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Bún đậu mắm tôm
Bún đậu mắm tôm: pressed rice noodles, crisp fried tofu and boiled pork with herbs and a frothy shrimp paste dip
Bún đậu mắm tôm is served on round bamboo trays in the narrow alleys of Hanoi's Old Quarter, where groups of friends squat on low stools at lunch to share squares of pressed rice noodles, cubes of tofu fried until puffy, slices of boiled pork leg or belly and bundles of perilla and Vietnamese balm. Everything is dipped into mắm tôm, pungent fermented shrimp paste whisked with lime, sugar and a splash of hot oil until it foams. It is loud, salty and moreish. Chef's tip: whisk the shrimp paste hard for a full minute; it turns pale and fluffy and its harshness mellows.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the platter
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 ½ oz rice vermicelli
- 1 ⅓ lb firm tofu
- 2 cups vegetable oilfor frying
- 1 cucumbersliced
For the dip
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 limejuiced
- 2 red chilliessliced
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 14 oz boneless pork belly or pork leg in a pan, cover with water, add 1 tsp salt and bring to the boil. Simmer, covered, for 25–30 minutes, until the juices run clear and the centre reaches 160°F. Leave it in the water to stay moist, then slice thinly.
30 minStep 2: Cook 10 ½ oz rice vermicelli following the packet, drain and rinse in cold water. Press them into an oiled tray, cover and weight lightly for 10 minutes, then cut into squares.
15 minStep 3: Pat 1 ⅓ lb firm tofu dry and cut into 3 cm cubes.
3 minStep 4: Pour 2 cups vegetable oil into a deep, heavy pan so it comes no more than a third of the way up the sides. Heat to 350°F on a thermometer, or until a cube of bread browns in about 60 seconds. Never leave the hot oil unattended, and keep children well away from the stove.
8 minStep 5: Fry the tofu in batches for 5–6 minutes, turning, until puffed and deep golden with a crisp shell. Drain on kitchen paper.
15 minStep 6: For the dip, put 3 tbsp fermented shrimp paste (mắm tôm), 1 tbsp sugar and 1 lime in a small bowl and whisk hard for 1 minute. Add 1 tbsp of the hot frying oil and whisk again until it foams up pale. Common mistake: just stirring it; un-whisked paste tastes raw and aggressive. Scatter over 2 red chillies.
2 minStep 7: Arrange the noodles, tofu, pork, 1 bunch mixed perilla, Vietnamese balm and mint and 1 cucumber on a tray and serve with the dip in small bowls.
Step 8: Vegetarian version: leave out the pork and replace the shrimp paste dip with 3 tbsp light soy sauce, the lime juice, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp water and sliced chilli.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 690 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 67 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bún đậu mắm tôm take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 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 cucumber?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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