Vietnamese Macaroni Soup with Pork (Sup Nui)
This Vietnamese Macaroni Soup with Pork, or Sup Nui, is the ultimate comfort food! Macaroni noodles, soft carrots, and ground pork are nestled in a homemade pork broth. It's a popular Vietnamese breakfast but also great as a light lunch or dinner, especially on sick days.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 10 min
- Yield
- 5 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 lbs pork bones
- 2½ liters water ((10 cups) plus more for blanching)
- 1 inch knob of ginger (peeled and halved)
- ½ shallot
- ½ onion
- 1 bunch cilantro (15-20 wilted and large stems set aside)
- 20 g yellow rock sugar (about a 1 inch piece)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- ½ tsp whole peppercorns
- 2½ cups (12 oz) elbow pasta
- ½ cup carrots (minced)
- ¾ lb ground pork
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- 1
Place bones in a large bowl and cover with water. Let soak for 30 minutes. Then drain and rinse the bowls.
- 2
Bring a large stockpot or Dutch oven of water to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt and the bones, hard boiling for 5 minutes. Carefully drain and thoroughly rinse and scrub the bones clean of any blood or residue. Clean the pot and wipe dry.
- 3
Add bones back into the pot, along with 2.5 L water and 2 tsp salt. Bones should be covered by at least 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil, removing any scum or browned bits that floats to the top.
- 4
Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down to a gentle, rolling simmer. Add ginger, shallot, onion, cilantro stems, rock sugar, fish sauce, and peppercorns. Simmer for 45 minutes - 1 hour, removing any foam or scum on top. Limit stirring the bones.
- 5
While the bones are simmering, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, cooking 1 minute less than box instructions say. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a large plate. Set aside. Add more water if needed, then add carrots and boil until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to an ice bath and set aside.
- 6
Season ground pork with salt and pepper. Add to pot of boiling water and cook for 4-5 minutes until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.
- 7
Once the pork broth is done simmering, strain and season to taste. You should end with about 6 cups of pork broth. Reserve meat on bones, if any.
- 8
To serve, add pasta, carrots, ground pork, and fresh cilantro to a bowl. Pour over pork broth and top with a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper.