Bun Bo Hue — the Shrimp Paste Is What Gives the Broth Its Depth

Name: Bun Bo Hue — the Shrimp Paste Is What Gives the Broth Its Depth
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 6 people
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 1.5kg beef marrow bones + 500g pork trotter; 500g beef shank or brisket; 2 tablespoons fermented shrimp paste (mắm ruốc); 10 stalks lemongrass, bruised; Chilli powder, annatto oil, chopped garlic (for the chilli oil); Thick round rice noodles; Salt, fish sauce, rock sugar; To serve: shredded banana blossom, bean sprouts, herbs, lime, chilli

Bones for sweetness, lemongrass and chilli for aroma. That thick, lingering depth behind every spoonful — that is the shrimp paste.

This page is translated from Vietnamese. Prices and opening hours are checked against Vietnamese sources — see the Vietnamese version for the most recent update.

Bun Bo Hue — the Shrimp Paste Is What Gives the Broth Its Depth

Photo: Chainwit. · CC BY 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons (cropped to 16:9 and resized)

A pot of bún bò made at home is usually already good: sweet from the bones, fragrant with lemongrass, hot with chilli, a handsome red colour. One more thing turns it into the thick, deep flavour you get at a proper shop — mắm ruốc, fermented shrimp paste.

What the shrimp paste does in the broth

Shrimp paste does not make the broth saltier — salt and fish sauce do that. It contributes something else: depth. Sea shrimp fermented over months produce powerful umami compounds, giving the broth a finish that lingers rather than stopping the moment you swallow.

That is also why you cannot substitute fish sauce or stock powder. They give salt and sweetness, but not that foundation.

Straining the shrimp paste properly

This step decides whether your broth is clear or cloudy.

Take about 2 tablespoons of shrimp paste for a 3–4 litre pot.
Dissolve it in a cup of cold water, stirring until fully smooth.
Leave it to settle for 10–15 minutes. The sediment sinks to the bottom.
Pour off the clear liquid from the top and discard the sediment.
Add that clear liquid to the simmering broth and skim.

Take the trouble to settle and decant and the broth comes out clear and smooth. Tip the paste straight in and it turns cloudy and gritty — which is why this step is worth doing.

The rest of the pot

Beef marrow bones and pork trotter, simmered at least 2 hours, skimmed constantly for the first 30 minutes
Bruised lemongrass added to the pot, in greater quantity than you expect — around 10 stalks for 4 litres
Chilli oil made from chilli powder, chopped lemongrass, garlic and annatto oil, for colour and aroma
Seasoning with salt, fish sauce and a little rock sugar

The order matters: bones first, lemongrass partway through, shrimp paste and chilli oil near the end.

Where to eat it in Da Nang

Not everyone has two hours to simmer bones. Da Nang has several long-established places whose broth has enough depth to measure your own attempt against:

Place	Address	Note
Bún bò Mệ Mui	118 Hà Huy Tập	The oldest of the group, passed down through generations
Bún bò Bà Thương	23 Trần Quốc Toản	One of the best known in the Hải Châu area
Bún bò Bà Thủy	12 Nguyễn Chí Thanh	Open since the late 1980s
Bún bò Cô Huệ	Nguyễn Văn Thoại street	Near My Khe beach, convenient for visitors
Bún bò Chị Hồng	155 Ngô Quyền	On the Sơn Trà side, just over the bridge

Bún bò is a breakfast dish. Most places open early and close when the pot runs out — usually before midday. Arrive late and you will miss it.

We compiled this list from Da Nang food guides rather than eating at each place ourselves. Addresses and hours change, so check a map or call ahead. We take no payment from any of the places listed.

Recipe