There we go again, calling something that is neither cake nor bread “bánh”. In this case, the word “bánh” refers to the thick sheets of dough from which these noodles are cut. We have seen bánh canh compared to Japanese udon- they are thick and springy like udon, but the texture is softer. They are normally made from tapioca flour, or rice flour, or a combination of both.
Since bánh canh is just the name of the noodles, there are many different versions of broths and toppings that goes with them. This is the one that Mai grew up with: pork hocks.
The broth is simple and light, but wonderful with the natural sweetness from the pork and carrots. What Mai’s brain associates with this dish is the flavor combination of the broth and the fried shallots.
We Vietnamese love different textures. The funny thing is that while we have many words to describe specific textures, we don’t have a word for “texture” (of food) itself in Vietnamese. In fact, before moving to the US- Mai had never heard anyone complain about not liking the “texture” of a certain food.
The chewiness of pork hock might be out of the comfort zone for those who grew up eating mainly soft foods, but trust us: it is absolutely delicious.
Bánh canh giò heo • Bánh canh noodle soup with pork hock
Course: MainCuisine: VietnameseDifficulty: Medium2
servings30
minutes40
minutes0
minutesIngredients
500 g 500 pork bones
500 g 500 pork hocks
2 liters 2 water
3 3 shallots
2 2 large carrots
50 g 50 straw mushrooms
4 4 quail eggs
2 tbsp 2 fish sauce
1/2 tsp 1/2 bouillon
1 stalk 1 green onion
Chives
Bean sprouts
Bánh canh noodles (check the refrigerated section of your local Asian store)
Directions
- Soak bones & hocks in cold salt water for 60 minutes. Rinse.
- Add bones & hocks to a large pot and add just enough cold water to cover. Heat on high and bring to boil. Let boil for 5 minutes to draw out all the scum. Pour out water and rinse bones and hocks.
- Roast 2 shallots directly on the stove/grill (or broil in oven) until soft and fragrant. Remove outer skin and rinse to remove burnt bits.
- Add bones and shallots to pot with 2L of water. Heat on high.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes. Skim off scums.
- Wash, peel, slice carrots into 5mm slices. (Optional: carve into flowers – see video)
- After 20 minutes, add hocks to pot and increase heat to high.
- Once boiling, reduce to medium. Cook until soft (30 minutes).
- Add quail eggs to a small pot of cold water. Boil for 6 minutes. Remove to a bowl of ice water to cool. Peel.
- Thinly slice the remaining shallot. Add to a frying pan with 2 tbsps vegetable oil. Fry over medium low until golden.
- Cook bánh canh noodles according to instructions on package. Drain and set aside.
- After 30 minutes, add carrots & mushrooms to pot and cook for about 7-10 minutes until almost soft.
- Finely chop green onions. Chop chives into 3-4cm lengths.
- Season with fish sauce and bouillon powder.
- (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.
- Add noodles to bowls. Add the hocks (and sliced meat) and quail eggs. Pour broth with carrots and mushrooms over the noodles. Garnish with chopped green onions, chives, and fried shallots. Serve with bean sprouts on the side.
Recipe Video
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