Mì Quảng: the noodle dish from Quảng Nam

Mì Quảng is a noodle dish from Quảng Nam province in Central Vietnam, made with wide, often turmeric-yellow rice noodles, a small amount of concentrated broth, and toppings like shrimp, pork, herbs, roasted peanuts and a crunchy sesame rice cracker. It sits somewhere between a soup and a noodle salad: the broth only comes partway up the noodles, so each bite is saucy rather than soupy.

The name says where it's from. Mì usually means noodles, and Quảng is short for Quảng Nam. You'll find it widely around Đà Nẵng and Hội An, too.

What makes mì Quảng different

• Little broth. The bowl gets a few ladles of rich, well-seasoned broth instead of a flood.
• Wide noodles. Fresh mì Quảng noodles are flat and broad, and many are tinted yellow with turmeric.
• Crunch. A toasted rice cracker with sesame (bánh tráng mè or bánh tráng nướng) is broken over the top.
• Peanuts. Roasted peanuts are standard, not optional extras.
• Variety. Shrimp and pork is classic, but chicken, fish and even frog versions exist in the region.

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the broth and toppings:

• 1 lb (450 g) pork belly or shoulder, sliced thin
• 12 oz (340 g) medium shrimp, shell on or peeled
• 6 cups (1.4 liters) pork or chicken stock
• 4 shallots, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

To season and finish:

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon annatto oil or neutral oil
• 4 hard-boiled quail eggs per person (optional)

For the bowls:

• 1 lb (450 g) fresh mì Quảng noodles, or wide dried rice noodles
• ½ cup roasted peanuts, roughly crushed
• 2 to 4 sesame rice crackers
• Herbs and greens: lettuce, mint, Vietnamese coriander (rau răm), basil, sliced banana blossom, bean sprouts
• Lime wedges and sliced chili

Allergens: peanuts, shrimp (shellfish), fish sauce, sesame (rice crackers) and egg if using quail eggs.

Steps

1. Marinate the pork and shrimp. Toss the pork with half the shallots and garlic, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, the turmeric and sugar. Season the shrimp lightly with a pinch of salt and pepper. Rest 20 minutes.

1. Cook the base. Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Fry the remaining shallots and garlic for 1 minute. Add the pork and cook 4 to 5 minutes until it browns at the edges and the turmeric smells toasty.

1. Add the shrimp. Stir in the shrimp and cook 1 to 2 minutes until they just turn pink.

1. Make the broth. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, then season with the remaining fish sauce. Taste it on its own; it should be bold and a bit salty, because you'll use only a little per bowl. Add the quail eggs to warm through.

1. Prepare the noodles. If using fresh noodles, rinse them in hot water and loosen with your hands. If using dried wide rice noodles, cook according to the package until tender but still chewy, then drain. Some cooks add a pinch of turmeric to the cooking water for color.

1. Toast the crackers. Toast the sesame rice crackers over a gas flame with tongs, or microwave them for about a minute, until puffed and crisp.

1. Build the bowls. Put a layer of greens and herbs in the bottom of each bowl, then the noodles. Ladle on pork, shrimp, eggs and just enough broth to come partway up the noodles.

1. Finish. Scatter crushed peanuts on top, break a cracker over the bowl, and serve with lime and chili.

How to eat it

Mix everything together before your first bite so the broth coats the noodles and greens. Add more herbs as you go. The cracker softens slowly, so some people break it in a little at a time to keep the crunch.

Mì Quảng vs other noodle bowls

If you know bún bò Huế, the other famous Central noodle dish, mì Quảng is gentler on heat and much lighter on broth. Compared with cao lầu from nearby Hội An, mì Quảng uses rice noodles and turmeric, while cao lầu has chewier noodles and a pork-forward sauce. Visitors often mix the two up because both are served with little liquid and plenty of herbs.

Finding the noodles

Fresh mì Quảng noodles show up in some Vietnamese markets, especially in cities with large Vietnamese communities. Dried versions labeled "mì Quảng" are also sold. Failing that, the widest dried rice noodles you can find are a fair substitute.

Season the broth stronger than you would for phở; a small ladle has to flavor the whole bowl.