This is serious soup. Streamlined. But still serious. Hu tieu. My way.
This is not a traditional version. It’s not true to anyone’s roots. This is all the things I like about hu tieu. And none of things I don’t like.
I love pork. So that works. And this is pork two ways even. I’m pretty happy about that. Asian broth soups? That always works for me. Noodles? Very much so. Quail eggs? Definitely.
Pork liver? I can take it or leave it. So I’m leaving it. Pork heart? Not my favourite. I’m just not big on offal. So it’s out. The really nasty bits? Sorry. Another time maybe. But probably not.
I’m unrepentant. I’m bad that way. But as far as I can tell there’s no right or wrong way to make hu tieu. Everybody does it differently. So I feel good calling this hu tieu.
This is a richly flavoured pork broth soup with chewy noodles. Wonderful, wonderful chewy noodles. Sliced pork. And fried pork. Quail eggs. Shrimp. And fish sauce. Noodle soup. My way.
Might not be your way. Or your mom’s way. Or the way you had it in Vietnam. I know that. No need to leave comments telling me I suck. You do you. I’ll do me.
Hu tieu all about the broth
This is not lightly flavoured pork broth. Not vaguely pork flavoured water. This is big pork broth. Really big. Sledgehammer big. Because that’s the way I like it.
There are recipes out there that say you should simmer the pork bones for two hours. I don’t understand that at all. Wishful thinking maybe.
You can’t rush gold. Twelve hours is about right. To extract maximum flavour. You paid for those bones. Get your money’s worth.
That’s stage one. Maximum flavour extraction from bones. But there’s stage two. And you know you want stage two.
Poach pork shoulder in stage one. Double stock. It’s almost too much. Crazy intense.
It’s all about the noodles too
You can make hu tieu with rice noodles. That’s allowed. You might even get away with wheat noodles. Maybe. Maybe not. But the real deal? Hu tieu noodles.
Hu tieu noodles are made with tapioca. Yes. You read that right.
I know. That doesn’t sound great. But it is. Amazing in fact. They’re a bit chewier than rice noodles. In a really good way.
A bit more flavour too. And they pick up the flavour of the broth better. Key takeaway? You need to try hu tieu noodles. Everybody needs to try hu tieu noodles.
You won’t find them in a grocery store. Takes a trip to an Asian grocer. Totally worth it. You should find them in the same spot as the rice noodles.
They actually say hu tieu on the package. It’s not always easy to find things in an Asian market if you don’t read the language. So thank you for making it easy.
For the record I won’t ever make this dish with anything else. Tapioca noodles rule. That’s three words I never thought I’d write. But I am converted.
Hu tieu is actually pork broth with chicken
Hu tieu isn’t just pork broth. There’s chicken in there too. And I have a short cut. Start with some chicken stock.
Chicken stock. Not cubes. Not pots. Nothing powdered. Nothing radioactive yellow. No iridescent green flakes.
Real chicken stock. Made from chickens. You can buy chicken stock. Or you can make it. For this soup I buy it.
It comes in one litre tetra packs where I am. Not as good as homemade. No doubt about that. But it is good enough. Because the pork flavour is dominant.
I always choose the no sodium version. Because I like to control the salt. This recipe is no exception.
Double boil your bones for clear broth
Counter-intuitive. And yet culinary genius. Want clear broth? Double boil your bones. I use that trick for all my Asian broths.
It’s easy. Add enough cold water to a pot to cover the pork bones. Bring to a boil. Let it go for five minutes.
You’ll almost immediately see a bunch of gunk come to the surface of the water. Coagulated proteins if you want to get technical.
Doesn’t really matter what you call it. Nobody wants gunk in their broth.
There’s gunk on the bones too. And it has to go. Dump the water and bones into the sink. Run the cold water. Scrub. Get your hands dirty.
Return those freshly cleansed bones to the pot. Cover them with water and chicken broth. And simmer gently. Gunk free broth rules. Seriously.
On the matter of dried shrimp
I’ve tried making hu tieu a few ways. The local Vietnamese restaurants won’t tell me their secrets. They are zero fun that way.
But it isn’t really that hard to figure out. It’s a mostly porky broth. With a hint of seafood.
I’ve tried doing this with dried shrimp. And charred squid. Too intense for me. Completely overpowers the pork flavour.
So I’m careful about it. Cautious even. Timid? Maybe.
I want a hint of seafood. Killer pork broth is real work. And that’s the flavour I want in my bowl.
So I ditch the dried shrimp. Or I add only the daintiest amount. And I don’t leave it in for long. Depends on my mood.
And I don’t bother with the charred squid. I have other things I’d rather use squid for. Told you this wasn’t your mother’s recipe…
Pork done two ways
How much pork can you get into one bowl of soup? Turns out a lot. That makes me smile.
Hu tieu with pork two ways. Plus the broth. Pork three ways. That makes me smile more.
There’s pork shoulder. Poached in pork broth. For deeper flavour. Sliced thin. Like pho. That’s just tasty stuff.
And there’s browned ground pork. Seasoned with garlic, black pepper and fish sauce. Yes. Fish sauce.
Never fear the fish sauce. Embrace it. Totally makes this dish. Totally makes a lot of Thai and Vietnamese dishes.
Pork. Pork. And more pork. My kind of soup.
Hu tieu my way
I’m making no claims this is an authentic hu tieu recipe. This is not the definitive edition. Not even close.
What it is is really tasty noodle soup. I might not win at the Saigon master chef awards. But I am going to enjoy my dinner. And I hope you do too.
Hu tieu. Vietnamese pork noodle soup. Amazing stuff. Worth it to try the noodles alone. But so much better than that.