When we went back from Bangkok, we had a whole new gate that had opened in our minds, with so many new dishes in mind that I couldn’t wait to try and recreate.
One of them stood out. With my companion, we decided that the n°1 food item from the trip was as clear as its broth is : the Thai clear noodle soup.
The ingredients could vary for this street-food staple, but the magic came from the broth. At Jeng Kung Fish Ball Noodle (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวลูกชิ้นปลาเจงคุง), we had the epitome of the perfect clear broth : full of flavour despite its treacherous neutral colour, slightly sweet, slightly tangy with added Prik Nam Som, and a sheer bliss to eat with bouncy noodles and homemade fishballs. I do not believe this dish can be bested one day.
The first central step towards building up this dish again was to master the broth. So I reasearched the subject as much as I could, with a highly satisfactory end result.
I used this broth to recreate the Jeng Kung fishball soup, but I’m positive it would make any noodle soup shine. Actually, the other main type of Thai clear noodle soup is the Charsiu one, often served with wontons, which I’ll soon try to reproduce too, using this broth.
Get ready for a very simple and straight-forward recipe ! It doesn’t require many ingredients nor skills, and the end result is glorious.
Thai Clear Pork Broth – Recipe
Ingredients – Advice & key points
- Pork bones :
- Pork bones are instrumental to the flavour of this broth. You can replace them with chicken bones if needed.
- As the simmering process goes, water-soluble compounds in the bones, meat, and connective tissues are released into the liquid. This includes amino acids, peptides, and various aromatic compounds, which develop into the umami and savory flavors of the broth. That is why the 3-hour time frame cannot be negotiated !
- If you happen to have some meat attached to the bone, that’s even better flavour-wise ; plus, you can take off this meat from the bone later, and use it as a topping for your future noodle soup !
- Daikon : You should be able to find it fresh at any Asian store with a fresh produce aisle.
- Do not let your broth reach the boil ! You should only keep it at a simmer in order to better develop its flavours.
- I recommend making a large batch of this soup base on the week-end. Then, keep any leftovers in individual portions in the freezer to quickly whip up a quick noodle soup of your liking !
Note : This recipe will provide you with around 3L worth of fish stock.
Let’s get brothy !
Thai Clear Pork Broth
Description
This simple Thaï pork broth will elevate any noodle soup you'd like to quickly put together on a weeknight.
Ingredients
For the Soup
To add at the end
Instructions
Prep your ingredients
Wash the bones throroughly in cold water.
Add to a pot. Cover with water & bring to a simmer. (don’t boil !)
After 30mn, skim off the scum that floats at the surface.
Add your other main ingredients
While the bones simmer, peel the daikon, onion and garlic.
Roughly chop your daikon and onion.
Smash your garlic cloves with the flat of a knife.
After you skimmed the scum, add the daikon, onion, garlic, cilantro stems, pepper, coriander seeds, salt and soy sauce.
Simmer 3 hours.
Finish it !
Remove from heat and filter your broth using a sieve.
Add fish sauce, pickled chili juice and sugar. Mix.
Remove any meat from the bones and use it as a topping for your later soup.
Et voilà ! You're done !