Tapioca Noodle Soup
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Meals
Cuisine
Vietnamese
Servings
4
Bánh canh giò heo is a comforting Vietnamese tapioca noodle soup featuring tender pork hocks simmered with pork bones to create a rich, savory broth. Aromatic roasted shallots, carrots, and straw mushrooms add depth and subtle sweetness, while Red Boat Fish Sauce enhances the umami flavor. The chewy bánh canh noodles are topped with succulent pork, delicate quail eggs, and finished with fragrant fried shallots and scallions. Served with fresh garlic chives, bean sprouts, and a sprinkle of pepper, this hearty soup is both satisfying and balanced.
Recipe Source: MMBonAppetit
Ingredients
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1.5 lbs pork hocks
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1 lb pork bones
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10 cups water
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2 tsp salt (+ more for parboiling)
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3 shallots
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2 carrots
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½ lb straw mushrooms
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8 quail eggs
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1⁄2 tsp bouillon
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2 tbsp Red Boat fish sauce (to taste)
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1 stalk green onion
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Bánh canh noodles
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Garlic chives (for serving)
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Bean sprouts (for serving)
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White or black ground pepper
Directions
Rinse pork bones and hocks, then add to a pot along with just enough cold water to cover, along with a pinch of salt.
Heat on high and bring to boil. Let boil for 5 minutes to draw out all the scum. Strain, and rinse bones and hocks.
Peel, then roast 2 shallots directly on the stove/grill, broil in the oven, or torch with a kitchen torch until soft and fragrant. Rinse to remove burnt bits.
Add cleaned bones, hocks, shallots, and salt to pot with water. Heat on high.
Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-medium low (depending on your stove) and simmer for 45 minutes. Skim off scums as they rise to the surface.
In the meantime, peel and thinly slice carrots.
If using canned straw mushrooms: drain. Cut each mushroom in half.
Bring a small pot of water to boil and reduce heat to medium. Add quail eggs and boil for 6 minutes. Remove to a bowl of ice water to cool, then peel and set aside.
Thinly slice the remaining shallot.
Add shallot and oil to a cold saucepan, and turn heat to medium. Fry the shallot, stirring continuously for about 4 minutes, until you start seeing the first bits turn golden. Reduce heat to low (2/10) and continue frying until most of the shallot has turned lightly golden.
NOTE: pull the shallot earlier than you think you should, it can burn quickly.
Pour shallot and oil through a strainer placed over a bowl. Place shallot on a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside for assembly.
NOTE: Save this super fragrant shallot oil in a clean jar. You can drizzle a bit over your assembled bowl. The rest, you can use add extra flavors to whatever you cook!
Prepare bánh canh noodles according to instructions on package. Drain and set aside.
After 45 minutes, add carrots & mushrooms to pot and cook for about 7-10 minutes until carrot pieces are tender, but not overcooked.
Finely chop green onions.
Chop chives into ~1-inch lengths and place onto a plate.
Rinse bean sprouts, drain, then place onto the same plate as the chives.
Season the broth with bouillon and fish sauce.
Optional: After cooking, some of the meat from the pork hocks will be pushed out as the skin shrinks. Remove the hocks from the pot, thinly slice this meat. If your hocks are too large for individual servings and/or you don't want to eat them from the bones, you can also cut to remove all the meat from the bones and thinly slice.
Add noodles to bowls and divide up hocks (and sliced meat) and quail eggs.
Pour broth with carrots and mushrooms over the noodles. Garnish with chopped green onions, chives, fried shallots, and a pinch of ground pepper. You can drizzle a bit of shallot oil to add even more flavor. Serve with bean sprouts on the side.
