Servings
Font
Back
Vietnamese bun thang (Hanoi rice vermicelli noodles with chicken, eggs and pork)
5 from 6 votes

Vietnamese bun thang (Hanoi rice vermicelli noodles with chicken, eggs and pork)

Vietnamese Bun thang (Hanoi rice vermicelli noodles with chicken, eggs and pork) is a sophisticated Northern Vietnamese noodle soup with many layers of flavors and delicious toppings. It is a must-try dish for anyone who wants to explore the true taste of Hanoi cuisine.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 567 kcal
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Ingredients

The broth
  • 1 chicken 3-4 lbs
  • 8 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 4 tablespoons dried shrimp
  • 1 ginger 2'' piece, cut in half lengthwise
  • 1 yellow onion peeled
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
The toppings
  • 6 oz Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 3 egg
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
  • 1 cup pork sausage Vietnamese, thin strips
Other ingredients
  • rice vermicelli noodles dried
  • scallion roughly chopped
  • cilantro roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fermented shrimp paste (or to taste)

Instructions

The broth
    Cup of Yum
  1. Bring a pot with plenty of water to a boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, vinegar and chicken to the pot. Let the chicken sit in there for 1-2 minutes. This step helps eliminating the poultry smell and reducing the amount of foam in step 5.
  2. Cover dried shiitake mushrooms and dried shrimps in hot water to rehydrate them. After 2 - 3 minutes, discard the water.
  3. Remove the chicken from the blanching liquid. Discard the liquid and wash the pot. Add chicken back to the pot, and also add dried shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimps, onion, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
  4. Pour about 8 cups of water (2 liters of water) into the pot. Turn on the burner and bring it to a boil. Skim off any foam. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and let it simmer. When the chicken is fully cooked, transfer it to an ice bath. The amount of time to cook the chicken depends on its size. I used a cut-up chicken so it only took about 15 minutes.
  5. When the chicken has cooled down, remove it from the ice bath and shred the meat. Put the chicken bones back to the simmering broth. Continue to let it simmer very gently.
Noodles and other toppings
  1. Peel and poach the shrimps until just cooked through. Put the cooked shrimps in the food chopper and chop roughly into small pieces (see image below). You can certainly chop them into smaller pieces than mine, but remember they will shrink when we toast them.
  2. Heat a non-stick pan over medium high heat, add a little oil and shrimp pieces. Toast, stir frequently until all water content evaporates (about 5 minutes), add 1/4 teaspoon of fish sauce, stir well and transfer to a bowl.
  3. Slice the Vietnamese pork sausage into thin slices and then cut into thin strips.
  4. Crack the eggs into a bowl and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Beat well. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, lightly grease with oil and pour just enough egg mixture to create a thin layer. Cook until the egg mixture is set, flip once. I can make 2 egg crepes from 3 eggs. Remove from the pan to a cutting board. After all the egg crepes are made, roll them and slice thinly.
  5. Prepare dried rice vermicelli noodles according to instructions on the package.
Putting everything together
  1. Fill a bowl with rice vermicelli noodles, then add all the toppings and chopped herbs. Arrange the toppings as in the image below.
  2. Add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce to the broth. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning if needed. Ladle the hot soup over the noodles.
  3. Serve immediately.  If you can eat fermented shrimp paste (this paste is flavorful but very strong and pungent), you can add a very small amount of it to your noodle bowl, mix with the broth before eating.

Nutrition Information

Calories 567kcal (28%) Carbohydrates 5g (2%) Protein 60g (120%) Fat 33g (51%) Saturated Fat 9g (45%) Cholesterol 541mg (180%) Sodium 2350mg (98%) Potassium 536mg (11%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 445IU (9%) Vitamin C 7mg (8%) Calcium 170mg (17%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 567

% Daily Value*

Calories 567kcal 28%
Carbohydrates 5g 2%
Protein 60g 120%
Fat 33g 51%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 541mg 180%
Sodium 2350mg 98%
Potassium 536mg 11%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 445IU 9%
Vitamin C 7mg 8%
Calcium 170mg 17%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.