Food & Receipts

Delicious and Authentic Hanoi-style Bun Dọc Mùng Recipe: Tender and Flavorful Meat, Soft and Sweet Mung Bean Noodles, Say Goodbye to Itchiness with this Secret Ingredient.

Bun doc mung is a popular dish in Hanoi, especially during the cold winter days. Making a bowl of bun doc mung at home is not difficult, so let's make it for the whole family.

Administrator

9 December, 2023

134

In order to have a delicious and authentic Bún Dọc Mùng, the broth must be rich and clear, the dọc mùng must be crispy and not itchy, the sườn must be tender and the móng must be flavorful and not tough…

Ingredients:

1 pig’s trotter (about 500g)

500g pork ribs

400g pork leg meat without bones

200g ground pork shoulder

100g raw pig’s ear

2 pig’s ears

5 dried shiitake mushrooms

A handful of small vermicelli noodles

1 bunch of dọc mùng

Dried onions, tomatoes (optional)

Herbs: Scallions, cilantro, mint, served with noodles

Seasonings: Fish sauce, salt, seasoning powder, fresh turmeric (or turmeric powder), tamarind or me to add sourness.

Preparation:

Clean the pig’s trotter thoroughly, you can ask the seller to do it for you. Roll the de-boned pork leg meat into a round shape, you can also buy it pre-made. To make the pork leg meat firm and fragrant, you should wash it with ginger wine or white vinegar. Chop the pork ribs into bite-sized pieces and soak them in water together with the pork leg meat.

Place these three ingredients in a pot of water, bring to a boil and simmer to remove impurities and dirt.

Grate fresh turmeric to extract the juice and marinate the pig’s trotter, pork ribs, add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, mix well, marinate for 30 minutes for the meat to absorb the flavor and achieve a beautiful color.

Boil about 3 liters of water, then add the pork trotter, pig’s trotter and pork ribs to it. At this point, bring the water to a boil again before adding the trotter and ribs to make them sweeter and to avoid losing flavor. Add 1 onion, 1 teaspoon of salt. Pay attention to keep the heat low and occasionally remove the foam to keep the broth clear.

After 35-40 minutes of cooking, use a bamboo skewer to pierce the pig’s trotter and the trotter, if it goes through smoothly, they are cooked, take them out and soak them in ice water to make them crispy. Remove excess water and slice the trotter thinly.

Handy tip: You can add green papaya to the broth to enhance the natural sweetness and make the trotters, pork leg meat, and ribs soft.

Making the mọc fillings:

Soak the pig’s ears and dried shiitake mushrooms until they expand, then wash them thoroughly and dice them. Mix them with the ground pork, soaked and chopped vermicelli, dried onions, seasoning powder, and monosodium glutamate. The ground meat should be finely ground to make the mọc smooth. If you don’t like vermicelli, you can omit it or add a very small amount to prevent the mọc from becoming soggy. Once the mixture is well mixed, shape it into small mọc balls using a bottle cap, for a bite-sized serving.

Peel the dọc mùng, diagonally cut and soak it in concentrated saltwater to flatten it. Then squeeze out excess water and wash it several times to clean it and remove any itching. Note that there are itchy and non-itchy types of dọc mùng, so when you buy it, you need to pay attention.

Cooking the broth

Take out the pig’s trotter, pork trotter, and ribs from the boiled water and use that water as the broth. Bring it to a boil again and add the mọc balls. When the mọc balls float, it means they are cooked, remove them from the broth. Avoid leaving the mọc balls in the pot for too long as they will become dry. Remove the mọc balls from the pot and add more water to the bowl to prevent them from drying out, especially if you are not going to eat them immediately.

Add diced tomatoes to the broth, season with desired seasonings to suit your family’s taste. To add a sour taste to the broth, you can use tamarind, me, or sour fruits, depending on your preference. Generally, me makes it taste better.

Serving:

When serving, arrange the cooked noodles and dọc mùng in a bowl, top with mọc balls, pork ribs, pork trotter, and sliced pig’s trotter. Garnish with scallions and cilantro on top. Bring the broth to a boil and pour it into the bowl. Now you have a delicious and authentic bowl of Bún Dọc Mùng.

Boil the noodles, arrange them in a bowl, add mọc, pork ribs, pig’s trotter, thinly sliced pork leg meat, blanch the dọc mùng in the broth. Pour the hot broth over it, sprinkle scallions and cilantro on top, and enjoy.

Final result: Crispy dọc mùng, tender pork leg meat, rough pig’s trotter, soft and tasty mọc balls, clear and slightly yellow broth, perfectly balanced and pleasing to the taste buds.