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Bún ốc
Snail noodle soup
Bún ốc: rice noodles in a sour tomato broth with snails, fried tofu, perilla and chilli
In the lanes around Đồng Xuân Market in Hanoi, bún ốc is a cold-weather lunch for people who love a sharp, sour broth: tomatoes cooked down with the gently fermented rice vinegar called giấm bỗng, a pork-bone stock, golden fried tofu and plenty of tender river snails, served over soft rice noodles with perilla and a spoon of chilli. This home version uses cooked frozen snail meat from Vietnamese or Asian grocers and ordinary rice vinegar. The stock is made from pork bones. Chef's tip: add the snails at the end and just heat them through; long boiling makes them rubbery.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the broth
- 1 ⅛ lb pork bones
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 3 shallotssliced
- 3 cloves garlicchopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 ripe tomatoescut into wedges
- 4 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 7 oz fried tofucut into cubes
For the snails
- 10 ½ oz cooked snail meat (frozen)thawed in the fridge
- ⅔ oz gingerfinely chopped
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
To serve
- 10 ½ oz rice vermicelli
- 1 handful perilla leaves
- 3 spring onionssliced
- 2 red chillies (optional)sliced
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅛ lb pork bones in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse. Return to the pan with 8 ¼ cups water and simmer gently for 45 minutes, skimming, to make a light stock. Strain.
50 minStep 2: Rinse the thawed 10 ½ oz cooked snail meat (frozen) in cold water and drain. They should smell fresh and mildly earthy; throw away any batch that smells sour or off.
5 minStep 3: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a pot and fry 3 shallots and 1 ½ cloves garlic over a medium heat for 2 minutes until golden. Add 4 ripe tomatoes and cook for 8 minutes, crushing them, until soft and pulpy.
10 minStep 4: Pour in the stock, add 4 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar and 7 oz fried tofu, and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste: it should be clearly sour, a little sweet and salty.
10 minStep 5: In a frying pan, fry the remaining garlic and ⅔ oz ginger in a drizzle of oil for 30 seconds, add the snails and ½ tsp ground turmeric and toss for 2 minutes. Common mistake: simmering the snails for a long time; they toughen quickly.
3 minStep 6: Tip the snails into the broth and simmer for 2–3 minutes, until piping hot throughout.
3 minStep 7: Cook 10 ½ oz rice vermicelli following the packet and drain. Divide into bowls, ladle over broth, snails and tofu, and top with 1 handful perilla leaves, 3 spring onions and 2 red chillies.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 64 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bún ốc take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 65 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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