I am at a loss as to how to translate the name of this dish. Bún is basically the general term for any type of round rice noodles, but I actually don't know what thang means. What I know, though, is that this dish originates from the Hanoi. I once had it there but I remembered not liking it at all. So I was very skeptical the summer before last when my friend's mom said that this dish would be on the menu when I visited. To be honest, I was hoping there would be something else I could eat. (I didn't say anything though, that would be too rude.) But as it turned out, I was pleasantly surprised! So I asked for the recipe and what I got was a list of ingredients. Yeah, that's how it works, no measuring, just the experience of making a dish multiple times.
This dish, unlike phở or bún bò, does not have a lot of herbs or spices so it relies solely on the broth. This means if you are going to make it and you have no time to make a good one, just don't bother making it. Also, the not-so-great feature of this dish is that it does not have vegetables. Some people serve this along with bean sprouts but I don't think the original version has them. It's just a bowl of noodle soup for you to gulp down.
Since last summer, I have tried to duplicate this dish twice but I still don't have precise measurements yet so this really is just a rough guide.
INGREDIENTS:
6 servings
2 lb pork bones
1 boned-in skinless chicken breast
2 oz dried shrimps
2 eggs, beaten
3-4 oz pork roll (available at Viet stores)
1 large yellow onion
1 piece of ginger
1 medium dried squid
Small round rice noodles
Vietnamese mint
Mắm tôm - shrimp paste
METHOD:
Warning: The shrimp paste has a very very pungent aroma. It smells much worse than fish sauce to unaccustomed nostrils but completely mouth-watering to the accustomed ones ;).
Trim the chicken breast to remove as much fat as possible.
Broil the onion and ginger.
Grill the dried squid. It's best to do this over charcoal fire but since I live in an apartment, I use methanol gel instead.
Soak the dried shrimps in warm water for about half an hour.
Bring water to a boil, add the pork bones and bring the water back to a boil for about 3min. Pour the water out, rinse the bones carefully with cold water before returning them back to the pot together with cold water. Bring to a boil for about 5 min and reduce heat, let the bones simmer for about 2h. Use a fine mesh to remove the gunk floating to the top while cooking. In the last half an hour, add the chicken breast, the grilled squid, and the broiled onion and ginger to the pot, cook till the chicken is done. Drain the shrimp water into the broth pot. Season with salt to a somewhat undersalted side if you are willing to try the shrimp paste. Remove the chicken breast, let cool.
Discard the bones, keep the broth. Pork bones tend to have high fat content so what I normally do is make the broth, cool it in the refrigerator overnight so that all the fat solidifies and floats to the top. I then strain then broth through a fine mesh/cheese cloth to remove the fat so I end up with a nice broth without having to consume all the fat.
Bring water to a boil in a different pot, add the noodles and cook for about 3min. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and let drain.
Shred the chicken.
Grind the dried shrimp using a pestle and mortar. The texture is better this way but if you are lazy, a food processor does an okay job.
Cut the pork roll into fine strips.
Season the beaten eggs with some salt and pepper, then make the thinnest "omelet" possible. Let cool, roll it up and cut into very thin strips.
Chop the mint finely.
Assemble the bowl: place chicken, shrimp, pork, eggs, and chopped mint over the noodles. For an aesthetic effect, place them in a way that creates color contrast. Carefully ladle the boiling broth over the noodle, serve with some shrimp paste. This is perfect for a cold day!!!
2 eggs, beaten
3-4 oz pork roll (available at Viet stores)
1 large yellow onion
1 piece of ginger
1 medium dried squid
Small round rice noodles
Vietnamese mint
Mắm tôm - shrimp paste
METHOD:
Warning: The shrimp paste has a very very pungent aroma. It smells much worse than fish sauce to unaccustomed nostrils but completely mouth-watering to the accustomed ones ;).
Trim the chicken breast to remove as much fat as possible.
Broil the onion and ginger.
Grill the dried squid. It's best to do this over charcoal fire but since I live in an apartment, I use methanol gel instead.
Soak the dried shrimps in warm water for about half an hour.
Bring water to a boil, add the pork bones and bring the water back to a boil for about 3min. Pour the water out, rinse the bones carefully with cold water before returning them back to the pot together with cold water. Bring to a boil for about 5 min and reduce heat, let the bones simmer for about 2h. Use a fine mesh to remove the gunk floating to the top while cooking. In the last half an hour, add the chicken breast, the grilled squid, and the broiled onion and ginger to the pot, cook till the chicken is done. Drain the shrimp water into the broth pot. Season with salt to a somewhat undersalted side if you are willing to try the shrimp paste. Remove the chicken breast, let cool.
Discard the bones, keep the broth. Pork bones tend to have high fat content so what I normally do is make the broth, cool it in the refrigerator overnight so that all the fat solidifies and floats to the top. I then strain then broth through a fine mesh/cheese cloth to remove the fat so I end up with a nice broth without having to consume all the fat.
Bring water to a boil in a different pot, add the noodles and cook for about 3min. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and let drain.
Shred the chicken.
Grind the dried shrimp using a pestle and mortar. The texture is better this way but if you are lazy, a food processor does an okay job.
Cut the pork roll into fine strips.
Season the beaten eggs with some salt and pepper, then make the thinnest "omelet" possible. Let cool, roll it up and cut into very thin strips.
Chop the mint finely.
Assemble the bowl: place chicken, shrimp, pork, eggs, and chopped mint over the noodles. For an aesthetic effect, place them in a way that creates color contrast. Carefully ladle the boiling broth over the noodle, serve with some shrimp paste. This is perfect for a cold day!!!
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