Hủ tiếu: Southern Vietnamese noodle soup

Hủ tiếu (hoo TEE-oo) is a Southern Vietnamese noodle soup made with a clear, lightly sweet pork-bone broth, thin rice noodles, and toppings like sliced pork, shrimp, ground pork and quail eggs. It's a breakfast and late-night staple in Saigon and across the Mekong Delta, and you can order it as a soup (nước) or "dry" (khô), with the broth served on the side.

Where hủ tiếu comes from

The dish is closely tied to Chinese communities in Southern Vietnam, especially Teochew speakers, and the name is usually traced to the Teochew word for flat rice noodles (similar to "kway teow"). Over time it became thoroughly Southern Vietnamese, with regional styles named after places:

• Hủ tiếu Nam Vang – named for Phnom Penh (Nam Vang in Vietnamese), typically loaded with pork, shrimp, ground pork, liver and quail eggs.
• Hủ tiếu Mỹ Tho – from the Mekong Delta town of Mỹ Tho, known for its chewy, thin rice noodles and a broth sweetened with seafood.

How it differs from phở

• Broth: hủ tiếu broth is pork-based and often sweetened with dried squid, dried shrimp, daikon or a little rock sugar. Phở is usually beef or chicken with charred aromatics and spices like star anise.
• Noodles: hủ tiếu uses thinner, clear or chewy rice noodles, and you can swap in egg noodles (mì) or order both mixed (hủ tiếu mì).
• Toppings: expect seafood and pork rather than beef slices.
• Herbs: lighter on the herb plate; garlic chives, celery leaves, fried garlic and green onion are common.

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the broth:

• 3 lb (about 1.4 kg) pork bones (neck or leg)
• 1 small daikon, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 2 tablespoons dried shrimp, rinsed
• 1 small dried squid, toasted and torn (optional)

To season:

• 1 tablespoon rock sugar or 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the bowls:

• 1 lb (450 g) dried thin rice noodles (labeled hủ tiếu) or fresh egg noodles
• 8 oz (225 g) pork loin, simmered in the broth and sliced thin
• 8 oz (225 g) shrimp, peeled
• 6 oz (170 g) ground pork
• 8 quail eggs, boiled and peeled (optional)
• Bean sprouts, garlic chives, celery leaves, green onion
• Fried garlic in oil, lime wedges, sliced chili, pickled chili

Allergens: shrimp and squid (shellfish), fish sauce, egg (quail eggs, egg noodles) and wheat if using egg noodles.

Steps

1. Clean the bones. Cover the bones with cold water, bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse well. This keeps the broth clear.

1. Simmer the broth. Return the bones to a clean pot with 4 quarts (about 4 liters) water, the daikon, onion, dried shrimp and squid. Bring to a bare simmer and cook 2 to 3 hours, skimming foam. Keep it gentle; a hard boil clouds the broth.

1. Cook the pork loin. Add the whole pork loin for the last 30 to 40 minutes. Remove, cool, and slice thin.

1. Season. Strain the broth. Add the sugar, fish sauce and salt. Taste: it should be savory with a soft, rounded sweetness.

1. Cook the toppings. Poach the shrimp in the hot broth for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the ground pork into a ladle of broth in a small pan to break it into crumbles.

1. Cook the noodles. Soak or boil the noodles according to the package, drain, and portion into bowls.

1. For soup (nước): top the noodles with sliced pork, shrimp, ground pork and quail eggs. Ladle hot broth over everything, then add sprouts, chives and a spoonful of fried garlic.

1. For dry (khô): toss the noodles with a sauce of 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar and a spoon of fried garlic oil. Add toppings and serve a small bowl of broth on the side.

Soup or dry?

The dry version is popular because the noodles soak up the sauce and stay springy. The side broth gets sipped between bites. If you can't decide, make the soup the first time, since it shows off the broth.

Serving at home

Hủ tiếu is a good dish for a crowd: make the broth ahead, set out toppings, and let everyone build a bowl. Pickled chili (ớt ngâm giấm) and a squeeze of lime are the usual table additions. For more ideas in the same family, see Vietnamese soups beyond phở or compare with bún riêu.

Blanch the bones first and keep the simmer low; a clear broth is what makes hủ tiếu taste like itself.