While growing up, like many first-generation immigrants, my parents were constantly working, trying to make ends meet. During the hectic school and work week, we had simple family-cooked dinners that they quickly threw together in the evening after work. Some nights when they were working late, dinners were literally thrown together.
Noodle soups were usually reserved for the weekend when there was more time. Even then, the noodles soups were very simple, made with store-bought chicken stock and ready-made rotisserie chicken. There was nothing fancy. Maybe green onions for garnish but that was pretty much it.
I loved those simple egg noodle soups. I always slurped up the last strand of noodle and drank up the last drop of broth, despite the simplicity. Fast forward many years later when I met my mother-in-law. She introduced me to Vietnamese Egg Noodle Soup with Wontons (Mì Hoành Thánh). Mind. Blown.
My mother-in-law would spend the entire day putting Mì Hoành Thánh together. Not only does she make the broth completely from scratch with chicken and pork bones, she also assembles each individual wonton, makes Chinese/Vietnamese Barbecue Pork, preps all the vegetables and makes the fried shallots herself when she can easily get them at the grocery store. And all that pork fat from meat trimmings that she stockpiled in her deep-freezer for, what one would assume, zombie apocalypse? She finally takes them out and fries them into crispy pork fat (Tép Mỡ) as a crunchy topping to dress the noodle soup.
Once you take a sip of the broth, you can taste all the hard work that she put into it. The taste is truly magical. It’s flavorful and well-rounded. It was this very dishthat made me realize that I had so much more to learn and that you can’t really half-ass perfection. With that said, if you want to make her recipe (recipe below), do reserve a full day of cooking. And always, always be thankful for the mom or mother-in-law who spends countless hours in the kitchen to feed you, even if it’s something quickly thrown together.
Happy eating!
