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Preparation
45 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour 15 minutes
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Difficulty
Medium
When mentioning Quang Nam, it would be a great oversight not to remember the traditional Phu Chiem noodle dish. With a combination of many ingredients such as crab, pork, shrimp, quail eggs, TasteVN assures you will be enchanted by the unique flavor this dish brings. Don’t hesitate, let’s get into the kitchen and make it right away!
Ingredients for Phu Chiem Noodles Serves 8 people
Shrimp 500 gr Pork belly 300 gr Quail eggs 20 eggs Freshwater crab 300 gr Lemongrass 55 gr Raw peanuts 20 gr Annatto oil 50 gr Peanut oil 50 gr Fish sauce 65 gr Salt 20 gr Pepper 2 gr Sugar 50 gr Water 2.5 liters Accompanying vegetables a little (young mustard greens/banana flower/herbs) Rice crackers a little Green onion tops a little
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh shrimp
- Fresh shrimp should have a clear color and stick tightly to the shrimp body. Do not buy shrimp with discolored legs or loose attachments.
- Pay attention to buying shrimp with slightly curved bodies, firm meat, intact shells, and heads tightly attached to the body.
- Do not buy shrimp with spread tails, loose attachments, missing tail fins, and not neatly arranged together. They may have been caught a long time ago or soaked in preservatives.
How to choose delicious pork belly
- Delicious pork belly has a balanced ratio of fat and meat, so when enjoying it, you won’t feel greasy from too much fat or too dry from too much lean meat.
- You should choose pork with a thick outer skin layer, with a fat layer thickness of 1.5cm – 2cm, and the lean meat tightly attached to the fat. However, to achieve the best taste, you shouldn’t buy pork with an excessively thick outer skin as that indicates it is from a pig that has been raised for a long time, which will not taste good.
- Pay attention to the color of the pork; delicious pork belly has a dry outer skin, with bright red or pink color. The meat after being cut should have a beautiful bright pink color, with soft, pinkish-white skin. The fat interspersed with the meat should be bright white and firm.
- Fresh and delicious meat will have a distinctive smell, so when buying pork, you should pay attention; if the meat has a strange smell, it’s best to avoid purchasing it.
- The elasticity of pork belly is very good, so make sure to check it carefully before buying. Press your hand into the meat; if the dent returns to its original state quickly, then that is good pork.
How to choose delicious quail eggs
- Choose quail eggs with a beautiful, sturdy shell, no gray color, and no spots.
- When shining a light or holding it up to sunlight, hold the egg in your hand, only exposing the two ends, and look at it from one side while shining a light from the other. If it is fresh, it will have a transparent pink color with a pink dot in the middle.
How to choose delicious field crabs
- Choose field crabs that have a dull gray-purple color, with a lighter shell color. If you want to choose crabs with more meat, select male crabs with small and sharp bellies, while for crabs with more roe, choose female crabs with larger bellies, commonly referred to as flower bellies.
- Choose crabs that are still moving quickly, with full and flexible claws and legs. Press on the belly shell and if you see bubbles forming, the crab is still fresh.
- To make a better noodle dish, the crab must be pounded by hand; the crab meat foam will be softer, smoother, and retain its distinctive flavor. If you don’t have time, you can grind the crab with a machine, but the crab meat foam is usually fluffy and gritty.
- Do not choose field crabs with red eyes, with hair on the underside, or with star spots on the back.
How to Prepare Phu Chiem Quang Noodles
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Prepare the shallots and peanuts
Peel the shallot and crush it finely.
Raw peanuts should be washed thoroughly with water and crushed finely.
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Prepare and Marinate the Shrimp
Remove the head and tail of the shrimp, remove the black vein, then rinse thoroughly with water.
Next, marinate the shrimp for 15 minutes with 5g of salt, 10g of sugar, and 5g of annatto oil.
Quick way to remove shrimp veins:
- After peeling the shrimp, cut along the back and use a knife tip or toothpick to remove the black vein.
- Or you can use a toothpick to poke into the shrimp head and gently pull out the black vein.
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Prepare and Marinate Pork Belly
Wash the pork belly with salt water, then rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Cut the meat into pieces and marinate for 20 minutes with 10g fish sauce, 10g sugar, 5g minced shallots, and 2g pepper.
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Prepare and Pound Mud Crabs
Soak the crabs in water for about 1 hour to remove all sand, then rinse with clean water. Remove the crab apron and shell and set them aside.
Using a small spoon, scrape the crab roe into a bowl, then pound the crab apron into small pieces.
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Cook Crab Broth
Place a pot on the stove, add 50g of peanut oil, and heat it over high heat. When the oil is steaming, turn off the heat and let the oil cool slightly.
When the oil cools down, add 50g of minced shallots and sauté until fragrant. Once the shallots start to turn golden, scoop out half of the sautéed shallots and a little peanut oil, then set aside.
Next, add 300g of mud crabs and 20g of crushed peanuts. Stir the mixture until it thickens and becomes fragrant.
Add 2.5 liters of water to the pot and cook the mixture over medium heat for 20 minutes, starting from when the water boils.
Note: Remember to skim off any dirty foam on the surface to keep the broth clear!
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Sautéing shrimp, quail eggs, and meat
Place a pan on the stove, add a little peanut oil from Step 5.
When the oil begins to heat up, add the marinated shrimp and 20 quail eggs, then sauté over medium heat until the shrimp turn red.
Next, add 5g of fish sauce to the pan, stir well, and turn off the heat.
Note: Do not marinate the shrimp with fish sauce beforehand. Wait until the shrimp are red before adding them, as this will enhance the shrimp’s aroma.Place a new pan on the stove, add a little peanut oil. When the oil is hot, add the pork belly and sear it until it is crispy and golden brown on both sides.
Then, slice the pork belly into thin pieces. Continue to add the sliced pork belly to the pan with 10g of annatto oil and stir well until the meat is fully cooked.
Finally, add the shrimp, quail eggs, 50g of fish sauce, and 30g of sugar to the pan and stir-fry until the ingredients are well-seasoned.
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Cooking the noodle broth
After the broth has boiled for 20 minutes, turn off the heat. Then, strain the broth into a new pot, discarding the crab residue.
Next, add the shrimp meat, 15g of salt, and a little green onion to the pot. Cook for an additional 5 minutes for the broth to absorb the flavors evenly.
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Completion
In a bowl, add some Quang noodles, the shrimp meat, quail eggs, green onions, roasted peanuts, rice crackers, and a bit of fried minced garlic.
Then, ladle the broth over it to finish.
When eating, you can squeeze a little lime and enjoy with fresh vegetables.
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Final product
The noodles, when served, have a rich and sweet broth, while the shrimp meat is flavorful combined with fresh vegetables, making it extremely delicious.
The dish Phu Chiem Quang noodles is delicious, unique in taste, and easy to make, so why not try making this dish to treat your family? Wishing you success in your cooking.
*Source of the recipe and images from the YouTube channel Natha Food
