Hu Tieu: Vietnamese Pork Noodle Soup
Silky tapioca noodles in a fragrant pork and shrimp broth, topped with tender pork, crispy shallots, and fresh herbs. A beloved Vietnamese street-food classic that's restaurant-quality but surprisingly achievable at home.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 28g
Ingredients
- 8 oz pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks
- ¼ cup dried shrimp
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon rock sugar or white sugar
- 6 oz tapioca noodles (bánh hu tieu), dried
- 3 tablespoons crispy fried shallots
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 stalk green onion (scallion), white and light green parts only
Instructions
- 1
Fill a large pot with 6 cups of water and place it on high heat until you see large rolling bubbles breaking the surface, about 4 minutes.
- 2
While the water heats, rinse the pork chunks under cold water to remove any bone fragments, then pat them dry with paper towels.
- 3
Measure out 0.25 cup of dried shrimp and set it in a small bowl next to your stove.
- 4
Slice the green onion stalks diagonally into 1-inch-long pieces, keeping white and light green parts separate from the darker green tops.
- 5
Measure out 3 tablespoons of crispy fried shallots into a small bowl and set it beside the pot.
- 6
Once the water reaches a rolling boil, carefully drop in all the pork chunks and watch them change from pink to opaque white on the surface, about 2 minutes.
- 7
Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to remove any gray foam that rises to the surface and floats; discard the foam.
- 8
Add the 0.25 cup of dried shrimp to the pot and stir once to distribute them throughout the broth.
- 9
Pour in 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and 0.5 teaspoon of rock sugar, then stir for 10 seconds until the sugar dissolves and the liquid turns a light amber color.
- 10
Reduce the heat to medium-low so the broth bubbles gently and steadily but does not boil violently, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- 11
While the broth simmers, bring a separate pot of water to a rolling boil on high heat for cooking the noodles, about 5 minutes.
- 12
Once the broth has simmered for 20 minutes, taste a spoonful by blowing on it gently until it cools, then sipping; it should taste savory and aromatic with pork flavor.
- 13
Place the 6 oz of tapioca noodles into the boiling water and stir immediately to prevent them from sticking together, then cook for 4 minutes until they turn from opaque white to translucent.
- 14
Pour the cooked noodles into a fine-mesh strainer or colander and rinse them under cold water for 5 seconds to stop them from cooking further.
- 15
Divide the cooked noodles evenly between two deep bowls, placing them in the center of each bowl.
- 16
Carefully ladle the hot pork broth and all the pork chunks evenly into each bowl until the liquid reaches 1 inch below the rim.
- 17
Sprinkle 1.5 tablespoons of the crispy fried shallots over the surface of each bowl in a small mound in the center.
- 18
Scatter half of the fresh cilantro leaves on top of each bowl in an even layer.
- 19
Place the white and light green pieces of sliced green onion on top of each bowl, then finish with the darker green pieces as a final garnish.
Tools you’ll need
- large pot (at least 3 quarts)
- separate pot (at least 2 quarts) for noodles
- slotted spoon or skimmer
- fine-mesh strainer or colander
- cutting board
- knife
- two deep soup bowls
- ladle
- small bowls (3)
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