Hu Tieu Nam Vang has been one of my favorite Vietnamese noodles, beside chicken pho, beef pho, banh canh and bun bo (beef noodle). Originated from Cambodia, Vietnamese have been enjoying Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang for a very long time ago. People started adding different toppings to make it more interesting. In this post, I am going to share a healthy Hu Tieu Nam Vang recipe with pork, squid, shrimp and minced pork toppings.
What is Hu Tieu Nam Vang?
Hu Tieu Nam Vang (Pork and Seafood Clear Noodle Soup) traces its origins back to Phnom Penh, Cambodia and appeared in Vietnam over a century ago. Over time, it has become a favorite dish in Southern Vietnam. People had adjusted and added more local toppings based on Vietnamese taste, and it is our today’s Hu Tieu Nam Vang, with various types of noodles (rice noodle, wheat noodle or mix), protein toppings (minced pork, lean pork, shrimp, squid, pork liver and heart, quail eggs, etc.), and vegetables (lettuces, chives, green onion, Thai basil, mung bean sprout, crown daisy, etc.).
For Hu Tieu Nam Vang recipe, the most important part is the broth; then, for other components of the bowl, you are free to select. I choosed wheat noodle, minced pork, lean pork, shrimp, squid, lettuce and chives. It’s simply because these ingredients are available in the nearby supermarkets. Besides, to make it more healthy, I also avoid eating too much pork organs like liver and heart.
Ingredients for Hu Tieu Nam Vang
There are two parts of ingredients for the dish. The broth is the unchanged core, the spirit of the dish. The noodle, toppings and vegetables are changeable based on your preference and their availability.
The broth (for 4 bowls)
- 5-6 dried shrimp (optional)
- 1 daikon (optional)
- A piece of ginger
- 1 big carrot
- 3-4 Pork bones
All the ingredients contribute to the natural sweetness of the broth. Therefore, you can increase one available ingredients (for example pork bones and carrots) and skip some hard-to-find ingredients like dried shrimp and daikon).
Noodle, Protein toppings and Vegetables
Proteins
- 200g (1 cup) fresh shrimp
- 300g (1 1/4 cups) lean pork
- 200g (1 cup) squid
- 150g (3/4 cup) minced pork
As I shared above, the characteristic of Hu Tieu Nam Vang recipe is the variations. Feel free to change them to their favorite toppings.
Vegetables
- 200g (7oz) lettuce
- A handful of chive
Noodles
The two types of noodles used for this dish are wheat noodle (sợi mì) and hu tieu rice noodle (sợi hủ tiếu). In fact, this type of rice noodle is different from vermicelli in pho and hotpot in term of the proportion between rice flour and tapioca starch, as well as the shapes. Therefore, if you opt for rice noodle, look for the package with the name “hủ tiếu” on it. For 4 bowls, you’ll need 300g (10 oz) noodle.
Once grasping all the ingredients, you are ready to cook it. Follow the order of cooking process to save your cooking time.
Hu Tieu Nam Vang Recipe
The whole cooking process would take you one hour with pressure cooker/instant pot and 2 hours with regular pot, mainly for simmering the broth.
Step 1. Preparation
- For the broth: Peel the ginger. Roast it with dried shrimp (if any). Soak the pork bones and lean pork in diluted saltwater, then wash them thoroughly. Peel carrot and daikon (if any) and cut into 2 pieces.
- Proteins: For fresh shrimp, clean and devein fresh shrimp by making a shallow incision along the back of each shrimp to remove the vein with a knife or your fingers. If you are having frozen shrimp and squid, they are cleaned before freezing, so just let them thaw. For the minced pork portion, season it with a pinch of salt and pepper to enhance the flavor.
- Vegetables: Wash the vegetables and drain them.
Step 2. Simmer the broth and boil proteins
- Pour 2 liter of water to the pressure cooker/instant pot or regular pot. Then, add pork bones, roasted dried shrimp and ginger to the pot and turn on the medium heat.
- Close the lid; once it comes to a rolling boil, open it and add shrimp, squid and lean pork in to boil them. Shrimp and squid are cooked quickly, remember to remove it from the pot after 5 minutes in rolling boil. For lean pork, boil it in 15 minutes, test if it’s thoroughly cooked then take it out of the pot.
- Now, add carrot and daikon to the broth pot, and continue to simmer it while you cut/peel the protein parts. Skim the foam on the surface to have a clearer broth.
- Peel shrimps and slice lean pork into thin slices while waiting for the broth to be simmered more. Return shrimps’ shells to the pot in order to extract all the sweetness.
Step 3. Stir-fry minced pork and cook noodles
- Firstly, put a pan with 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat and start to stir-fry minced pork.
- While waiting the minced pork to be cooked, start to boil wheat noodles or rice noodle. With wheat noodle, soak it in boiling water for 5 minutes. With sợi hủ tiếu (rice noodle), cook it in boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Once it is cooked, drain the water and set aside.
- Continue to stir-fry minced pork several times until cooked, adjust the taste, and turn off the heat. Then, adjust the taste of the broth and turn off the heat too.
Step 4. Assembly
Now you have all of prepared components in hands. Let’s assemble them into a beautiful and delicious noodle bowl:
- Add an desired amount of noodle to the bowl.
- Arrange the toppings on: lean pork, minced pork, shrimp, squid, chives.
- Pour the broth over the noodle and toppings, through a strainer to make sure the broth are clear. Stop pouring when the broth cover all the noodles and a part of the toppings, so that every ingredients are settle. If any, drizzle a bit fried shallots on top to enhance the flavor.
- In case you would like to try Dry Hu Tieu Nam Vang, just serve the broth in another bowl instead of pouring on noodles. Top the broth with chives and spring onions. You will eat Dry Hu Tieu Nam Vang with hoisin and chili sauce mixing with a bit of broth.
That’s all for a delicious Vietnamese noodle bowl. Enjoy your Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang!
Hu Tieu Nam Vang Recipe
This is a healthy Hu Tieu Nam Vang recipe with pork, squid, shrimp and minced pork toppings. Feel free to change your toppings and vegetables.
Ingredients
The broth (for 4 bowls):
- 5-6 dried shrimp (optional)
- 1 daikon (optional)
- A piece of ginger
- 1 big carrot
- 3-4 Pork bones
Proteins
- 200g (1 cup) fresh shrimp
- 300g (1 1/4 cups) lean pork
- 200g (1 cup) squid
- 150g (3/4 cup) minced pork
Vegetables
- 200g (7oz) lettuces
- A handful of chives
Noodles
- 300g (10 oz) wheat noodle or rice noodle (sợi hủ tiếu)
Instructions
Step 1. Preparation
- For the broth: Peel the ginger. Roast it with dried shrimp (if any). Soak the pork bones and lean pork in diluted saltwater, then wash them thoroughly. Peel carrot and daikon (if any) and cut into 2 pieces.
- Proteins: For fresh shrimp, clean and devein fresh shrimp by making a shallow incision along the back of each shrimp to remove the vein with a knife or your fingers. If you are having frozen shrimp and squid, they are cleaned before freezing, so just let them thaw. For the minced pork portion, season it with a pinch of salt and pepper to enhance the flavor.
- Vegetables: Wash the vegetables and drain them.
Step 2. Simmer the broth and boil proteins
- Pour 2 litre of water to the pressure cooker/instant pot or regular pot. Then, add pork bones, roasted dried shrimp and ginger to the pot and turn on the medium heat.
- Close the lid; once it comes to a rolling boil, open it and add shrimp, squid and lean pork in to boil them. Shrimp and squid are cooked quickly, remember to remove it from the pot after 5 minutes in rolling boil. For lean pork, boil it in 15 minutes, test if it's thoroughly cooked then take it out of the pot.
- Now, add carrot and daikon to the broth pot, and continue to simmer it while you cut/peel the protein parts. Skim the foam on the surface to have a clearer broth.
- Peel shrimps and slice lean pork into thin slices while waiting for the broth to be simmered more. Return shrimps' shells to the pot in order to extract all the sweetness.
Step 3. Stir-fry minced pork and cook noodles
- Firstly, put a pan with 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat and start to stir-fry minced pork.
- While waiting the minced pork to be cooked, start to boil wheat noodles or rice noodle. With wheat noodle, soak it in boiling water for 5 minutes. With sợi hủ tiếu (rice noodle), cook it in boiling water for 6-7 minutes. Once it is cooked, drain the water and set aside.
- Continue to stir-fry minced pork several times until cooked, adjust the taste, and turn off the heat. Then, adjust the taste of the broth and turn off the heat too.
Step 4. Assembly
- Now you have all of prepared components in hands. Let's assemble them into a beautiful and delicious noodle bowl:
- Add an desired amount of noodle to the bowl.
- Arrange the toppings on: lean pork, minced pork, shrimp, squid, chives.
- Pour the broth over the noodle and toppings, through a strainer to make sure the broth are clear. Stop pouring when the broth cover all the noodles and a part of the toppings, so that every ingredients are settle. If any, drizzle a bit fried shallots on top to enhance the flavor.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 425
Discover more Vietnamese Shrimp Recipes here.
Is it ok without dried shrimp? I couldn’t find it in Asian stores
Totally fine! You can just simmer more pork bones for the broth, or add more daikon/carrot. Whole dried squid is okay too but it’s hard to find if you’re not in Vietnam or Thailand.