Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang
Phnom Penh Noodle Soup with Pork, Shrimp, Garlic and Shallot
Makes 8 bowls
Broth:
6 pounds pork bones (neck, spine, or leg), in 2-inch pieces
5 quarts water
3 medium dried squid (2 ounces total), quickly rinsed
1/3 cup dried shrimp
1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
1-inch chunk golden rock sugar (about 1 ounce)
2 tablespoons salt
1 1/4 pounds pork loin, skin-on leg, or boneless shoulder, 2 by 4-inch pieces
Bowls:
¾ to 1 pound pork liver
1/3 cup Crispy Caramelized Shallot (reserve the cooking oil for cooking the garlic)
Canola or other neutral oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
½ pound ground pork, roughly chopped to loosen
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus extra for garnish
Cooked pork from the broth simmering
1 ½ to 2 pounds dried tapioca stick noodles or dried fettucine-size flat rice noodles (bánh pho), cooked in boiling water until al dente (5 to 7 minutes for the tapioca; 3 to 4 minutes for the rice noodles), drained, and flushed with cold water (keep tapioca stick noodles in a bowl of water to prevent sticking)
16 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
Garnishes:
½ small bunch Chinese chives, cut into 1 ½-inch-long pieces (1 cup total)
1 small bunch Chinese celery, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch-long pieces (2 cups total)
2 cups bean sprouts (about 1/3 pound), picked over, washed, and drained well
2 or 3 hot Thai or serrano chiles, thinly sliced
2 or 3 limes, cut into wedges
Make the broth
1. In a stockpot (about 12-quart capacity) over high heat, bring the bones and water to a boil. Use a large spoon or ladle to skim any scum that rises to the top. Add the remaining ingredients. Once the broth returns to a boil, lower the heat to simmer for 1 hour.
At this point, the boneless pork meat should be slightly chewy but not tough. Press it and it should feel like the flesh at the base of your thumb. When it's cooked to your liking, use tongs to transfer it to a bowl of cold water. Let the meat soak for 10 minutes to prevent it from drying up and turning dark. Drain the meat and let it cool before refrigerating. Throughout this time, the broth should have continued to simmer. In total, the broth should simmer for 2 hours before it's done.
2. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer (or a coarse mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth) positioned over a large saucepan.
3. Use a ladle to skim as much fat from the top of the broth as you like. (Cool it and then refrigerate overnight to make this task easier; reheat before continuing.) Taste and adjust the flavor with additional salt and rock sugar. The broth should taste slightly too strong because the noodles and other ingredients are not salted. (Dilute with water if you've gone too far.) There should be about 4 quarts.
Prepare the toppings
4. While the broth simmers, poach the liver. Fill a saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the liver and lower the heat to gently simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the liver feels firm, like the flesh at the base of your thumb. Remove from the water and put in a bowl of water for 10 minutes to prevent it from drying up and turning dark. Drain the liver and store with the cooked beef.
5. Prepare the Crispy Caramelized Shallots if you haven't already, reserving the cooking oil in the skillet. Add extra oil so that there's about 3 tablespoons total. Heat over medium-low heat and add the garlic. Gently sauté, stirring frequently, until golden. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic to a ramekin or small bowl. Set aside to cool.
6. There should be a good 2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet. If not, add a little extra. Heat over medium heat and add the pork, salt and pepper, stirring to break the pork up into small pieces. Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through. Transfer to a ramekin or small bowl. Set aside to cool. All of these toppings may be prepared in advance and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before assembling the bowls.
Assemble the bowls
7. Cut the pork and liver into thin slices, about 1/16 thick. For the best results, make sure they are cold. Have ready the shallot, garlic, ground pork, noodles, and shrimp for assembling the bowls. Arrange the garnishes on a plate or put them in small dishes and put on the table.
8. To ensure good timing, bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat while you are assembling the bowls. Add the shrimp and poach them for about 2 minutes, or until they have curled and turned orange. Remove from the broth and set aside.
9. At the same time, fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. For each bowl, place a portion of the noodles on a vertical-handle strainer (or mesh sieve) and dunk the noodles in the boiling water. As soon as they have collapsed and lost their stiffness (10 to 20 seconds), pull the strainer from the water, letting the water drain back into the pot. Empty the noodles into a bowl.
10. Top each bowl with sliced pork, liver and 2 shrimp. In the center add some cooked ground pork, fried garlic, and crispy caramelized shallot. Finish with a sprinkling of black pepper.
11. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a rolling boil. Do a final tasting and make any last-minute flavor adjustments. Ladle about 2 cups broth into each bowl, distributing the hot liquid evenly to warm all the ingredients. Serve immediately with the garnishes.
1. Put the salt in a small saucepan and fill 2/3 with water. Bring to a boil and then add the shrimp. As soon as they've curled up, remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.