Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm is an iconic street food of Hanoi. It features rice vermicelli served with fried tofu and fermented shrimp sauce.
This dish isn’t for the timid, as Mắm Tôm, the pungent and aromatic fermented shrimp sauce, packs a bold flavor punch. Yet, once you acquire a taste for it, you’ll be absolutely hooked.
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What is “Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm”?
In Vietnamese, “Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm” literally translates to “Rice vermicelli served with fried tofu and fermented shrimp sauce.”
Initially, it was popular among the blue-collar workers in Hanoi because the ingredients—rice noodles, tofu, shrimp paste, and fresh herbs—were affordable and easily accessible. This story is quite similar to Cơm Tấm (broken rice) in the South.
As Vietnam’s economy flourished, people elevated this humble dish by incorporating more meat-based toppings, such as:
In Germany, sometimes I prepare this dish with my Hanoi friend. It doesn’t take much time, and the flavor is absolutely worth it. Even if you find fermented shrimp paste challenging, you can still enjoy the dish with the Nước Chấm dipping fish sauce.
Related Recipes | Other Hanoi’s Delicacies:
(Hanoi-style)
(Rice Noodle Salad with Stir-fried Beef)
(Cà Phê Trứng)
What makes this dish special?
In addition to the toppings such as fried tofu and various meat-based options, it is traditionally served with Mắm Tôm shrimp paste, pressed rice vermicelli and an abundance of Northern herbs.
Mắm Tôm (Northern fermented shrimp paste)
Asian cuisine is renowned for its traditional fermented foods like Kimchi, Natto, Miso, and Tempeh . Even here in Germany, where I live now, Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) is famous.
While your nose might say “nahhhh” to these smelly fermented foods, your stomach will appreciate the beneficial bacteria they contain.
Mắm Tôm, a fermented shrimp paste from Northern Vietnam, is stinky and pungent but rich in umami flavor. It can be used as a dipping sauce or seasoning, significantly enhancing the overall taste of a dish.
When I was a child, I couldn’t tolerate this smelly condiment. However, as I grew up, I realized that many dishes, such as Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm, Chả Cá Lã Vọng, Bún Mọc, and Bún Riêu , simply aren’t complete without Mắm Tôm.
Many people think Mắm Tôm isn’t safe to eat because it’s made from fermented raw shrimps, but its high salt content preserves the sauce and prevents harmful bacteria.
And don’t confuse Mắm Tôm with Mắm Ruốc, another fermented shrimp paste from Huế. Though both are made from the same tiny ocean shrimps, they are prepared using different methods, resulting in distinct flavors.
Mắm Ruốc is specifically used to cook Bún Bò Huế (Huế spicy beef noodle soup).
Herbs
An abundance of Vietnamese herbs served alongside helps balance the flavors of the dish.
Some popular herbs for Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm include Rau Kinh Giới (Vietnamese Balm or Cockscomb Mint), Tía Tô (Vietnamese Perilla), Húng Quế (Thai Basil), Húng Láng (Hanoi Basil), lettuce, and cucumber.
Rice Noodles
Another distinctive feature is the pressed rice vermicelli, known as Bún Lá (Leaf-shaped Rice Noodles) in Vietnamese.
Unlike other Vietnamese rice noodle dishes such as Bún Gà Nướng or Bún Thịt Nướng, where the noodles are separate, Bún Lá is pressed into a leaf-shaped block. This block is then cut into pieces, making it easier for dipping into the shrimp paste sauce.
Ingredients
Well, this dish is much simpler than what I described. Only rice noodles, tofu, herbs, and dipping sauces (Mắm Tôm or Nước Mắm Chấm) are must-haves; other toppings are optional.
- Dry rice vermicelli: use thin round rice vermicelli (“Bún” in Vietnamese)
- Medium-firm tofu: it’s the best to choose freshly-made tofu from Asian markets.
- Mắm Tôm (fermented shrimp paste) or Northern-style Nước Chấm (if you can’t handle mắm tôm)
- Herbs and vegetables such as Vietnamese balm / Cockscomb Mint, Vietnamese Perilla Leaf, and Thai Basil can be found at Asian markets (mint works just as well). Don’t forget lettuce and cucumber.
- Optional toppings: Nem Rán (Hanoi Spring Rolls), Thịt Luộc (Boiled Pork Belly) or Chả Lụa (Vietnamese Ham).
Ingredients for preparing Mắm Tôm
This is how Hanoians traditionally prepare their Mắm Tôm.
- Mắm Tôm (Vietnamese Fermented Shimp Paste): opt for the Vietnamese brand and don’t confuse it with Mắm Ruốc (another kind of shrimp paste).
- Calamansi (the best choice) or lime / lemon / rice vinegar. Calamansi is also used to make Toyomansi , a popular Filippino dipping sauce for Siomai.
- Hot cooking oil and shallots: Shallot oil helps diminish the strong smell of Mắm Tôm and aids in cooking the sauce (if you are concerned that Mắm Tôm is not safe).
- Sugar
- Chili
- MSG (optional)
Ingredients for Northern Dipping Sauce
- The pickle: carrots, kohlrabi (or green papaya, cucumber), salt, sugar, and rice vinegar.
- The fish sauce: fish sauce, rice vinegar (or lemon / lime juice), sugar, garlic, chili, and black pepper powder.
Instructions
PRESSED RICE NOODLES
- Boil the dry noodles according to the instructions on the package. Drain the rice noodles (no rinse).
- Spread the drained noodles on a tray. You can determine how thick you want your noodle block to be.
- Next, place a plate or cutting board on top of the rice noodles, and add some weight (I use a pot filled with water). Let them sit for 30 minutes.
- Use a knife to cut the block of noodles into bite-sized parallelogram-shaped pieces.
HERBS & VEGGIES
- Pick the leaves of the herbs and lettuce. Gently wash and drain them well.
- Wash the cucumber and thinly slice it.
TOFU
- Cut the tofu into cubes.
- Fry the tofu cubes until they’re golden and crispy on the outside.
VIETNAMESE HAM (CHẢ LỤA) (OPTIONAL):
The traditional recipe calls for Chả Cốm (pork paste with young rice flakes), but Vietnamese ham is more easily found at Asian markets.
- Cut it into thin slices and fry them until they are crispy.
PORK BELLY / PORK TROTTER (OPTIONAL)
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, incorporating some shallots (or scallions, ginger, etc.) as aromatics to help eliminate the pork’s odor.
- Add the pork belly or pork trotter and simmer until there is no visible pink or red color when piercing the meat with a chopstick.
- Remove the meat from the pot and allow it to cool down completely.
- Thinly slice the pork.
Boiled pork belly is also a key ingredient in Gỏi Cuốn (Vietnamese fresh spring rolls).
NEM RÁN (HANOI FRIED SPRING ROLLS) (OPTIONAL)
- Prepare Nem Rán ahead; they can be frozen for months.
- Reheat the spring rolls by deep-frying or air-frying.
- Cut the spring rolls diagonally.
Note: Only use Hanoi-style spring rolls. Saigon-style spring rolls or egg rolls (chả giò) are not suitable.
DIPPING SAUCES
Mắm Tôm (Fermented Shrimp Paste)
- In a bowl, blend the shrimp paste with sugar, MSG (optional) and calamansi juice.
- In a pan, heat some oil, add the sliced shallots, and fry until they turn slightly golden.
- Combine the fried shallots and some hot oil with the shrimp paste mixture. Mix thoroughly.
- Add slices of chili to taste, and your Mắm Tôm is now ready.
Nước Mắm Chấm (Dipping Fish Sauce) (in case you can’t handle Mắm Tôm)
- Peel the kohlrabi and carrot, then slice them thinly.
- Mix the vegetables with salt and sugar, and let them rest for 15 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, blend fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, chili, garlic, and black pepper.
- Add the carrot and kohlrabi (after draining the brine) into the fish sauce mixture.
ASSEMBLE & ENJOY
- Arrange all the ingredients on a large platter: rice noodles, fried tofu, boiled pork, spring rolls, Vietnamese ham, herbs, and vegetables.
- Dip each item into the dipping sauce and enjoy!!
Helpful Tips
- Use freshly-made tofu from an Asian market for the best flavor.
- Use only Hanoi-style spring rolls; Saigon-style spring rolls/egg rolls (chả giò) are not suitable.
- If you can’t find authentic herbs like Vietnamese Balm and Vietnamese Perilla, mint and Thai basil are good alternatives.
- For Mắm Tôm dipping sauce, you can substitute calamansi juice with lime/lemon juice or rice vinegar.
More Authentic Vietnamese Recipes
(Vietnamese Sizzling Pancakes)
(Cà Phê Sữa Đá)
Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm: Vietnamese noodles for adventurous palate
Ingredients
- 1 pack Thin round rice noodles (or "Bún" in Vietnamese)
- 2 packs Medium-firm tofu (read my note 1)
- Cooking oil
Other toppings are optional but highly recommend (be around 1.5 lbs / 700g in total)
- 0.5 lbs Vietnamese Ham (Chả Lụa) (230g) (store-bought or homemade)
- 0.5 lbs Pork Belly or Pork Trotter (230g)
- 1 Shallot (or scallions or a small piece of ginger)
- 0.5 lbs Nem Rán (Hanoi-style spring rolls) (230g) (read my note 2 about the spring rolls)
Herbs & Vegetables
- Vietnamese Balm / Cockscomb Mint (Kinh Giới) (read my note 3 about the herbs)
- Vietnamese Perilla (Tía Tô)
- Thai Basil (Húng Quế)
- Mint
- Cucumber
- Lettuce
Fermented Shrimp Paste Dipping Sauce (Mắm Tôm)
- 4 tbsp Mắm Tôm (Fermented Shrimp Paste)
- 4 tbsp Sugar (to your taste)
- 1 pinch MSG (optional)
- 8 Calamansi (only juice) (to your taste) (read my note 4 about substitutes)
- 3 tbsp Thinly sliced shallots
- 3 tbsp Cooking oil
- Chili (sliced) (to your taste)
Nước Mắm Chấm (Northern-style Dipping Fish Sauce) (If you can't handle Mắm Tôm)
- 3.5 oz Carrot (100g)
- 7 oz Kohlrabi (Green Papaya / Cucumber) (200g)
- 1 tsp Salt (for the pickle)
- 2 tbsp Sugar (for the pickle)
- 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar (5%)
- 2 tbsp Fish sauce
- 10 tbsp Water
- 1½ tbsp Sugar
- Minced garlic (to your taste)
- Minced chili (to your taste)
- Black pepper powder (to your taste)
Instructions
Vermicelli Rice Noodle:
- Boil the dry noodles following the package instructions. Drain the rice noodles without rinsing.
- Spread the drained noodles on a tray, adjusting the thickness to your preference.
- Press the rice noodles with a plate or cutting board, and a weight on top (I use a water-filled pot). Allow them to rest for 30 minutes.
- Finally, use a knife to cut the noodle block into bite-sized parallelogram-shaped pieces.
Veggies & Herbs:
- Pluck the leaves from the herbs and lettuce. Gentle wash and drain them well.
- Wash and thinly slice the cucumber.
Tofu:
- Slice the tofu into cubes.
- Fry the tofu until they turn golden with a crispy exterior.
Vietnamese Ham:
- Thinly slice and fry them until crispy.
Pork Belly / Pork Trotter:
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, adding shallots (or scallions, ginger, etc.) since aromatics help remove the pork's odor.
- Simmer the pork belly or pork trotter until there is no visible pink or red color when pierced with a chopstick.
- Take the meat out of the pot and let it cool completely.
- Slice the pork thinly.
Nem Rán (Hanoi Fried Spring Rolls):
- Reheat the spring rolls either by deep-frying or air-frying.
- Then, cut them into smalll pieces.
Mắm Tôm (Fermented Shrimp Paste Dipping Sauce):
- In a bowl, mix the shrimp paste with sugar, MSG (optional) and calamansi juice until well-combined
- In a pan, heat some oil, add the sliced shallots, and fry until they become lightly golden.
- Add the fried shallots with some hot oil into the shrimp paste mixture. Mix well.
- Add chili slices to your liking, and your Mắm Tôm is ready to enjoy.
Nước Mắm Chấm (if you can't handle Mắm Tôm):
- Peel the carrot and kohlrabi, then thinly slice them.
- Combine the vegetables with salt and sugar, allowing them to rest for 15 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, chili, garlic, and black pepper.
- Add the drained carrot and kohlrabi to the fish sauce mixture.
Assemble & Savor:
- Arrange all the components on a spacious platter: rice noodles, fried tofu, boiled pork, spring rolls, Vietnamese ham, herbs, and vegetables.
- Dip each element into the sauce and savor your meal!
Notes
- Opt for freshly-made tofu from an Asian market for the best flavor.
- Stick to Hanoi-style spring rolls; Saigon-style or egg rolls (chả giò) are not for this dish.
- If you can’t find authentic herbs like Vietnamese Balm and Vietnamese Perilla, mint and Thai basil are suitable replacements.
- In your Mắm Tôm dipping sauce, you can replace calamansi juice with lime/lemon juice or rice vinegar.
