How to Cook Simple and Delicious Cambodian Nam Vang Noodle Soup with Authentic Flavor

How to prepare Cambodian Nam Vang Hu Tieu

• 1

  Prepare the pork

  First, for the pork bones, pig’s trotters, and spare ribs you bought, rub salt all over the surface of the meat for 3 – 5 minutes, then wash it again with clean water and let it drain.

  At the same time, put a pot on the stove with 1.5 liters of water and bring it to a boil over high heat. When the water is boiling, add the pork bones and blanch them for about 3 – 5 minutes, until you see foam rising to the surface, then remove the bones, wash them with water until clean, and let them drain.

  Using the same pot, continue to blanch the pig’s trotters and spare ribs in the same manner.

  For the pig’s tongue and liver, rub a little salt on the surface of the meat for 3 – 5 minutes, then use a knife to scrape off the slime from the pig’s tongue, then wash it several times with clean water and let it drain.

  For the pig’s heart, use a knife to cut a line on the side, removing any remaining dirty blood inside, then rub a little salt on the surface of the meat for a few minutes, and wash it again 1 – 2 times with clean water, letting it drain.

  Effective methods to eliminate the smell of pork

  • Method 1: The most common method is to blanch the pork in boiling water for about 3 – 5 minutes.
  • Method 2: Use a mixture of salt and white wine to rub all over the surface of the meat for 3 – 5 minutes.
  • Method 3: You can also soak the pork in rice washing water for 15 minutes.

  See details: Effective methods to eliminate the smell of pork

  How to properly clean pig liver

  • Method 1: Soak the pig liver in vinegar diluted for about 30 minutes.
  • Method 2: Additionally, you can also soak the pig liver in fresh milk for 30 minutes.
  • Method 3: The simplest way is to soak the pig liver in salt water diluted for 1 – 2 hours.

  See details: How to properly clean pig liver

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Prepare other ingredients

  Shrimp should be rinsed with water to clean, drained, then use scissors to remove the head, peel off the shell, and also remove the thread along the back.

  White radish should have its stems removed, use a peeler to peel, rinse directly under running water to clean, drained, then cut into slices.

  Green onions should have their roots removed, washed clean, drained, then chopped finely. For ginger, peel it, wash it clean, drain it, and slice it thinly.

  Onions just need to be peeled. Horned chilies should have their stems removed, washed clean, drained, and cut diagonally thin. For garlic, peel it, then mince it finely.

  How to quickly remove the shrimp’s back thread

  • Method 1: First, turn the shrimp over, use your hands to peel back both sides of the shrimp’s head while holding firmly at the joint between the body and the head, then gently pull out to remove the thread.
  • Method 2: Alternatively, you can turn the shrimp upside down, gently bend the head from bottom to top, then press lightly to push out the dirty part of the shrimp. Next, grab the thread and pull it out.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Boil the ingredients

  After preparing the ingredients, place a pot on the stove with 500ml of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the drained pork liver, and proceed to boil over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

  When the water boils, continue to boil for another 7 – 10 minutes, until the pork liver is tender, then turn off the heat, and remove it to a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes, then transfer to a plate to drain.

  Place another pot on the stove with 1.5 liters of water and bring it to a simmer. When the water starts to bubble, add 2 teaspoons of salt, thinly sliced ginger, 1 onion, 1 pig’s tongue, 1 pig’s heart, and the entire pork knuckle, and boil for 15 minutes.

  When the pig’s tongue and heart are tender, remove them to a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes, then transfer to a plate to cool.

  At the same time, continue to boil the pork knuckle for another 15 minutes. When the pork knuckle is tender, turn off the heat, soak it in ice water for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a plate.

  Take 200ml of the water used to boil the pork knuckle and place it in a new pot with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, then put it on the stove to cook over medium heat for about 5 – 7 minutes.

  When the water is hot, add all the ground pork, using a spoon to stir well, and boil for 5 – 7 minutes until the ground pork is cooked, then turn off the heat.

  Next, place another pot on the stove with 500ml of water and 20 quail eggs, and boil for 15 – 20 minutes. When the quail eggs float to the surface, they are cooked, then turn off the heat, let them cool for 10 minutes, and peel the shells.

  Quick and simple way to peel quail eggs

  • Method 1: Immediately after boiling, soak the quail eggs in cold water for 5 – 10 minutes.
  • Method 2: You can put the quail eggs in a clean jar, close the lid, and shake vigorously up and down for about 5 minutes, then take them out and peel the shells.

  

  

  

  
• 4

  Prepare the pickled ingredients for serving

  Put another pot on the stove with 150ml of vinegar, 100ml of water, 4 tablespoons of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and cook over low heat for about 3 – 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves, then turn off the heat and let it cool.

  Next, gradually add 2 food storage jars filled with sliced chili and minced garlic, while also adding the vinegar mixture just cooked to cover the ingredients.

  Finally, cover the jars and place them in the refrigerator for about 1 day.

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Bone broth

  Next, you place a pot on the stove with 5 liters of water and the cleaned bone and ribs, and proceed to simmer over medium heat for about 50 – 60 minutes.

  When you see the broth has formed bubbles on the surface, use a ladle to skim it off, while reducing the heat to low, and continue simmering for another 50 – 60 minutes.

  After that, skim off the foam again, then season with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 dried squid that has been grilled, and continue to simmer for another 8 – 10 hours.

  Finally, turn off the heat, and remove all the bones, ribs, and dried squid, letting the broth sit for about 1 – 2 hours for the sediment to settle at the bottom, only taking the clear water from the top.

  

  

  

  
• 6

  Cooking the hủ tiếu broth

  You take a new pot for the bones, dried squid, bone broth, and 2 white radishes that have been cut, place it on the stove and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes.

  Next, you season with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, stir well, then taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

  

  

  

  
• 7

  Making the sauce (to taste)

  Place a pot on the stove with 8 tablespoons of water, 7 tablespoons of sugar, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, 10 tablespoons of soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of ketchup, 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce, and 1/2 tablespoon of salt.

  Stir well with a spoon and cook for about 5 – 7 minutes. When the sauce thickens, add 3 tablespoons of fried garlic and 3 tablespoons of fried onion, stir well, then season to taste and turn off the heat.

  

  

  

  
• 8

  Blanch the noodles and cut the meat

  You place another pot on the stove with 500ml of water and bring it to a boil over high heat. When the water boils, add 1 pack of dry noodles and blanch for about 5 minutes. When the noodles are soft, turn off the heat, and remove the noodles to a basket to drain.

  Then, you take the pig’s trotters, pig’s tongue, pig’s heart, and pig’s liver out, and use a knife to cut them into thin slices for eating.

  

  

  

  
• 9

  Completion

  Finally, take a bowl and add a little of the blanched noodles, fresh shrimp, pig’s tongue, pig’s liver, pig’s heart, minced pork, green onions, fried onions, and a little broth to finish.

  

  
• 10

  Finished Product

  With this dish, you can enjoy both wet and dry hủ tiếu. For dry hủ tiếu, you blanch the noodles, then add the accompanying dishes on top, drizzle the sauce over, and mix well. Serve with a bowl of broth and pork knuckles from simmered bones and hocks.

  Nam Vang hủ tiếu from Cambodia features a clear broth that is also fragrant. Especially, the noodles are chewy, combined with tender, sweet pork, along with ingredients like pig heart, crispy and chewy pork tongue, and fresh, sweet shrimp, making it truly appetizing.

  When eating, you can dip it with a bowl of spicy chili soy sauce along with raw vegetables and pickled garlic and chili to enhance the flavor of the dish.