Bun Bo Hue Chay is a vegan version of the classic Vietnamese spicy beef noodle soup, featuring a rich, flavorful broth infused with lemongrass and chili, served with rice noodles, tofu, mushrooms and an array of fresh herbs and vegetables.
Ingredients
Broth:
3onions, peeled and leave whole, charbroiled
3inch longginger , peeled, charbroiled
10lemongrass stalks, smashed
½cupmushroom seasoning
½cupkosher salt
1whole pineapple, peeled and cut into 4, lengthwise
8inches longdaikon, peeled
3Fuji apples, peeled
2Asian pears, peeled
3chayotes, peeled
1jicama, peeled
1opo squash, peeled
1headcabbage
1wholenapa cabbage
2corn on the cob
4king oyster mushrooms
8ozwhite button mushroom
2portobello mushrooms
1bunchcilantro stems, stems only and not the leaves
Annatto oil:
½cupavocado oil, or any neutral oil
1Tbspannatto seeds
Saute:
6Tbspannatto oil
5lemongrass stalks, smashed and then chopped
1onion, chopped
2largeshallots, chopped
8garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tspkosher salt
1tspblack pepper
½cupred chili flakes
2TbspThai chili peppers, chopped
5Tbspvegan fish sauce
1tspsugar
½bagGia Vi Bun Bo Hue powder, available on Amazon, or an Asian market like 99 Ranch Market
110 oz jarfermented bean curd , strain (You can order this on Amazon or get it from an Asian market. Otherwise, you can use miso paste to give it that umami flavor)
314 oz packagesfirm tofu, cut in bite size chunks, sprinkle with salt and deep fry
6ozbean curd sticks, soaked in water for 15 min and then cut in bite size pieces
6king oyster mushrooms, cut in bite size pieces
¼cupannatto oil, to add to the broth at the end
Top broth with:
4green onions, cut into one-inch pieces
Optional garnish for noodle soup:
banana blossom, thinly sliced
rau ram
onion, thinly sliced
cilantro, chopped
green onions, chopped
limes
Noodles:
214 ozbun bo hue noodles
Instructions
Annatto oil:
To make the annatto oil, heat oil in a small sauce pan until it’s hot.
Take it off the heat, add annatto seeds and leave it in the oil for a couple of minutes. Do not have the oil too hot as it will burn the annatto seeds.
Strain and use the annatto oil for the cooking below.
Broth:
In a 24-quart pot, add all the broth ingredients.
Fill the pot to the brim with water.
Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 3 hours.
After 3 hours, turn off the heat for the broth pot and remove all the vegetables. I like to squeeze all the broth out of the vegetables and transfer that broth back to the pot, as vegetables absorb so much water and we don’t want it to go to waste.
At this point, a bit of the broth has evaporated. Strain the broth and transfer it to a 16-quarts pot.
Saute:
To make the sauté, in a large skillet or wok, on medium heat, add annatto oil then add lemongrass and cook for 5 minutes.
Add onions, shallots and garlic, then add salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add chili flakes, chopped Thai chili peppers, vegan fish sauce, sugar, entire package of Bun Bo Hue powder, fermented bean curd (or miso paste) and sauté for a few minutes until the flavors infuse.
Add fried tofu, bean curd sticks and oyster mushrooms. Stir fry for a couple of minutes. If the onion mix looks dry then feel free to add more annatto oil to the pan. Once done, put it aside and let it marinate the tofu and bean curd skins while broth is simmering.
Bring strained broth to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer and cook for an hour so all the flavors infuse together.
Add ¼ cup annatto oil to give the broth a nice red color.
In a serving bowl, add cooked noodles and pour broth to fill the bowl.