I asked her what bún thang means and she said “as a kid I used to sit around and wonder how ‘oranges’ got their name–nobody knows.” As if I was crazy for asking. Luckily, mom noticed the word thang was used when mentioning Northern Vietnamese and Chinese medicine (thuốc Bắc), usually given as a mixed bag of dried herbs. I believe thang means “prescription” which in this Vietnamese medicinal context is usually a mixture. This recipe has a mixture of three different toppings not including the herb mixture, but you can commonly find variations with even five or more toppings.
Finicky soup from northern Vietnam
This chicken-based noodle soup originates from Hanoi, in the northern region of Vietnam. Although this delicious soup is comparatively basic in preparation and flavor, it has a rep for being fancy and fussy in its own ways. This soup typically uses round rice noodles, a thinner version of what you usually see in bún bò Huế, but Grandma says you’re supposed to put Vietnamese coriander (rau răm) underneath the noodles which makes no practical sense to me. I love the smell of rau răm and want that aroma immediately apparently when I sit down to a bowl of this. Why keep this as a hidden surprise extra veg element? Some folks also get particular about making all the toppings being cut to the same size matchsticks. And of course the ‘right’ way to cook it is to use a kind of chicken you can’t even get here. Not unless you raise chickens, or have the hookup with folks who do.
Chickens must be 6.05 to 6.27 months old
What’s the deal with this chicken requirement? It’s called gà mái dầu and it refers to a hen of a very specific age. Okay, I don’t know the exact age they’re supposed to be but the prized ones are old enough to have only laid eggs for about a week. Older chickens will have tougher meat, while ones that haven’t laid eggs yet are too young. The closest thing we have to this here is gà chạy, or gà đi bộ, which is free-range chicken. Finicky right?
Beetle juice
A final addition you make to your bowl of soup right before eating is a few drops of cà cuống . A fair WARNING for the uninitiated readers before you search this term, cà cuống is indeed juice from a beetle. More specifically, it’s a type of extracted male beetle pheromone. The packaging on this bottle is clearly Thai. I’m not exactly sure what Thai folks eat this with, however bug cuisine there is common so these beetles are not likely sought after just for the pheromones. I’ve only had the imitation version of this beetle essence since the real stuff is hard to come by in the US, but supposedly it tastes even better. In Vietnamese cuisine it’s common to add this extract to dishes like bún thang, and the prepared fish sauce for gỏi cuốn (fresh spring rolls).
Loaded with toppings
Mom likes to remind me that the kind of soup you’d see above is abnormally loaded with extra meat and toppings compared to what she’s seen during her childhood in Vietnam. This constant reminder has me now pondering every Vietnamese meal I have: is this legit, or the super-rich “Americanized” version of this dish? I can imagine a “leaner” bún thang of the 1960s and ’70s still being very satisfying, but for now will appreciate this soup for all its stacked glory.
Other comforting chicken soups to try
Cháo Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Rice Porridge / Congee) Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe (Súp Nui Gà) Chicken Phở
