Easy Instant Pot Bun Bo Hue (Hue-Style Beef and Pork Noodle Soup)

Hue-style noodle soup with an amazing spicy umami broth served with thick and chewy rice noodles and various cuts of meats. If you’re looking to expand your culinary horizons and try a soup dish that’s both comforting and exciting, give Bun Bo Hue a try! You will not regret it!

I don’t even know where to start when it comes to Bun Bo Hue. It’s my number one favorite Vietnamese noodle soup. Pho? I like that too, but Bun Bo Hue is the ultimate for me and my family! We seriously love it so much!

What is Bun Bo Hue (BBH) anyway?

Bun Bo Hue/Bun Bo (or BBH for short, learned this term from a waiter years ago when I first ordered BBH) is a beef and pork noodle soup made with a spicy broth that is infused with various spices, and herbs, and gets its distinct aroma from a shrimp paste and the spiciness comes from saté (spicy chili sauce). The soup is typically served with Hue-style rice noodle, which is thicker than typical rice noodles. The noodle soup also includes slices of beef, pork, pork hocks/knuckles, and sometimes pig’s blood cake. It’s often accompanied by fresh herbs like culantro (saw-tooth herbs), basil leaves, mints, beansprouts shredded banana blossoms, as well as lime wedges.

BBH is a labor of love

I’m not going to lie! Yes, I did say that it’s “easy” in the title. Trust me, this has been simplified as much as possible but I also want to retain that authenticity that makes BBH special. The list of ingredients can be pretty long but please don’t let that stop you. It’s actually not difficult to make. I think the most difficult part is gathering all the different ingredients. The main bulk of the work is mainly in preparing the broth!

Instant Pot BBH saves time!

If you prepare BBH broth on the stove, it may take at least 2-3 hours to boil until the meat are tender. Using Instant Pot took me about 1 hour of high-pressure cooking and I don’t have to babysit the process. I probably won’t make BBH on the stove if I don’t have a pressure cooker LOL!

Ingredients and substitution for BBH broth

1. Pork bones
I use pork neck bones
2. Pork hocks/feet
I prefer hocks over feet. Feel free to use whatever you like
3. Beef shank
I love using beef shank in BBH because it has that sinew. It may sound like not a very pleasant thing, but when you cook them long enough, they become tender and adds a unique texture. You can always use beef brisket too
4. Lemongrass stalks
This can be easily found in Asian grocery stores. Even some Western grocery stores carry lemongrass stalks these days
5. Garlic
I recommend using fresh garlic and not the minced garlic that comes in a jar or garlic powder
6. Ginger
I use fresh ginger. Don’t substitute with ground ginger. It doesn’t give the right aroma
7. Onions
You can use yellow or white onions
8. Fish sauce
Fish sauce is a pretty common ingredient these days and you can find it in Asian or non-Asian grocery stores
9. Shrimp paste (mam ruoc cha hue)
This is a must in BBH as it contributes to that umami aroma. This is widely available in Asian grocery store.
10. Black peppercorns
11. Sugar and salt
I use regular granulated sugar and fine sea salt

Ingredients for Ớt sate / chili sate sauce

The term “sate” or “satay” in Southeast Asia usually refers to a style of cooking meat on skewers over an open flame. However, the use of the term “sate” in this context generally refers to the spicy chili sauce rather than the skewered meat. So it’s not the satay you are thinking 🙂 If you don’t want to make sate sauce from scratch, you can always use store-bought sate sauce.
1. Oil
Use any neutral-tasting oil such as canola oil, vegetable oil, grapeseeds oil, avocado oil
2. Lemongrass
You can use lemongrass stalks and finely mince them or there are also pre-minced lemongrass sold in Asian grocery stores too and they are usually in the frozen section
3. Shallots
You can substitute with purple or red onion
4. Garlic
Use fresh garlic if you can
5. Dried chili
I use dried Thai chili
6. Annatto oil
This is made by cooking annatto seeds in oil. The oil will pick up the orange-red hue. You can skip this if you can’t find annatto seeds. You can use annatto powder too if you can find it
7. Seasonings: fish sauce, chicken powder, sugar

Things to accompany BBH

These are the things that you may see served with BBH. You can use as many or as few as you like. Some ingredients may be difficult for you to find if you leave outside of Asia (like myself). So just use what’s available and no stress about it 🙂

1. Hue-style rice noodles
The rice noodles are thicker than usual rice noodles. You will see it labeled as “Hue-style rice noodles” or “Bun Bo Hue noodles”

2. Blood cake
This is usually made with pig’s blood that is congealed and then cut into cubes and boiled until it is cooked. I just bought cooked blood cake from Asian grocery store. They are usually soaked in water to prolong its shelf-life. This is of course optional as blood cake may not be for everyone. It’s a must for me when it comes to BBH 🙂

3. Cha Hue (Hue-style ham)
I didn’t make this from scratch. I use a store-bought one. There are many good ones you can find in Vietnamese/Asian grocery store

4. Banana blossom
I use fresh banana blossom. It can be pricey here in the U.S. One little banana blossom cost almost $4.00 dollars. Restaurants don’t usually give banana blossoms when you order BBH. They usually give shredded purple cabbage, which is cheaper

5. Beansprouts
Fresh beansprouts are usually served with BBH. I didn’t have any and just use soy bean sprouts
6. Purple/red onion
7. Thai basil leaves
You can also use any basil leaves available to you
8. Sawtooth herbs or culantro
This herb is only available at Asian grocery store. You can skip it if you can’t find any
9. Limes

How to prepare BBH broth using an Instant Pot pressure cooker

1. Blanch the bones and meat
This step is to ensure that our broth will be clear and clean. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pork bones, pork hocks, and beef shanks. Let them boil for 5 minutes. You will see lots of scum arise. Scoop those off during boiling.

2. Turn off the heat and carefully remove the bones and meat into a heat-proof colander and rinse with cold water to get rid of any scum that cling to them. Throw away the boiling liquid and clean the pot if you plan to use the pot for making the broth

3. Prepare the broth. I place the peppercorns and ginger slices inside a mesh bag so I don’t have to fish them out later. But you don’t have to if you don’t want. You can just add them to the broth directly
4. Fill up the inner pot of instant pot or a clean pot (if cooking on the stove) with 2 cups of water. Combine shrimp paste with warm water and mix until combined.

5. Add the rest of the ingredients for the seasonings. Add this to the pot and stir to combine. Place the bones and meat into the inner pot of instant pot or back into the pot if you plan to cook on the stove. Add onions, garlic, ginger slices, lemongrass stalks, and seasonings. Fill up with more water to cover the bones and meat. Be careful not to exceed the max line in the inner pot of Instant Pot

6. Cover with the lid and turn the pressure release valve to sealing. Press “pressure cooker” and set on “high pressure” and set the timer to 60 minutes and then natural release. If you are cooking on the stove, bring the water to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer and partially cover with a lid and let it simmer for the next 2 1/2 – 3 hours or until the pork hocks and beef shank are tender
7. Prepare the chili sate sauce while waiting. Soak the dried chili in warm water until softened. Discard the water and finely minced them. Skip this step is you use dried chili flakes. Preheat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the annatto seeds (if using) and cook over medium heat until the oil has nice orange-red hue, about 5 minutes or so. Remove the seeds and discard. To the same oil, add lemongrass, shallots, and garlic and saute until aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add the chili, chicken powder, fish sauce, and sugar. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes over medium heat. If you make extra you can save them in the jar and let them cool down completely before keeping them in the fridge. They can last for 2 week or so

8. Back to the broth. The broth is done cooking here

9. Remove the shank, pork hocks and bones to a plate and let them cool down before slicing the shank. Discard the lemongrass stalks, onions, garlic, and the mesh bag (if using) from the broth. Strain the broth if you are not using mesh bag. Add the chili sate to the broth and you will see the broth turn reddish color now. Have a taste and adjust to your preference

10. To serve: Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package. I rinsed the cooked noodles with cold water to make sure they don’t turn soggy. Portion the cooked noodles into individual serving bowl. Add some slices of beef shank, one pork hocks, slices of Vietnamese ham, few pieces of blood cakes. Sprinkle with some chopped green onion. Ladle the broth over the noodles generously and serve immediately with the herbs, limes, and beansprouts on the side and enjoy your labor of love!

Did you make this Instant Pot Bun Bo Hue recipe?

I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag it to show me what you’ve made. Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!