Why eat pho? when you can have bún bò Hue?
My boyfriend is Vietnamese but I never crave for pho. I was never a huge fan and when my friends suggest it, I’ll be thinking, “mehh.. I’d rather be eating Chinese.” I do like some Vietnamese food though but only when it’s home-cooked à la Boyfriend’s mom. At restaurants, the only dish I like is bún bò Hue, which is a spicy noodle soup from Hue, the middle region of Vietnam. Differences from pho? Check out this blog which broke it down nicely. How was I introduced to this? My boyfriend’s family is Hue and the first time I had it at his house, I fell in love with it despite burning up from the spiciness. They make pho too but I always come over when I hear that mommy Phan is making bún bò Hue. Nom nom nom.
For someone who cannot take the heat (ask my Vietnamese and Korean friends whose cultures are filed with spicy dishes), I CAN handle bún bò Hue… with a huge glass of water and a bunch of napkins to wipe the tears streaming down my face. Seriously, I’m that bad. But anything for bún bò Hue.
It’s hard to find good Bún bò Hue in Vancouver but the best is definitely at Song Huong— the owners are actually Hue! Everything they make there is actually good since it’s one of best and most authentic Vietnamese restaurants in Vancouver too. For someone who does not like dining out Vietnamese, I do love Song Huong.
So what about you? Pho or bún bò Hue?
KATY:
I used to be really into pho bo (the beef one), but it never really satisfied me after I was done eating. My mom’s side of the family is Chinese through Vietnam, so they make pho ga, which is a northern-style pho with wide rice noodles and I’m obsessed with it. It’s so pure chickeny and the fresh noodles they get are great! I’ll eat it for three days straight when they make it.
I get kind of grossed out by the fatty pieces of meat floating in bun bo hue, especially if there’s a pork foot in it. It’s too rich or something. I wouldn’t mind it if they put in more cubes of blood though, haha. Yum!
Another viet soup I love is bun rieu, but only if my mom makes it. She makes the crab meatballs *so* light and fluffy and perfect.
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Katy
March 2nd, 2012 |
Pho ga and Bun rieu is really good too! I think I’m going to make a big pot of bun bo hue next week though. I love the spicy soup (even though I can’t really handle it) and the round rice noodles. I sometimes order my pho with that noodle too if the restaurant doesn’t have bun bo hue. I wonder if it’s really the noodle that I like?
Pork blood is still a no-no for me. I still can’t get myself to like that stuff.
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I love bun bo hue! I always used to get pho, but lately, I’ve been trying bun bo hue at every Vietnamese restaurant I go to. I don’t know what makes it authentic, but I’ve encountered a few that add pork blood, which I don’t eat
But I love how the soup is spicy…such a different taste from sriracha!
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Katy
March 5th, 2012 |
I love how it’s so rich and flavourful. I also think it’s the fact that I’m not usually a fan of spicy but I LOVE this.
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My mouth can’t handle food that’s too hot. I’m a wuss. I have yet to try Bun Bo Hue… I don’t know if I will. The ingredients (pork bones, blood, feet & shrimp paste) put me off. I’m not that adventurous when it comes to Asian food & different kinds of meats. I discovered Pho (the broiled beef version) in the past year & liked it though.
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Katy
March 5th, 2012 |
Yeah, you never seem to eat a lot of Asian foods from reading your blog all these years. What’s your favorite Asian cuisine and dish though?
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looks delish!
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Katy
March 5th, 2012 |
It IS.
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I love bun bo hue. I always gravitate towards it when I’m going for Vietnamese!! Is Song Huong the one on Nanaimo past first?
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OMG, I LOVE BUN BO HUE! Especially when it has pork blood and pigs feet ( don’t know if you’d had it in there its pretty indigenous LOL) I basically just inhale the broth like my life depends on it. <3
XOXOJOANNIE
ANURBAN-EXPLORER.BLOGSPOT.COM
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I know I’ve said this sometime somewhere already but I just felt the need to re-emphasize it, especially after I saw that photo. I frigging LOVE bun-bo-hue too (I call it bom bom noodles for short haha)I like pho too but after one bowl I’m good for a week but with bom bom noodles, man oh man I can eat it for days and I have! My bf’s mom makes it sooo nommy and she makes it a little less spicy for me too hahaha My nose drips like crazy too when I eat this. I also tie up my hair, that’s when you know I’m getting serious
In fact, all I care about is the noodle and soup, I don’t/want anything else in my noodles lol (same with pho, I’m literally just a noodle girl =S)
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