Description
A childhood favorite with thick noodles in a rich pork broth. The trickiest part is keeping those slippery noodles on the spoon!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3 lb pork bones (neck bones and/or spareribs)
- 3 quarts water
- 1 large yellow onion or 4 shallots (leave whole)
- 1 tablespoon chicken or mushroom bouillon powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon annatto oil (optional)
- 2 lbs Banh Canh or Udon Noodles
- 1/2 stick Vietnamese Ham (Cha Lua or Gio Lua)
- 1/2 stick fried fish cakes
- 2 scallions and/or a small bunch of cilantro (thinly sliced)
- Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the aromatics: Roast the onion or shallots in the oven at 400°F for about 15 minutes or when they become aromatic. Scrap off any charred areas to prevent browning the broth then set aside.
- Blanch the pork bones to get rid of the impurities (optional): Add the pork bones to a large stockpot and fill with water to cover by 1 inch. Boil the bones for 10 minutes or when you see a lot of foam at the top. Drain the content of the pot into a colander and rinse the bones under cold running water. This helps clean the bones, keeping the stock clear. It also helps rid of any lingering foul pork smell.
- Prepare the stock: Add water (3 quarts) to a stockpot and bring to a boil (if you are reusing the same stockpot that was used to blanch the bones, make sure to clean the pot thoroughly before adding water for the stock). Add the blanched bones and onions/shallots. Reduce the heat to your lowest setting and simmer for two hours uncovered. Remove the onions and pork bones from the broth and discard. Sometimes, I leave the bones if they still have a good amount of meat on them.
- Season the stock: Add chicken or mushroom bouillon powder, sugar, salt, and fish sauce. To color the broth red/orange which is optional, add annatto oil.
- Prepare the noodles: Cook the noodles per packaged instructions. If the noodles are sticking together, add ½ teaspoon vegetable or sesame seed oil and toss the noodles lightly together.
- Assemble and serve: Add a handful of noodles into a bowl. Add a few slices of Vietnamese Ham and fried fish cakes. Ladle in hot broth. Garnish with scallions/cilantro and a sprinkle of ground black pepper.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Category: entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: asian, vietnamese