10 Vietnamese Noodle Dishes That Will Make You Entirely Forget Pho (Recipes Included)

Recipe for Home-cooked Bun Rieu

The earthy, umami flavor of freshwater crab makes Bun Rieu one of the best Vietnamese noodle dishes. 

* Ingredients: 

• Freshwater crab: 1kg
• Bone broth
• Tomatoes: 0.5kg
• Tofu: 2 pieces
• Rice noodles: 1.5kg
• Fermented rice vinegar: 1 bowl
• Water spinach, banana flower, bean sprouts, basil
• Green onions, chili, lime
• Shallots: 5 bulbs
• Salt, monosodium glutamate
• Shrimp paste, fish sauce

* How to make:

Step 1: Prepare the freshwater crab
Soak the crabs in water for about 1 hour to remove all the dirt and sand, then rinse them with clean water. Then, peel off the crab shell and set aside.
Next, put the crab in a mortar and add a little salt, pound it into a paste. Adding salt helps the protein in the crab meat to stick together better, creating a lump when cooked. Then, put it in a pot with 3 large bowls of water, stir well, filter and keep the water, and discard the crab residue.
For the shell, use the tip of a small spoon to scoop out the crab roe and place it in a small bowl, marinating it with a little ground pepper and seasoning.

Step 2: Prepare other ingredients
Wash tofu, cut into small pieces and fry until golden brown.
Wash green onions, cut half into small pieces and cut the other half into 3cm pieces. Peel and chop shallots.
Wash tomatoes, cut into dice.
Pick and wash water spinach, remove stems and split into strips.
Slice banana stems thinly horizontally, soak in water mixed with vinegar.
Wash raw vegetables, bean sprouts, and basil.

Step 3: Stir-fry crab roe
Put 150ml of cooking oil or lard in a deep pan and heat it up, then add the sliced ​​shallots and fry until golden brown. Next, pour in the crab roe and stir-fry until thick, then add the crab roe on top of the crab meat to color it, slice the green onions, and sprinkle them on top for fragrance.

Step 4: Stir-fry the tomatoes
Add the sliced ​​tomatoes with 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of sugar and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, then turn off the stove.

Step 5: Make the Bun Rieu broth

Pour the filtered crab water and bone broth into the pot and boil for about 30 minutes. When you see the crab meat float, take it out and put it in a separate bowl and add the stir-fried crab roe on top to create an appealing look and aroma. This will help the crab meat form a beautiful mass.

Last but not least, add the stir-fried tomatoes and season the broth with fish sauce, fermented rice vinegar, salt, and MSG to taste. 

Step 6: Assemble
Blanch the vermicelli in boiling water and put it in a bowl. Scoop the crab meat into the bowl with spring onion. When eating, pour the Rieu water in with pieces of tofu and tomatoes. Serve hot with raw herbs, shrimp paste (depending on individual taste), lemon, and chili.

* Tips for the best bowl of Bun Rieu

• It will be much better if you choose crabs that are a dull grayish-purple color, with a lighter shell. Choose those that are still moving quickly, with intact claws and legs, and are flexible. Pressing on the belly shell with your hand and seeing bubbles form indicates that the crab is still fresh.
• The crab meat will be soft, smooth, and retain its characteristic flavor if it is pounded by hand.
• If you don't have fermented rice vinegar, you can substitute it with tamarind or sour fruits.

* Product requirements: The crab meat should form a solid mass, the broth should have the characteristic aroma of freshwater crab, a naturally reddish color from tomatoes and crab roe, and a light, appealing sour taste.

Recipe for Home-cooked Mi Quang

* Ingredients

• Quang noodles: 400 gr
• Pork tail bones: 500 gr
• Shrimp: 500 kg
• Pork belly: 500 gr
• Quail egg: 20 boiled quail eggs
• Peanut oil: 200 ml
• Peanut: 100 gr
• Onion, white radish, shallot, green onion, turmeric, coriander
• Annatto oil: 2 tablespoons
• Rice crackers: 10 pieces
• Common spices

* How to make

Step 1:

Blanch 500g of pork tail bones, boil them, and add onions and white radishes. Prepare other ingredients, including roasted peanuts, shallots, green onions, and coriander. 

Step 2:

Marinate the pork belly with salt, MSG, fish sauce, pepper, and minced shallots. Marinate the shrimp with salt, MSG, and shallots. Stir-fry the shrimp and pork belly over high heat with annatto oil. 

Step 3:

To prepare the soup, put 1.5 liters of broth, sugar, salt, MSG, fish sauce, annatto oil, boiled quail egg, stir-fried pork and shrimp in the pot and boil. Let it simmer for 30 minutes. Seasoned to taste.

Step 4:

Cook the Quang noodles as instruction on the package and put them in a bowl, take out some pieces of pork, shrimp, quail ​​eggs, sprinkle roasted peanuts on top, then pour the soup into the bowl. Arrange on a plate with rice crackers, peanuts, green onions and raw vegetables to serve.

Recipe for Home-cooked Bun Bo Hue

* Ingredients

• Pork leg: 1 kg
• Beef brisket: 500 gr
• Thick rice noodles: 200 gr
• Beef or pork blood pudding (optional)
• Crab or beef sausage: 200 gr (optional)
• Annatto oil, lemongrass, onion, garlic, ginger
• Vietnamese fermented shrimp sauce: 2 tablespoons
• Green onion, bean sprouts, cilantro/basil, banana flower, lime
• Common spices 

* How to make

Step 1: Prepare meat
Boil the pork leg to remove dirt, then rinse with clean water. Clean the beef brisket, boil separately with 1/2 sliced ​​ginger for fragrance. Simmer over low heat for about 2 hours, wait for the brisket to cool, then slice thinly.

Step 2: Prepare other ingredients
With 4 finely chopped lemongrass stalks, cut the rest into pieces. Divide the onion into 2 parts, cut one half in half, the other half into thin slices.
Wash and chop the green onions, cilantro, and basil. Wash and drain the accompanying vegetables.

Step 3: Cook Hue beef noodles
Mix 2 tablespoons of Vietnamese fermented shrimp sauce with 100 ml of cold water.
Saute 4 minced lemongrass stalks with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil until fragrant, remove some lemongrass, add 3 tablespoons of annatto oil. Finely chop 1 onion, 1 garlic bulb and 2 chili peppers, then put them in a pan to fry until golden brown, then turn off the heat.
Put the pork leg on the stove to simmer with 1 onion cut in half and 3 lemongrass stalks crushed to make the broth fragrant and sweet, extracting all the nutrients in the bones. (Note: occasionally skim the foam from the broth to make the broth clear).
Take the clear part of the Vietnamese fermented shrimp sauce and put it in the pot, discard the residue. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of salt, season to taste.
Add the chili paste made above.

Step 4: Assemble
Blanch the noodles in boiling water, drain and pour into a bowl. Add brisket, pig's feet, crab cakes, blood, coriander, chopped green onions, a little sliced ​​onion and then pour the broth.
It will be best if Hue beef noodles are served with bean sprouts, banana flowers, basil, and chili sauce.

Recipe for Home-Cooked Bun Bo Nam Bo

* Ingredients

• Beef tenderloin: 500 gr
• Noodles: 1 kg
• Roasted peanuts: 100 gr
• Chili, garlic, lemongrass, shallots, lemon: 1
• Basil, perilla, lettuce, coriander, bean sprouts, cucumber
• Common spices

* How to cook

Step 1: Prepare vegetables
Prepare raw vegetables, onions, garlic, lemongrass... Fry shallots until golden brown.

Step 2: Stir-fry the beef
Wash the beef, drain, slice into thin slices, marinate with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, a little ground pepper, mix well. Stir-fry the beef over high heat with onions, lemongrass, garlic, until medium rare, then turn off the heat.

Step 3: Make Bun Bo Nam Bo dipping sauce
Put 4 tablespoons of good fish sauce, 4 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of warm water, and the juice of 1 lemon into a bowl. Use a spoon to stir well until the sugar dissolves and the ingredients blend. Add minced garlic and chili, stir well again, and it's done.

Step 4: Assemble
Place the noodles in a bowl. Add the prepared fresh vegetables, followed by the beef, roasted peanuts, and fried shallots. Finally, pour in some dipping sauce, mix well, and enjoy.

Recipe for Home-Cooked Cao Lau

* Ingredients

• Pork: 500 gr (shoulder/thigh/belly)
• Cao Lau noodles (if you can’t find it, use the thick rice one)
• Crispy wonton crackers
• Garlic: 6 cloves
• Soy sauce: 4 tablespoons
• Five-spice powder: 1 teaspoon
• Annatto oil: 1 tablespoon
• Onion: 1 bulb
• Herbs, bean sprouts 
• Common spices 

* How to cook

Step 1: Marinate pork
Marinate pork with 1 teaspoon of five-spice powder, 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1.5 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of annatto oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and add a little chili powder if you can handle the heat. Mix well and wait for at least 2–3 hours. 

Step 2: Make char siu pork and sauce for Cao Lau
Fry both sides of the meat until golden brown, add pork broth or cold water to cover the meat, season with soy sauce and sugar to taste. After 40-50 minutes, drain some of the meat broth to make the dipping sauce (to serve with cao lau). Continue to simmer the meat in the pot until it is tender, the sauce thickens and the meat turns reddish brown.

Step 3: Assemble
Add little blanched bean sprouts to the bottom of the bowl, then add Cao Lau noodles and sliced char siu pork. Drizzle the broth evenly over to soak in the flavor. Add crispy wonton crackers, and serve with lime, Hoi An chili sauce, various herbs for a complete taste.

Recipe for Home-Cooked Hu Tieu

* Ingredients

• Hu Tieu noodles (rice noodles): 1 kg
• Ground pork: 300 gr
• Porkibs: 1 kg
• Shrimp: 200 gr
• Liver: 300 gr
• Lean pork
• Boiled quail eggs
• Pickled radish
• Celery, bean sprouts, chives, lemon
• Shallots, peeled, garlic
• Soy sauce, seasoning powder, ground black pepper

* How to cook

Step 1: Prepare the broth
Wash the ribs thoroughly, then blanch them in boiling water to reduce the odor. Add the ribs, onion, and garlic to the pot and simmer until tender. Then add a little seasoning powder.

Step 2: Prepare the toppings
Marinate lean pork with pepper, seasoning powder, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Boil liver, thinly slice. Boil and peel shrimp.
Add minced garlic to the frying pan, and when the garlic is fragrant, add the minced meat and stir-fry until cooked.

Step 3: Assemble
Blanch the noodles in boiling water until soft, then remove and place them in a bowl. Arrange the prepared ingredients, such as minced meat, liver, quail eggs, and shrimp on top. Spoon the prepared minced meat over it along with a little fried garlic, green onions, and pour the broth over.

Recipe for Home-Cooked Bun Suon Doc Mung

* Ingredients

• Ground meat: 200 gr
• Spare rib: 500 gr
• Pork paste: 200 gr
• Vermicelli: 400 gr
• Dried shiitake mushroom: 20 gr 
• Elephant ear stalk: 500 gr 
• Dried wood ear mushroom: 20 gr
• Tomatoes: 200 gr
• Green onion, onion, chopped shallots, coriander, chopped shallots 
• Common spices

How to cook

Step 1: Prepare rib
Add 1 liter of boiling water to the pot, put in the blanched pork ribs, add 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, and simmer for 20 minutes to allow the ribs to absorb the flavor and make the broth sweeter.

Step 2: Prepare other ingredients
Shred the elephant ear stalks, wash then cut them into pieces, add 2 teaspoons of salt and mix well, then let it soak for about 15 minutes. Continue to wash them, then squeeze out the excess water. 
Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water for about 30 minutes, then remove, wash, and rinse under clean running water several times to remove sand, cut off the mushroom stems, and then chop finely. Soak wood ear mushrooms in water for about 1–2 hours to soften, then chop finely. 
Cut tomatoes and onions into wedges.

Step 3: Make meatballs
Mix ground meat and pork paste, then add all the mushrooms, season with 1/2 tablespoon of minced shallots, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, then mix all the ingredients well, and shape them into bite-sized balls.

Step 4: Make Bun Suon broth
Add cooking oil to the pan, then add minced shallots and sauté until fragrant, after which add tomatoes and stir-fry them. Add all the rolled mushrooms into the pot of simmering pork bones, cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Season the broth with 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1.5 tablespoons of fish sauce. Add the elephant ears for 3 minutes when the water boils again and turn off the heat.

Step 5: Assemble
Put the noodles in a bowl, then gradually add the pork ribs, tomatoes, meatballs, elephant ears, coriander, and finely chopped onion, and finally pour the boiling broth over it to complete the dish.

Recipe for Home-Cooked Bun Thang

* Ingredients

• Chicken: 1 kg
• Pork bone: 300 gr
• Dried shrimp: 15 gr
• Pork sausage: 100 gr
• Egg
• Picked radish, onion, carrots, shallots, cilantro
• Vermicelli: 600 gr
• Shrimp paste
• Common spices

* How to cook

Step 1: Prepare Bun Thang broth
Wash the chicken and pork bones with a mixture of salt and vinegar to remove the odor. Boil the chicken and pork bones with 1 teaspoon of pepper, 4 peeled shallots, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce. Boil for about 30 minutes, take the chicken out and shred it.

Step 2: Prepare other ingredients
Put the eggs in a bowl and beat them with chopsticks, then put the pan on the stove and spread a thin layer of eggs on the pan. When the eggs are cooked, take them out and wait for them to cool before cutting them into strips.
Cut the pork sausage into strips.
Cut off the roots of the green onions and cilantro, rinse them with water and then chop them.
Wash the pickled radish and chop them. Soak the dried shrimp in warm water.

Step 3: Make Bun Thang broth
After taking the chicken out, add the pickled radish, 1/2 carrot and 1/4 onion and simmer with the bone marrow over low heat for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to low.

Step 4: Assemble
Blanch the noodles in boiling water, then arrange the noodles in a bowl and add shredded chicken, pork roll, fried eggs, pickled radish and cilantro on top. Then pour in the broth and add a little shrimp paste and you can enjoy it right away!

Recipe for Home-Cooked Banh Canh

* Ingredients

• 3 crabs
• Thick Vietnamese noodles: 500 gr
• Pork bone: 1 kg
• Straw mushroom: 100 g
• Hamhock: 250 g
• Quail eggs
• Tapioca starch, coriander, green onion
• Common spices 

* How to cook

Step 1: Prepare the crabs
Clean the crab, steam it, take the meat and roe. Then, put the chopped onion in a pan with oil, sauté until fragrant, then add the crab meat and stir-fry with fish sauce and pepper. Next, fry the shallots, add the crab roe and stir-fry, then set aside.

Step 2: Prepare other ingredients
Wash straw mushrooms, soak them in diluted salt water, cut lengthwise and stir-fry. Boil pork leg until cooked, slice.

Step 3: Cook Banh Canh broth
Blanch the pork bones in boiling water, wash them and simmer to get the broth. Next, sauté the onions, pour them into the pot of bone broth, season and wait until the water boils, then add the straw mushrooms. Finally, mix in a little tapioca starch, pour into the pot of broth and stir gently to thicken the broth.

Step 4: Assemble
Put the thick Vietnamese noodles in a bowl, add crab meat, crab roe, hamhock, quail eggs on top, then pour the broth over, sprinkle with onions, coriander and pepper on top. The finished bowl of crab noodles has a sweet broth, firm crab meat, the more you eat, the more "addictive" it becomes.

Recipe for Home-Cooked Bun Ca

* Ingredients

• Tilapia: 800 gr
• Fresh vermicelli: 500 gr
• Tomato: 400 gr
• Pork bone: 400 gr
• Soft tofu: 2 pieces
• Shrimp paste: 1.2 tablespoons
• (or regular fish sauce)
• Lemon juice: 1.2 tablespoons
• Turmeric powder: 1.2 teaspoons
• Shallot, dill
• Fresh vegetables
• Crispy fried flour
• Common spices

* How to cook

Step 1: Cook Bun Ca broth
Filter the tilapia’s meat and fish bones separately.
Blanch and wash the pork bones. 
Blanch the fish and its bones. Then, take out the blanched fish head and bones and wash them.
Pour 1.3–1.5 liters of water into the pot. Continue to add the pork bones, fish head and fish bones that were blanched above to the pot to simmer to extract the sweetness.
Fry the shallots until fragrant, then add the tomatoes and a little turmeric powder and stir-fry until the tomatoes are slightly sticky.
Remove the fish heads, fish bones and pork bones from the broth. Then add the tomatoes and onions to the pot and season with salt, MSG and lemon juice to taste.

Step 2: Prepare ingredients
Cut tilapia into pieces, tomatoes into wedges, chop shallots and herbs.
Cut dill into 3 - 4 cm pieces. Leave coriander and perilla leaves intact.
Cut large tofu in half, then cut into small pieces, fry until golden brown.

Step 3: Fry fish
Marinate the fish for 15-20 minutes with 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp shrimp paste, 1 tsp MSG, 1 tsp turmeric powder. After that, add a little bit of crispy fried flour to coat the surface of the fish. 
Add cooking oil to the pan, heat until the pan is hot, then put the fish in to fry, the fish should be submerged in oil. Fry until golden brown, then flip to the other side so that the fish is evenly fried, then take it out onto a plate.

Step 4: Assemble
Put the noodles in a bowl, add tofu and fried fish with vegetables, then add the boiling broth and you can enjoy a delicious bowl of fish noodles right away!