My husband, Speedy, cooked this dish back in 2011. He had just retired, and we spent afternoons and evenings devouring cooking shows on satellite TV. No Netflix nor other streaming subscriptions in 2011 — not yet in Asia anyway.
One of those shows was Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam. Although we were already fans of pho, Vietnamese spring rolls and beef stew, we weren’t privy yet to the intricacies of the preparation of pho broth. Too ambitious for a home cooked version. So, when we came across cooking instructions for simpler dishes, we replicated them at home. This is one of them.
Why pork ribs? Why not a boneless cut which should make eating the noodle soup easier? Because the richness of the broth comes from the bones. If you simmer boneless meat, the broth will not be as lip-smacking good.
Is it pho? Well, although pho is, by definition, a dish of noodles and meat served with broth, I didn’t see any pho with pork in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Beef is the default and chicken comes second. Pork has its own place in Vietnamese cuisine, but I have yet to encounter it in a bowl of pho. So, I’ll just call this dish a noodle soup.
Pork ribs and rice noodle soup
Connie’s notes
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 6 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 red onions or 4 shallots, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 kilogram meaty pork ribs chopped through the bone into about 2-inch pieces
For the soup
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 onion cut in half
- ½ head garlic
- fish sauce to taste
- 150 grams dried flat rice noodles
To serve
- fresh bean sprouts
- sliced onion leaves
- fresh cilantro
- fried shallots
- toasted garlic bits
- lime or lemon wedges
Instructions
- Place the sugar, salt, fish sauce, onions or shallots and garlic in the blender or food processor and process until the mixture forms a paste.
- Place the cut ribs in a bowl. Add the paste. Mix. Cover and leave to marinate overnight.
- Place the marinated pork ribs in a pot. Cover with water. Add the peppercorns, onion and garlic. Bring to the boil; skim off scum as it rises.
- Lower the heat, cover and simmer for an hour and a half to two hours or until the pork meat is very tender.
- When the pork is nearly done, cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain.
- Divide the noodles among four bowls. Add two to three pieces of ribs per bowl. Pour in hot broth.
- Garnish with bean sprouts, onion leaves, cilantro, fried shallots, garlic bits and lemon wedges.
- Serve the pork ribs and rice noodle soup immediately.
Beef pho: the secret is in the broth
Armed with memories of bowls of beef pho in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, I made my home version with roasted meat bones and spices which were simmered for three hours.
