Hu Tieu - Pork and Seafood Noodle Soup

I had an awesome bowl of seafood egg noodle soup (mi do bien) at Hai Ky Mi Gia at Eden Center in Washington D.C. My friend got the dry version (mi kho) so I had a few bite of it too. I am now a fan of mi kho, especially the sauce that came with it! My intention for this weekend is to try to recreate the mi kho I had at HKMG. I just couldn't get the sauce right and the sauce really makes this dish. It’s a good thing I have a backup and made the broth version with hu tieu noodle.

Hu Tieu is to south Vietnam as Pho is to the north, and Bun Bo Hue is to central Vietnam. Hu tieu stalls are EVERYWHERE in Saigon. There are so many version of hu tieu such as Nam Vang, My Tho, bo vien, xa xiu, do bien, and so on. I actually prefer some hu tieu to pho because I like having a variety of meat and toppings and of course the chewy texture of the noodle. I will continue to practice for the mi kho but until then enjoy a steamy bowl of hu tieu!

Broth:

2 lbs pork neck bones

1 cup of dried prawns (rinse and soaked in warm water)

1 dried squid

1 small daikon ( cut into small portion)

1 yellow onion (charred)

rock sugar

salt

fish sauce

msg (optional)

water

1. Rub bones with plenty of salt and rinse with cold water.

2. Pre-boil bones, then repeat step one wit

hout using salt.

3. Return bones to a pot of water. Let bones

simmer and remove as much scum as possible.

4. Add dried prawns,daikon, and yellow onion.

5. Taste broth with salt, rock sugar, and msg.

6. Let the broth sit for an hour or two.

7. Retaste broth, add fish sauce if needed.

Toppings:

xa xiu

shrimp (Tiger Shrimps are great because

they are plump and sweet!)

squid

quail eggs (optional)

ground pork

How to make Xa Xiu:

1 lb pork shoulder

1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon of five spice

1/2 talbespoon of sugar

1 package of xa xiu seasoning

couple dash of salt

1/2 cup of water

1. Rub a little bit of salt on the pork.

2. Combine garlic, five spice, sugar, water, and xa xiu seasoning to make a marinade.

3. Let pork shoulder marinade for as least 1-2 hours.

4. Then pan fry when ready to eat.

How to prepare other toppings:

1. Use 1 can of quail eggs. Rinse and boil the eggs before eating.

2. Use 1lb of squid and cut it to your liking. Pre-

cook the squid by boiling in water.

3. Sauteed 1/2 lb of ground pork with minced shallots, sugar, ground pepper, and fish sauce.

4. Prepare 1 lb of shrimp. I like cooking them in the microwave so it retains the sweetness.

Garnish:

green onion

chives

bean sprout (optional)

lime (optional)

fresh chili (optional)

Noodle:

I use tapioca noodle from the asian market label as Hu Tieu My Tho. It doesn't require any boiling (but i'm sure it depends on the brand). I just soak it in warm water for 30-45 minutes. Once you pour hot broth over the noodle it will be soft and chewy.