Hue Style Spicy Turkey Vermicelli Noodle Soup Recipe

Everyone knows the best part of Thanksgiving is the leftovers, especially leftover turkey. We always, always make stock with our turkey carcass, and we often use it to make this hue style turkey noodle soup.

I’m all about leftovers. I mean, once, when I was at a party, someone asked how everyone liked to eat their Thanksgiving leftovers. I literally said that I like to make myself a plate that looks just like Thanksgiving dinner. I kind of got some weird looks and when everyone else answered, I realized why. Most people were saying things like turkey chili, sandwiches, turkey alfredo pasta, things like that. But really, I mean, I LOVE turkey dinner and don’t understand why people get tired of it. But, as much as I love straight up leftovers, I really really like using leftovers to make entirely new dishes. Dishes like this spicy turkey vermicelli noodle soup, a take on Vietnamese bun bo hue.

Hue style soup is so good. It’s lemongrass-y, spicy, and incredibly addictive. If you like pho, you’re in for a treat because hue noodle soup is like pho but turned up times ten. Traditionally hue noodle soup is made with beef, which is why it’s called bun bo hue. Bun means vermicelli, bo means beef, and hue, well, that’s an area in Central Vietnam. So, this is kind of like bun turkey hue: vermicelli turkey in a hue style soup. The best part of this dish, aside from the fact that it’s delicious, is that it comes together pretty fast.

How to make hue style turkey noodle soup

1. Make the stock in the oven. It doesn’t get more hands off than this and it’s perfect fo a lazy Friday you spend on the couch surfing Black Friday deals.
2. Pop the turkey carcass, minus any meat left on the bones, into a large pot with lemongrass, garlic cloves, shallots, sugar, water, and fish stock. Let it hang out in a 200°F oven for at least two hours.
3. While you take a break from online shopping, make some some chili oil aka
   satế aka what gives this noodle bowl all of its flavor. It’s garlicky, spicy, and full of lemongrass flavor.
4. Blend up lemongrass, shallots, garlic, and chilis in a food processor, then add everything to a small pot with netural oil and gently simmer. Remove from the heat, then mix in chili flakes, sugar, and fish sauce. Let cool.
5. When your stock is done, cook some thick vermicelli, add a scoop of satế to your bowl, top up with noodles and leftover turkey. If you have herbs (cilantro, mint, sliced green onions, thinly sliced red onions, or Thai basil) it will absolute be a win.

What is bun bo hue?

A spicy noodle soup from Central Vietnam, specifically the Hue region. Bun bo hue, or BBH as those in the know call it, is herbaceous beefy lemongrass stock seasoned with a spicy saté (sauce). Thick, round vermicelli noodles swim in the red hued soup and tender slices of meat and fresh herbs punch everything up. It’s spicy, savory, sour, and sweet all at once. Balanced, yet in your face full of flavor.

Here, instead of the classic beef stock we’ll make a lemongrass turkey stock then flavor it with a chili oil that has lemongrass, shallots, garlic, fish sauce, and two kinds of chilis. It’s seriously delicious.

Happy leftover-ing!
xoxo steph

Hue Style Turkey Noodle Soup

Serves 4

5 from 11 votes

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs

Ingredients

Turkey Lemongrass Soup Stock

• 1 turkey carcass
• 3-4 stalks lemongrass bruised and cut into 4" lengths
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 shallot halved
• 1.5 tbsp sugar or ~20 grams of rock sugar (preferred)
• 8-9 cups water

Lemongrass Chili Oil

• 1/2 cup neutral oil
• 1-2 tbsp red pepper flakes divided
• 2 shallots minced
• 6-8 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup lemongrass minced
• 1 tbsp sugar or ~10 grams of rock sugar (preferred)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp shrimp paste optional, see notes

To Finish

• 12-16 oz dried rice vermicelli look for thick hue style noodles
• 1 lb leftover turkey sliced or chopped
• red onion thinly sliced
• mint roughly chopped, optional
• cilantro roughly chopped, optional
• green onions sliced, optional
• 1 lime cut into wedges

Instructions

• Make the stock: Adjust the racks in the oven so a large pot can fit in the middle and heat to 200°F. Place the turkey, lemongrass, garlic, shallot, and sugar in the large pot and top with water. Bring to a gentle simmer, then very carefully transfer to the oven, uncovered, and cook in the oven for 2 hours.
  
• Meanwhile, make the chili oil: in a small, deep sauce pan, heat the oil and chili peppers over medium low heat, stirring often, until it smells aromatic. Remove from the heat and strain with a mesh strainer. Add the oil back to the pan along with the shallots, garlic, and lemongrass. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the shallots just begin to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in rock sugar until dissolved, then stir in the red pepper flakes, fish sauce, and shrimp paste.
  
• Remove the stock from the oven and carefully strain into a large pot. Season it with fish sauce, by the tablespoon until it is aggressively seasoned but not overly salty, about 3-4 tablespoons. Keep the stock on a low boil.
  
• Assemble: Cook the noodles according to the package. Drain well and place the noodles in large warmed bowls and top with about 2 cups of the spicy lemongrass broth, 1-2 tablespoons of chili oil (to taste), and leftover turkey. Add sliced red onions, mint, cilantro, green onions, and lime to taste. Add more chili oil if you like it hot!

  You will definitely end up with more chili oil than stock so you can save it for another round of whatever soup you might have on hand. Enjoy :)
  

Notes

The shrimp paste can be found at most asian grocery stores. It’s quite smelly on its own but essential if you want an authentic flavor. 

Estimated nutrition (esp the sodium) will be highly dependent on your seasoning and how much soup you consume.

Estimated Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Hue Style Turkey Noodle Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 748 Calories from Fat 174

% Daily Value*

Fat 19.3g30%

Saturated Fat 3.2g20%

Cholesterol 86mg29%

Sodium 1471mg64%

Potassium 453mg13%

Carbohydrates 101.9g34%

Fiber 4.1g17%

Sugar 6.7g7%

Protein 40.6g81%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.