When you think spring and summer, you probably don’t think noodle soup, but I hope I can your mind with this recipe for Hu Tieu My Tho! In Vietnam, it is ALWAYS hot. I went to Vietnam in December, and I was dripping with sweat. Even in this hot climate, people love their soups. Hu Tieu is not as well known as its noodle cousin pho, but I would argue it’s just as yummy. This particular noodle soup is also perfect for hot weather because it has a light broth. The version I made is filled with only seafood, but I added notes below in case you wanted to include pork as well.
What is Hu Tieu My Tho?
Hu Tieu is a noodle soup from the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. It is named for the city My Tho. My Tho is a really interesting place because it was established in the 1680s by Chinese refugees. And like a lot of places in Vietnam where you find immigrants, you can see the influence of the immigrant culture in the food. Hu Tieu is a prime example of that; it is a noodle soup based off of Chinese noodle soups.
This dish has a sweet broth made from pork bones, onion, daikon, and dried shrimp. It is then eaten with tapioca noodles, assorted seafood and/or meat toppings, and fresh herbs. The toppings can vary a lot. Traditional toppings include ground pork, seafood, pork liver, quail eggs, bbq pork (char siu), and seafood. You can use any combination of these toppings. I chose to use only seafood and eggs because I am trying to eat less meat.
Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
Broth
- Pork – This is the base of the broth and can be used as toppings. You can use either pork chops or pork shoulder. I chose to use pork chops because that’s what was available.
- Yellow onions – Adds sweetness to the broth.
- Dried shrimp – Adds more flavor to the broth. Make sure to soak the dried shrimp for 10 minutes before using. If you can’t find dried shrimp, use 1/4 pound of raw shrimp.
- Daikon – Adds sweetness to the broth. Daikon is essentially an Asian radish, so you can substitute with any kind of radish.
- Chicken broth – Adds more flavor to the broth. You can substitute with vegetable broth.
- Salt and sugar for seasoning
The Noodles
In terms of the noodles, traditional Hu Tieu My Tho is eaten with tapioca noodles. They are clear and chewier than normal noodles. However, this is a specialty ingredient, meaning it can be hard to find. If you can’t find tapioca noodles, substitute with any kind of egg or rice noodle you can find. It is actually pretty common to change up the noodles. When you go to Hu Tieu restaurants, the waiter will often give you a choice between rice and egg noodles, and you choose the one you want. So choose whichever noodle you want when you make this recipe!
Seafood & meat toppings
As I mentioned above, you can use a variety of toppings for Hu Tieu. I personally chose seafood and eggs because I am trying to eat less meat. Other toppings you can include are ground pork, pork liver, and bbq pork. You can also use the pork from the broth as a topping. To use the pork from the broth, take out a few pieces after simmering for 30-40 minutes, cut it up, and set it aside. Make sure to leave at least half of it in the broth to continue cooking.
Herb toppings
Yes this noodle soup has a lot of toppings, but it wouldn’t be a Vietnamese noodle soup without herb toppings. I use a combination of green onion, cilantro, and chives. The green onion and cilantro are not essential in my opinion, but it’s nice to have to balance out the other flavors. The one I think is more important is the chives. Chinese chives are what is served in this dish, but you can totally use regular chives.
Making my version of Hu Tieu My Tho
First, soak the fried shrimp in water for 10 minutes. Next make the broth! Add pork to a large soup pot and cover with water until it just covers the pork. Bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Place the pork on a plate and pour out the water. Rinse the pot and add the pork back to the pot. Cover with fresh water until it just covers the pork. Add the onions, dried shrimp, and daikon. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. While the broth is cooking, cook your tapioca noodles and prepare your toppings. Mince the cilantro and green onions. Boil your eggs. Set it all aside.
After 2 hours, add the chicken broth, salt and sugar. Taste the broth for seasoning and add more salt if it tastes bland. The broth should be done at this point. The last step is to cook your seafood toppings – shrimp, squid, octopus, fish balls, and imitation crab. Bring the broth to a boil. Using a ladle or any large spoon, scoop spoonfuls of each topping and hold them under the boiling broth until they are cooked through. Once cooked, set them aside in a bowl. Repeat this process until all your seafood is cooked. The reason we don’t leave the toppings in the broth is because we don’t want them to overcook. Now you can prepare your noodle bowls! Add some of the tapioca noodles to a bowl. Top with the cooked seafood, bean sprouts, chives, cilantro, green onions, boiled eggs, and fried shallots.
Tips on how to make the perfect Hu Tieu
When simmering, keep the heat on low
The key to a clear broth is not to boil the broth too much. Keep the heat on low when you simmer the broth.
Make the broth the night before for the best flavor
It’s just a known fact that broth tastes better the next day. So if you have time, make the broth the night before and let it sit over night. The flavor from the pork and aromatics will permeate your broth while it sits, making it super flavorful.
Customize your toppings
I’ve mentioned this several times already, but I think it’s worth mentioning it again! Definitely use the toppings you want and/or available to you. There is a huge range you can choose from – ground pork, bbq pork, seafood, or quail eggs.
Did you make this dish?
If you made this dish, I would love to see!
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Hu Tieu My Tho
Ingredients
Broth
- 3 lb pork pork shoulder or pork chops
- 2 yellow onions
- ¼ cup dried shrimp
- 1 daikon cut into large pieces
- 2 cans chicken broth 14.5 oz
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
Toppings
- 14 oz tapioca noodles
- ½ lb shrimp
- ¼ lb squid
- ¼ lb octopus
- ½ lb fish balls
- ½ lb imitation crab
- ¼ cup bean sprouts
- ¼ cup chives
- ¼ cup cilantro minced
- ¼ cup green onions minced
- 2 boiled eggs
- ¼ cup fried shallots
Instructions
- Soak the dried shrimp for 10 minutes. Set aside.
- Next make the broth! Add pork to a large soup pot and cover with water until it just covers the pork. Bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Place the pork on a plate and pour out the water. Rinse the pot and add the pork back to the pot. Cover with fresh water until it just covers the pork. Add the onions, dried shrimp, and daikon. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours.
- While the broth is cooking, cook your tapioca noodles and prepare your toppings. Mince the cilantro and green onions. Boil your eggs. Set it all aside.
- After 2 hours, add the chicken broth, salt and sugar. Taste the broth for seasoning and add more salt if it tastes bland.
- The broth should be done at this point. The last step is to cook your seafood toppings – shrimp, squid, octopus, fish balls, and imitation crab. Bring the broth to a boil. Using a ladle or any large spoon, scoop spoonfuls of each topping and hold them under the boiling broth until they are cooked through. Once cooked, set them aside in a bowl. Repeat this process until all your seafood is cooked. The reason we don’t leave the toppings in the broth is because we don’t want them to overcook.
- Now you can prepare your noodle bowls! Add some of the tapioca noodles to a bowl. Top with the cooked seafood, bean sprouts, chives, cilantro, green onions, boiled eggs, and fried shallots.
Notes
- The topping list can look intimidating, so feel free to pick and choose the toppings you want. You can use as many or as little as you want.
- When simmering, keep the heat on low – The key to a clear broth is not to boil the broth too much. Keep the heat on low when you simmer the broth.
- Make the broth the night before for the best flavor – It’s just a known fact that broth tastes better the next day. So if you have time, make the broth the night before and let it sit over night. The flavor from the pork and aromatics will permeate your broth while it sits, making it super flavorful.
- Customize your toppings – I’ve mentioned this several times already, but I think it’s worth mentioning it again! Definitely use the toppings you want and/or available to you. There is a huge range you can choose from – ground pork, bbq pork, seafood, or quail eggs.
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