Vegan Bun Bo Hue

Watch how to make it here

Bun Bo Hue is traditionally a spicy Vietnamese beef noodle soup originating from Hue in central Vietnam. This vegan version is made in an Instant Pot to cut down on time but still tastes amazing. It’s slightly spicy, salty, and filled with the lemongrass flavors well known in Vietnamese cuisine.

Notes:

1. Sate is key to this dish. My sate recipe can be found here. You can make this a few days in advance to expedite the cooking process.
2. Vegan Vietnamese ham can be found in the frozen section of most Asian grocery stores. This is optional and does not need to be added to the dish but is highly recommended.
3. Feel free to use your choice of fresh vegetables. Fresh banana flower might be hard to find so Thai basil, mint, cilantro, beansprouts, and lime should suffice. If the banana flower is not available at your local Asian grocery store and you would like a vegetable with a similar crunchy texture, feel free to use purple cabbage instead.
4. Rock sugar is used in this recipe for a subtle sweetness but if it can’t be found you can use brown sugar instead.
5. The vegan imitation beef can be found online or in most Asian grocery stores. It is typically labeled as textured vegetable protein slices and is packaged dried. You would have to rehydrate it with room temperature water for about 10-15 minutes.
6. Most mushrooms will work great in this recipe such as shiitake, lion’s mane, king oyster, or enoki but I like to use shimeji and oyster mushrooms.
7. Bun bo hue rice vermicelli must be used for this recipe. They are thicker than your average rice vermicelli, kind of like a smaller version of udon. You can find it in the dried noodles section of your local Asian grocery store and it should say bun bo hue rice vermicelli on the cover of the package.
8. Store any leftovers separately for up to 4 days. I usually store the raw vegetables in Tupperware, the cooked toppings in another, and broth and noodles all separately.