Hanoi Special Rice Noodles
Bún Thang
Ingredients:
- 1 packet Vietnamese small dried round rice noodles, vermicelli (cooked)
Broth
- 1 whole chicken
- 1kg pork joint bones
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled, sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 3 dried squids, rinsed
- 4 big dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in water overnight
- Water
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp rock sugar
- Sea salt to taste
- White pepper powder to taste
Toppings
- Shredded chicken (from the broth)
- 4 large scrambled eggs, fried thinly, julienned
- 200g Vietnamese classic silky sausage, cut unto fine matchsticks (Chả lụa)
- 12 prawns, cooked, peeled
- Cooked sliced dried shiitake (from the broth)
- Handful fresh bean sprouts
- 4-6 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
- 4 tbsp spring onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp chopped sweet and salty preserved radish
- 2 tbsp fried shallots (recipe below)
- Tsp tangy-sweet fine shrimp sauce
- 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges
Method
1. In a stockpot, add whole chicken, pork bones, onion, garlic, squid, and mushrooms and cover with water. Add 1 tsp of sea salt and bring to simmering point, uncovered. After 20-30 minutes remove the chicken and set it aside in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes to prevent it from drying out. Remove the meat from the chicken and shred the meat with your fingers by pulling it along its natural grains and put back the bones and skin to the stockpot. Set the shredded chicken meat aside. Simmer the stock further for 1 ½ hour, uncovered. Skim off any scum. Let it rest for 1 hour.
2. Position a fine-mesh sieve over a pot and pour the stock into the sieve. Keep the braised shiitake and discard the rest of the solids. Slice and shiitake and set aside. Bring the broth to a simmer. Seasoning with fish sauce, rock sugar, sea salt, and pepper. Adjust the taste to your likes. Keep it simmer over medium heat while you are assembling the bowls.
3. Divide the vermicelli among 4-6 bowls. Top with chicken, shredded egg, chả lụa, prawns, shiitake, bean sprouts, coriander, and spring onion. Ladle the hot broth gently over the bowls and sprinkle with salty preserved radish and fried shallots, a ½ tsp of shrimp paste per bowls. Serve with lime wedges.
Tangy-Sweet Shrimp Sauce
Mắm tôm chấm
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 2 red Asian shallots, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2-3 chili padi, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp fine shrimp sauce
- 1 tbsp Japanese rice vinegar
- ½ tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 50ml pineapple juice
In a small saucepan, combine the oil, shallot, and garlic over medium heat. When the oil is sizzling and fragrant, add chili, shrimp paste, and vinegar. Whisk it evenly. Add fish sauce, sugar, and pineapple juice. Cook for 5 minutes. Adjust the taste to your liking. Set aside for 1 hour to let the flavors develop before serving.
