Hu Tieu (Kuy Teav) – Cambodian Pork and Seafood Noodle Soup

Broth:

1. In a stockpot, boil the pork bones for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse the bones and stockpot. Place the pork bones on a baking sheet, and broil in the oven until darkened and crispy, about 8 minutes. Return the bones to the stockpot and fill with enough water to cover the bones by at least 1″.

2. Add the dried shrimp to the pot. Simmer on low until the meat tears off the pork bones easily, about 2-3 hours. Be sure to skim any foam from the surface of the broth and replenish any water that evaporates. Alternatively, you can use a pressure cooker for this step, for 45 minutes to get the same effect. While the broth is cooking, hard-boil a few eggs and set aside.

3. Remove the bones from the broth, let cool for 5 minutes, then pull the meat from the bones and set aside. Discard the bones. Add the fish sauce to the broth, then taste it; add salt and pepper as needed until it tastes perfect. Keep it simmering on low as you prepare the rest of the meal.

4. Bring a separate pot of water to boil, and cook the noodles. If using rice noodles, cook for 30 seconds then drain and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch. If using sweet potato noodles, cook for 5 minutes then drain and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch.

5. Warm a skillet or wok over med/high heat, then add the ground pork. Break the pork into chunks, then add the wine, tamari, and honey. Pan-fry, stirring often and breaking up chunks, until cooked through and the liquid evaporates, about 7 minutes. Add in the pork bone meat and sesame oil at the end of cooking. Once the pork is cooked, set it aside.

6. Bring the broth to boil over med/high heat. Place the raw shrimp in a strainer, then dip the strainer into the simmering broth. Cook until pink, then set aside. Distribute the noodles into four bowls, and add the pork, cooked shrimp, and garnishes to each bowl. Ladle the broth into each bowl, then serve with whatever remaining garnishes you’d like. Don’t forget the hardboiled eggs from step #2!

** Dried shrimp is a key component to making a distinct, flavorful broth. We like to store ours in the fridge. Typically you’d soak them for 30 minutes in warm water (like reconstituting dried mushrooms), but since we’re boiling them in broth I eliminated that step.

** To save on time, you can use pre-made pork stock (you’ll need about 2 quarts). Bring it to a simmer, add the dried shrimp, and proceed directly to step #4.

** This dish can be enjoyed as a dry noodle dish, perfect for hot days. To do so, boil some rice vermicelli in water until soft, about 1 minute, then rinse in cool water. Prepare the ground pork like in step #5, and cook the shrimp like in step #6, but in water instead of broth. Distribute the vermicelli into four bowls and serve with all the other garnishes.

** Bean sprouts initially sound scary (legumes!), but I can’t find any solid evidence that they’re actually harmful to your digestive system in the same way that legumes are (thanks, lectins). And since sprouted legumes have significantly less lectins than regular legumes, it stands to reason that bean sprouts may have an insignificant amount of lectins. Again, this is just me using common sense, folks. If you have any evidence one way or the other, I’m all ears. Until then, I’m going to keep eating them since they don’t appear to give me any digestive distress.