4. Pour the broth through a fine strainer to remove any scum or fat, and return the broth to the pot. It should be clear. Fifteen minutes before serving, bring the broth back to a rolling boil.
5. Divide the noodles into six individual serving bowls. Place a piece of roasted duck over the noodles in each bowl. Add the scallions and fried shallots to each bowl.
6. Pour the hot broth into the bowls and fill them to the top. Serve with fresh mung bean sprouts.
RICE NOODLE SOUP IN PORK BROTH
H Tiêu
Hu tieu is a Chinese noodle soup adopted and slightly modified by the Vietnamese people. This rich pork stock serves as the base for mi as well, but the two differ in the type of noodles (mi uses egg noodles; hu tieu uses rice noodles) and toppings used. At a noodle house, hu tieu can vary by accompaniments, such as barbecued pork (thit xa xiu), ground pork, duck, seafood, and even items like liver. Here is a common version of hu tieu incorporating shrimp and pork.
3 pounds pork bones, preferably knuckle
bones
2 large yellow onions, peeled
½ cup dried shrimp
1 large daikon, peeled and cut into 3 large
pieces
5 shallots, peeled
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 piece rock sugar (¼ size of your palm),
or 3½ tablespoons granulated sugar
10 cups water
cup plus 1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound boneless pork loin, or another lean
pork meat
2 tablespoons oil
pound ground pork
1½ pounds flat rice noodles (hu tieu)
½ pound fresh raw shrimp, peeled
and deveined, tails on
½ cup fried shallots
4 scallions, chopped into rings
1 lime, quartered
Fresh cilantro
1 bunch fresh Chinese chives, cut in
4-inch lengths
Fresh mung bean sprouts
The serving sizes of all noodle soups are small, large, and xe lua, which translates to “train.” I’m not sure where the locomotive comparison comes from, but the bowl is certainly enormous and I figure it means either “We’re serving you enough to fill a train” or “You’ll be so full, you’ll want to throw yourself in front of one.”
1. Put the pork bones in a large stockpot.
2. Cut the onions in half and, using tongs, place them over the gas flame on your stove for about 2 minutes or until fragrant. You can also place the onions directly on an electric burner for the same amount of time. Add the onions to the pot.
3. Add the dried shrimp, daikon, shallots, garlic, peppercorns, and rock sugar to the stockpot. Fill the pot with 10 cups of water. Add cup of the fish sauce and the salt and stir. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes, uncovered.
4. After 30 minutes, bring the broth down to a simmer for another 2 hours. Remove the scum as it accumulates on the surface of the broth. After 1½ hours add the pork loin to the broth. Cook the pork loin for 30 minutes, then remove and set aside to cool. Pour the broth through a fine strainer to remove any scum or fat, and return the broth to the pot. It should be clear.
5. Soak the rice noodles in warm to hot water for 15 minutes. Drain the noodles and divide them into six individual serving bowls.
6. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the oil and saute the ground pork with the remaining tablespoon of fish sauce. Cook, stirring, until done. Set aside.
7. After the pork loin has cooled, cut it into thin slices. Divide the slices into six servings and place them over the noodles. Divide the raw shrimp, fried shallots, ground pork, and scallions into six servings and place them over the pork and noodles.
8. Fifteen minutes before serving, bring the stock back to a rolling boil. Pour the hot broth into each bowl. The hot broth will cook the raw shrimp. Serve with limes. cilantro, chives, and bean sprouts as garnishes.
[SERVES 6]
HUE-STYLE HOT AND SPICY BEEF STEW
Bún Bò Huê
Originating in Hue, this soup reflects Central Vietnam’s love for hot, spicy foods and lemongrass. The heat of the broth, contrasted with the cool fresh herbs (cilantro and Thai basil) and the tang of lemongrass, creates bright bold tastes and an extraordinary bowl of soup. Use the thickest vermicelli noodle here (bun day), which has the thickness of spaghetti. These noodles are not often used in Asian dishes, which adds to this dish’s distinctive taste and texture. Ideally, bun bo Hue includes pork trotters, but if you are averse to pork hocks or pig’s feet, you can substitute pork shoulder or another fatty pork cut. My mom’s best friend, who is from Hue, says that bun bo hue should not be served with a salad platter. Showing her Hue pride, she says that all the people in Little Saigon from South Vietnam have ruined the dish by adding the salad platter. The only garnish she thinks should be served with soup is banana blossom; even that, however, isn’t necessary if you cannot find it. But many restaurants enjoy serving fresh, crisp herbs and lettuce to enhance the broth and provide a cool, refreshing contrast to the heat of the soup.
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 pound pork leg/feet
¾ pound pork hocks
½ pound beef round or London broil
2 pounds pork bones with meat
Water for stock
1 tablespoon annatto seeds
4 stalks fresh lemongrass, outer layers
removed
1½ tablespoons chili powder
½ tablespoon salt
1½ tablespoons shrimp paste
½ tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons fish sauce
2 fresh Thai bird chiles, finely chopped
½ tablespoon peppercorns
¾ pound (1 package) thick rice vermicelli (bun day),
cooked and drained
Additional shrimp paste
SALAD PLATTER:
1 yellow onion, finely sliced with mandoline
2 cups fresh mung bean sprouts
Fresh Thai basil leaves
Fresh cilantro leaves
2 limes, quartered
2 scallions, cut in 3-inch lengths
Thinly sliced banana blossoms
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Fresh perilla leaves
1. Heat ¼ cup oil in a large stockpot over high heat. When hot, add the diced onions and cook for 5 minutes, still on high heat. Add the pork hock. pork leg/feet, and beef round or London broil. Brown all sides for about 15 minutes. Add the pork bones. Fill the pot with water until it covers the meat and bones. Boil on high heat for 30 minutes, uncovered.
2. In a skillet or small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil with the annatto seeds. Stir the seeds quickly with the oil until they have completely bled their reddish color into the oil. Add the oil and seeds to the stock.
3. Add the lemongrass, chili powder, salt, shrimp paste, sugar. fish sauce, chiles, and peppercorns to the stock. Stir well. Lower the heat so the stock can simmer for 1½ hours.
4. Periodically skim off any scum and fat from the stock as it accumulates. After 1½ hours of cooking, remove the meat bones from the stock. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds, lemongrass, and other ingredients.
5. Slice the beef and pork hocks into thin slices against the grain. Divide the cooked rice vermicelli into four individual serving bowls. Place the beef and pork slices over the noodles. Fill the bowls with the hot broth and serve with the salad platter. Put some shrimp paste in a small bowl to serve with the soup.
CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM SOUP WITH CASSAVA NOODLES
Miên Gà
Because cassava noodles (mien) are very chewy in texture and very filling, mien ga should not be served in the same proportion as a bowl of pho. Besides the texture play of cassava noodles and tree ear mushrooms, this soup is sweeter than other Vietnamese chicken soups or ca
nh consommes because of the daikon and carrots. If you do not want to make the chicken stock from scratch, use 8 cups of unsalted chicken broth. Vietnamese coriander gives a nice pungent and bitter bite to the soup. You can’t have the soup without it. The acidity of the lime adds a nice and simple zing.
3 pounds skinless whole chicken or
chicken parts
Water for stock
2 yellow onions, peeled and cut in half
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 large daikon, peeled
2 medium carrots, peeled
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon peppercorns
3 cups uncooked cassava noodles
cup fish sauce
1 teaspoon salt
cup tree ear mushrooms
1 fresh Thai bird chile, finely chopped
4 scallions, chopped into rings
Ground black pepper
SALAD PLATTER:
1 lime, quartered
Fresh Vietnamese coriander leaves
1. Place the chicken in a large stockpot. Pour in water to completely cover the chicken, approximately 10 cups. Add the onions, garlic, daikon, carrots, sugar, coriander seeds, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes, uncovered.
2. Add the fish sauce, salt, mushrooms, and chile. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 2 hours, covered.
3. Strain the broth to remove all the contents. Let cool, then remove the chicken meat from the bones. Shred the meat and set it aside.
4. In a large bowl, soak the cassava noodles in cold water for about 20 minutes. The noodles will be long. Cut them into 8-inch lengths and separate them into individual serving bowls. Arrange the shredded chicken on top of the noodles.
5. Fifteen minutes before serving, bring the broth back to a rolling boil. Pour the hot broth into the bowls with the noodles and chicken. Garnish each serving with the scallions and black pepper. Serve with a salad platter with a quartered lime and Vietnamese coriander.
[SERVES 4 TO 6]
CRAB AND PORK HOCK SOUP WITH UDON NOODLES
Bánh Canh Cua Giò Heo
This is one of those gratifying dishes that I love to order at certain restaurants in Little Saigon that I know make a perfect bowl of soup. It’s a lovely bowl of thick noodles tangled in succulent crabmeat. Not only does crab add a great taste to the soup, but when it’s broken up in the soup it gives a nice texture. Pork hocks are the ankle joints of the pig, usually from the forelegs. If you don’t feel like making the pork stock, you can substitute ready-made chicken stock.
10 cups unsalted chicken stock
(purchased or homemade)
½ pound pork hock, cut into crosssectional
1-inch slices (ask your
butcher), or pork shoulder or loin
1 yellow onion, peeled and halved
2 shallots, peeled and crushed
5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
¼ cup fish sauce
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1½ tablespoons sugar
½ cup dried shrimp
1 fresh Thai bird chile, finely chopped
1 cup fresh crabmeat
6 cups cooked udon noodles (banh
canh)
2 scallions, chopped into rings
¼ cup fried shallots
SALAD PLATTER:
1 lime, quartered
Fresh cilantro leaves
Fresh mung bean sprouts
1. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large stockpot. Add the pork, onion halves, shallots, garlic, fish sauce, oil, black peppercorns, sugar, dried shrimp, and chile. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Boil for about 20 minutes and then reduce to a simmer.
2. Carefully remove the pork from the simmering stock. Let it cool, then roughly chop the pork hock or cut the shoulder or loin into slices. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, add the crabmeat to the stock and continue simmering for another 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat if you are not ready to serve.
4. Fifteen minutes before serving, bring the soup back to a boil. Divide the noodles into four individual serving bowls. Put the pork, scallions, and fried shallots on top of the noodles. Ladle the hot broth on top and serve immediately with the salad platter.
VERMICELLI NOODLE SOUP WITH GROUND CRAB AND EGG AND TOMATOES
Bún Riêu
The fragrance and acidity of the tomatoes balance out this noodle soup so that the shrimp and crab are not overwhelming. Not every restaurant makes a decent bowl of bun rieu. There are a few Hue-specific restaurants in Little Saigon that specialize in this soup, and it’s the only thing any diner will order.
8 cups unsalted chicken stock (homemade
or purchased)
½ cup fish sauce
cup dried shrimp
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
½ tablespoon sugar
3 large ripe tomatoes, quartered
3 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, peeled
2 shallots, peeled
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1½ cups fresh crabmeat
2½ tablespoons shrimp paste
4 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ pound thick rice vermicelli (bun day)
4 scallions, chopped into rings
Additional shrimp paste
SALAD PLATTER:
Limes, quartered
Fresh perilla leaves
Fresh Thai basil leaves
Fresh mung bean sprouts
Fresh mint leaves
Fresh cilantro leaves
Many pho restaurants in Little Saigon have double-digit numbers in their names: Pho 54, Pho 75, and so forth. The numbers signify important years for the owners. For example, Pho 54 is named for the year 1954, because of the owner’s nostalgia for some of the more peaceful times in Vietnam; Pho 75 might represent the year the family or business owners first arrived in the United States, or the year their first child was born. If you are in a numbered pho restaurant, ask the owner the significance of the year.
1. In a stockpot. bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the fish sauce, dried shrimp, peppercorns, and sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Boil for about a half hour. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the tomatoes. Continue simmering, uncovered, for another 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Saute the onions and shallots for a few minutes before adding the garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the crabmeat and shrimp paste. Saute for 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the salt and pepper until the eggs are light and fluffy Add the crabmeat mixture to the beaten eggs. Set aside.
4. Slowly pour the egg and crabmeat mixture into the cooking stock. Gently run chopsticks or a fork through the egg mixture to lightly separate the eggs. You want the egg mixture to clump up in the soup. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes over low heat. Remove the pot from the heat if you’re not ready to serve.
5. Bring the soup back to a boil 10 minutes before serving.
6. In a small pot, bring water to a boil to cook the vermicelli noodles. Cook noodles for just 3 minutes, drain, and cool with cold water. Divide noodles into six individual serving bowls. Garnish each serving with the scallions.
7. Ladle the hot broth along with chunks of tomato and the egg and crab mixture over the noodles. Serve hot with the salad platter and a bowl of shrimp paste.
Vegetarian Dishes
THE BUDDHIST TEMPLES
For some in the Western world, vegetarian automatically implies tasteless, unattractive, low-protein meals. But the Vietnamese, whose culture and cuisine are rooted in Buddhism, know differently. They know how to creatively use ingredients such as bean products, roots, tubers, fungi, grains, and vegetables—all of which first sustained Buddha’s followers. The ve
getarian diet has been with the Vietnamese for so many centuries that they are recognized for having some of the best vegetarian dishes around. And even though many Vietnamese are not strict vegetarians or vegans, their cuisine focuses on balanced meals with only small portions of meat and seafood dishes along with plenty of fresh vegetables and herbs. Balance, after all, is the essence of Buddhism, along with having a respect for karma and an understanding that everything you do will affect the world around you—people, animals, the environment, and so on.
In a way, Buddhists can be seen as the world’s first nutritionists. Buddhist doctrine acknowledges the importance of nutrients and flavors in food. Because nutrients vary from one food item to another, people should eat many different foods instead of only a few. This is certainly reflected in the diverse dishes that can be had at any single Vietnamese meal. Buddhists also believe that it is essential for meals to be focused around all five flavors: Sour nourishes the liver, bitter and pungent nourish the heart, sweet nourishes the spleen, pungent nourishes the lungs, and salty nourishes the spleen and kidneys.
The Little Saigon Cookbook: Vietnamese Cuisine and Culture in Southern California's Little Saigon Page 9