Banh Canh (Vietnamese Thick Noodle Soup)
Banh Canh is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup made with thick noodles (banh canh noodles) in a pork broth serve with sliced pork, sausage, fish cake and fresh herbs.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 345kcal
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork bones with meat on them
- 1 pound pork shoulder
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pork bouillon
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce divided
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 14 ounces banh canh noodles substitute udon
- 6 ounces Vietnamese pork sausage sliced
- 6 ounces fried fish cake sliced
- ½ pound shrimp
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 3-4 tablespoons fried garlic
Instructions
- Add the pork bones and pork shoulder to a large pot and cover them with water. Boil for 5 minutes then drain and rinse the bones thoroughly.
- Add the pork back into the pot with the chopped onion and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours.
- **Skim any foam off the top periodically while the broth simmers.
- While the pork broth is cooking, marinade the shrimp in the coconut sugar and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce for 1 hour. Drain.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the shrimp. Cook until barely pink on each side (30-60 seconds a side). Set aside.
- Remove from heat and strain the broth, reserving the pork shoulder and bones.
- Add the pork bouillon, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, salt and pepper to the broth and heat to simmer. Add additional salt (or pork bouillon) to taste if necessary.
- Slice the pork shoulder and remove any meat from the pork bones to serve in the soup.
- Cook the noodles according to the package instructions and drain. Divide among the bowls.
- Add slices of pork meat, Vietnamese pork sausage, fish cake and shrimp. Pour the broth over the top. Garnish with chopped cilantro and fried garlic.
Notes
- Rinse the pork bones well to make sure you get any congealed blood off so your broth is nice and clear.
- If there is meat on the pork bones when done cooking, I like to take it off and add it to my soup.
- For an extra thick broth, you can cook the noodles right in the broth.
- The soup is typically not spicy, but feel free to add sriracha or chili sauce for some added spice.
- Adjust the salt in the broth to taste before serving.
- Omit the sausage, fish, and/or shrimp if desired.
- Garnish with anything you prefer - fried shallots, herbs, garlic, bean sprouts, chili oil, etc.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 161mg | Sodium: 2708mg | Potassium: 454mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 206IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 2mg