A brown and white ceramic bowl on a white marble background. The bowl contains white tapioca noodles, a few slices of pork, a large pork hock, slices of carrot, two quail eggs, some straw mushrooms, pieces of garlic chives, topped with some chopped green onion and fried shallot.

Mai

Here we go again, calling something that is neither cake nor bread “bánh”. In this case, the word “bánh” refers to the dough from which these noodles are cut or rolled. Sometimes, you will see bánh canh compared to Japanese udon- they are a thick noodle like udon, but the texture is softer and the taste is completely different. They can be made from tapioca starch, rice flour, potato starch, or a combination.

Bánh canh originated from Southeastern Vietnam, supposedly from Trảng Bàng in the province of Tây Ninh, then spread across the country. Since bánh canh is just the name of the noodles, there are many different versions of broths and toppings that go with them. There is bánh canh cua with crab, bánh canh chả cá with fish patties, bánh canh cá lóc with snakehead fish, and more. The most popular and well-known version is what we’re making today: bánh canh giò heo with pork hock.

The broth is simple and light, but wonderful and comforting with the natural sweetness from the pork and carrots. What my brain associates with this dish is the flavor combination of the broth and the fried shallots. The addition of straw mushrooms, chives, and quail eggs add bonus textures and flavors to this fun dish.

The chewiness of pork hock and the way it’s served whole might be out of the comfort zone for those who grew up eating mainly soft foods, but for us Vietnamese: it is fun to eat and absolutely delicious.

A bowl containing white tapioca noodles, a few slices of pork, a large pork hock, slices of carrot, two quail eggs, some straw mushrooms, pieces of garlic chives, topped with some chopped green onion and fried shallot.

INGREDIENTS FOR BÁNH CANH

Pork hocks – Giò heo: An undesirable by-product in many western cuisines, we Vietnamese love pork hock for its bouncy, chewy texture and the super collagen-rich broth that it makes. I prefer using hock rather than trotters for this recipe, but either will work.
Pork bones – Xương heo: Any kind of pork bones will do. If you cannot find pork bones at all, you can use pork ribs. In this case, reduce the amount of pork hock by 1/3 or 1/2.
Bánh canh: thick, chewy noodles commonly made from tapioca starch or a combination of tapioca starch, rice flour and/or potato starch. Look for these noodles in vacuum-sealed packs in the refrigerated section of your Asian grocery store.
Shallot – Hành khô/Hành tím
Carrots – Cà rốt
Straw mushrooms – Nấm rơm: You can usually find these frozen or canned at Asian stores. They are the only type of mushrooms that I think taste good canned.
Quail eggs – Trứng cút
Green onion – Hành lá
Garlic chives – Hẹ
Bean sprouts – Giá đỗ
Fish sauce – Nước mắm: arguably the most important seasoning sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from fermented anchovies, it is salty and incredibly umami. Non-vegan Vietnamese recipes without fish sauce are very rare. The best nước mắm comes from Phú Quốc or surrounding islands off the coast- Southwest of mainland Vietnam. Our favorite brand available outside of Vietnam is Red Boat (U.S.).
Bouillon – Hạt nêm: think broth, but in solid form. Bouillon is an amazingly easy way to bring that umami flavor to your food. We use it instead of salt in many of our dishes. You can usually find chicken, pork, or mushroom bouillon. In Vietnam, Knorr is the most common brand. However, we have only been able to find Knorr in powder form in the US and France, not granules. Instead, we use Totole brand chicken or mushroom bouillon. The quantities on our website are based on the granule-type so if you use powder, adjust to your taste.
Salt – Muối
White or black ground pepper – Tiêu trắng hoặc đen xay

DIRECTIONS FOR BÁNH CANH

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 slice carrots into 5mm slices.
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 sauce pan, 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 3-4cm 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.

Made this recipe?

Let us know by leaving a comment or sharing and tagging us on Instagram @mmbonappetit!
We would love to see your delicious creations.
For more Vietnamese and French recipes, follow us on Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube!