Kuay Teow Reua (Thai Boat Noodles)
Small, dark, deeply savoury bowls of rice noodles in a spiced pork broth, with tender sliced pork, meatballs, morning glory and a crunch of pork crackling.
- Region
- Central Thailand
- Condiments
- Thai Soy Sauces
- Vegetables
- Galangal, Thai Basil, Coriander Root, Garlic, Bean Sprouts
Ingredients
- Broth: 1 kg pork bones (neck or back bones), rinsed
- Broth: 500 g pork shoulder, in one piece
- Broth: 3 litres water
- Broth: 4 coriander roots, bruised
- Broth: 1 head garlic, halved crossways
- Broth: 3 cm galangal, sliced
- Broth: 2 pandan leaves, knotted (optional)
- Broth: 3 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 tsp white peppercorns, lightly toasted
- Broth: 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp dark sweet soy sauce (see ew wan) and 1 tbsp black soy sauce (see ew dam)
- Broth: 1 cube red fermented bean curd (tao hu yee) mashed with 1 tbsp of its liquid
- Broth: 1 tbsp palm sugar and 1 tsp salt
- 12 pork meatballs (luk chin moo)
- 300 g dried thin rice noodles (sen lek) or rice vermicelli (sen mee)
- 1 large bunch morning glory (pak boong), cut into 5 cm lengths
- 2 handfuls bean sprouts
- 1 handful Thai basil leaves
- 2 spring onions and a small handful of coriander leaves, chopped
- 4 tbsp fried garlic in its oil
- To serve: pork crackling (kaep moo), fish sauce, sugar, dried chilli flakes and chillies in vinegar
Boat noodles take their name from the canals of central Thailand, where vendors once cooked and sold them from small wooden boats. The bowls were kept tiny so they would not spill as the boat rocked, and the tradition stuck: today people still order them in stacks of four or five, as in the shops in our guide to the best boat noodles in Bangkok.
The broth is dark, rich and gently spiced with star anise and cinnamon. Many vendors thicken and enrich it with a spoonful of fresh pig's or cow's blood (nam tok) just before serving; it is hard to find outside Thailand, so this version builds depth with black soy sauce and red fermented bean curd instead.
Method
- Soak the noodles in room-temperature water for 20-30 minutes until pliable, then drain.
- Put the pork bones in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse the bones and pot to get rid of the scum. This keeps the broth clean.
- Return the bones to the pot with the pork shoulder and 3 litres of fresh water. Bring to a simmer and skim. Add the coriander roots, garlic, galangal, pandan and the toasted spices.
- Simmer gently, uncovered, for 2 hours, skimming now and then. Lift out the pork shoulder after about 1½ hours, when a skewer slides in easily, and leave it to cool.
- Strain the broth and return it to a clean pot; you should have about 2 litres. Stir in the three soy sauces, the fermented bean curd, palm sugar and salt. Taste: it should be salty, savoury and slightly sweet, with the spices in the background. Adjust.
- Add the meatballs to the broth and simmer for 5 minutes until heated through. Slice the cooled pork thinly.
- Bring a separate pot of water to the boil. For each bowl, put a portion of noodles, morning glory and bean sprouts in a noodle basket or sieve and dip it in the boiling water for 15-20 seconds, until the noodles are just soft. Shake well and tip into the bowl.
- Top with sliced pork and meatballs, ladle over the hot broth, and finish with Thai basil, spring onion, coriander and a spoonful of fried garlic and its oil.
- Serve at once with pork crackling, and fish sauce, sugar, chilli flakes and chillies in vinegar on the table so everyone can season their own bowl.
Cook’s tips
- Cook the noodles bowl by bowl, never all at once. Thin rice noodles go soft very quickly and will swell and break if they sit in hot broth for too long.
- Beef works just as well as pork: use beef bones and brisket or shin, and add sliced raw beef to the bowl just before the hot broth goes in so it cooks through gently.
- The broth keeps for 3 days in the fridge and tastes even better the next day. Make it ahead and the noodles take minutes.
Leonidas Georgiadis
Leonidas Georgiadis is the founder and writer of Aroy Mak Mak. He is from Greece, has been travelling in Thailand for almost twenty years and is married to a Thai wife, so Thai food is everyday family cooking in his home.
