What is bun mam (bún mắm)?
Bun mam is kind of like a seafood noodle stew.
The noodles included are usually rice vermicelli, and the ones I had in my bowl were kind of rounder and slightly chewier than the noodles I had, for instance in bowls of pho, which were more silky and soft.
Also, unlike pho that has a thin clear broth usually prepared by boiling bones and meat with herbs, the soup stock used for bun mam has a far different look and taste.
The broth is flavored, most importantly with fermented fish sauce.
Helen’s recipe uses both mam ca linh and mam ca sac, which I’m not totally sure what the difference is, but they are two different types of fermented fish sauce used in the recipe.
Along with the noodles and broth, bun mam wouldn’t be complete without a huge collection of seafood, pork, eggplant, and chives, arranged on top.
Conclusion
Bun mam (bún mắm) is yet another widely available noodle soup dish you’ll discover in southern Vietnam.
The dish includes rice vermicelli noodles, which are slightly chewy and round in shape, submerged in a dark colored fermented fish sauce broth, all decorated with a variety of seafood, slices of pork belly, eggplant, and a bunch of fresh herbs and vegetables to go on top.
You should try the bun mam from a restaurant called Bún Mắm Phan Bội Châu, located right across the street from Ben Thanh market.
As a lover of fish and fishy things, I enjoyed the flavor of the soup and the mix of ingredients. However, although it was good, this particular bowl of bun mam was too sweet for me.
Other than that, bun mam is a wonderful dish, and it’s something you’ve got to try when you’re in Saigon.
Address: 22 Phan Bội Châu, it’s literally located right across the street from Ben Thanh market
Open hours: they are open from about 6 am – 7 pm daily. Go in the middle of the day to be on the safe side.
Price: 65,000 VND ($3) per bowl, this is an expensive bowl, but it’s due to its prime location and the serving is of pretty decent size
(source: http://migrationology.com/2015/05/bun-mam-saigon/)
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