Hu tieu noodle is a versatile dish in Vietnamese cuisine. There are many variations of hu tieu, such as hu tieu Nam Vang, hu tieu My Tho, hu tieu bo vien (with beef balls), or hu tieu muc (with squid). In this post, I’m gonna show you how to cook hu tieu muc, which is a great combination of hu tieu noodle and squid.
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What’s special in a bowl of Hu Tieu Muc?
Hu tieu muc is a noodle soup with a broth made from simmered pork bones and vegetables, hu tieu noodles, squid, and various toppings such as quail eggs, fried shallots, and spring onions. In Vietnamese, “muc” (mực) means squid, indicating that the main components of the dish are hu tieu noodles and fresh squid.
So, what is hu tieu? Hu Tieu is a type of Vietnamese rice noodle, but it’s less popular than Pho Noodle and Rice Vermicelli. In general, the ingredients and the process of making Hu Tieu Noodle are quite similar to Pho. The significant point that differentiates Hu Tieu from Pho is the size of each strip. Usually, each strip of Hu Tieu Noodle is 1-2mm wide.
What makes hu tieu muc special is the freshness and sweetness of the squid and the broth in the bowl. You can use squid, bigfin reef squid, or cuttlefish. The broth results from simmering pork bones, carrots, daikon, possibly dried squid, shrimp, or fish, depending on what is available in our kitchen. Furthermore, to enjoy this dish, there is a special dipping sauce for squids: green chili sauce. This sauce is a perfect match for seafood and enhances the overall taste of your bowl.
Ingredients
To make 4 bowls of hu tieu muc, you’ll need to prepare these ingredients:
- 400-600g (14-21 oz) squid/bigfin reef squid or cuttlefish. This is the star of the bowl. If possible, I suggest using fresh squids instead of frozen ones because they have a better texture and flavor. Look for squid with a shiny, translucent, and moist appearance. They should glisten with a slight sheen. One tip to select fresh squid is to examine their eyes: If you can see the eyes (especially in whole squid or cuttlefish), they should be clear, bright, and not cloudy. Cloudy or discolored eyes can indicate older or less fresh squid.
- 8 quail eggs (optional). Quail eggs are bite-sized, and you can eat a whole egg at a time together with hu tieu noodles and squid. When you buy quail eggs, remember to check the date on the package to ensure your eggs are of the highest quality.
- 300g (10.5 oz) dried hu tieu noodle
- For the broth, prepare 5-6 dried shrimp (optional), 200g (7oz) daikon (optional), 200g (7oz) carrot, a piece of ginger, 3-4 pork bones (approximately 1 kg), some dried shrimp, squids, or fish.
- Vegetables: Hu tieu muc can be enjoyed with spring onions, lettuce, and crown daisy. Personally, I prefer to have crown daisy along with my hu tieu because it provides the most unique and impressive taste to the dish.
How To Make Hu Tieu Muc
Step 1. Preparation
- For the broth: Peel the ginger. Roast it with dried shrimp (if available). Soak the pork bones and lean pork in diluted saltwater, then wash them thoroughly. Peel the carrot and daikon (if available) and cut them into 2 pieces.
- Squid: If you buy frozen squids, you don’t need to do anything else except defrost them because they have been prepared. If you buy fresh squid, wash them carefully and gently grasp the squid’s head just below the eyes, and pull it away from the body to separate the tentacles. Then, discard the beak and eyes from the tentacles, as well as all the innards inside the mantle. Wash them again with salty water.
- Vegetables: Wash the vegetables and drain them. Chop the spring onions.
Step 2. Simmering the broth
- Pour 2 liters of water into the pressure cooker/instant pot or a regular pot. Then, add pork bones, roasted dried shrimp/squid/fish, carrots, daikon, and ginger to the pot and turn on medium heat. Simmer for at least 1 hour to extract the umami and naturally sweet flavors of these ingredients. Adjust the taste with salt and fish sauce to your preference.
Step 3. Boiling hu tieu, squid and quail eggs
- While waiting for the broth, you can start boiling dried hủ tiếu noodles. With sợi hủ tiếu (rice noodles), cook them in boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Once they are cooked, drain the water and set them aside.
- To boil squids, it’s recommended to boil them directly in the broth. This way, the juice from the squids will stay in the broth, enhancing its flavor.
- For quail eggs, you can either boil the eggs or poach them by dropping them directly into the boiling broth.
Step 4. Assembling
- Respectively add hủ tiếu noodles, squids, and quail eggs to a bowl. Pour an amount of broth over them, then garnish with spring onion. Enjoy the bowl with fresh/blanched vegetables. Also, prepare green chili sauce by crushing green chili with salt, lemon, and sugar/MSG. Enjoy!
Storing Hu Tieu Muc
To store hủ tiếu mực for future meals, I suggest storing the broth, proteins, hủ tiếu noodles, and vegetables separately. When you’re ready to have a bowl, reheat the broth until it boils and assemble it as described in step 4 above.
Because everything is fresh, it’s advisable to consume your hủ tiếu within a day.
Hu Tieu Muc (Vietnamese Squid Rice Noodle)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 400-600 g 14-21 oz squid/bigfin reef squid or cuttlefish
- 8 quail eggs optional
- 300 g 10.5 oz dried hu tieu noodle
- Vegetables: crown daisy lettuce, spring onions
- Lemon Green Chili Sauce
Broth
- 5-6 dried shrimp optional
- 200 g 7oz daikon (optional)
- 200 g 7oz carrot
- A piece of ginger
- 3-4 pork bones ~1 kg
- Optional Some dried shrimps/squids/fishes
Instructions
Step 1. Preparation
- For the broth: Peel the ginger. Roast it with dried shrimp (if available). Soak the pork bones and lean pork in diluted saltwater, then wash them thoroughly. Peel the carrot and daikon (if available) and cut them into 2 pieces.
- Squid: If you buy frozen squids, you don't need to do anything else except defrost them because they have been prepared. If you buy fresh squid, wash them carefully and gently grasp the squid's head just below the eyes, and pull it away from the body to separate the tentacles. Then, discard the beak and eyes from the tentacles, as well as all the innards inside the mantle. Wash them again with salty water.
- Vegetables: Wash the vegetables and drain them. Chop the spring onions.
Step 2. Simmering the broth
- Pour 2 liters of water into the pressure cooker/instant pot or a regular pot. Then, add pork bones, roasted dried shrimp/squid/fish, carrots, daikon, and ginger to the pot and turn on medium heat. Simmer for at least 1 hour to extract the umami and naturally sweet flavors of these ingredients. Adjust the taste with salt and fish sauce to your preference.
Step 3. Boiling hu tieu, squid and quail eggs
- While waiting for the broth, you can start boiling dried hủ tiếu noodles. With sợi hủ tiếu (rice noodles), cook them in boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Once they are cooked, drain the water and set them aside.
- To boil squids, it's recommended to boil them directly in the broth. This way, the juice from the squids will stay in the broth, enhancing its flavor.
- For quail eggs, you can either boil the eggs or poach them by dropping them directly into the boiling broth.
Nutrition
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Other Squid Recipes
- Steamed Squid with Onion and Ginger
- Vietnamese Stuffed Squid
- Bun Mam (Vietnamese Fermented Fish Noodle Soup)