each bowl.
Add cha lua (Vietnamese ham), sliced beef shank, cubed pork blood (if using) and ladle the hot soup over top.
Garnish with sliced banana blossoms, bean sprouts, mint, basil, and a squeeze of lime.
Add Vietnamese sate chili oil to your taste and enjoy immediately.

Nutrition