Thai Boat Noodles Soup (Kuay Teow Reua)
This recipe for Thai Boat Noodles Soup (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือ) comes straight from my village in Surin, Thailand—a dish that’s been made and loved for over 60 years. It’s the ultimate comfort food we’ve served to hundreds of people during festivals, special events, and family gatherings. And now, I’m so excited to share it with you!
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 2 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb pork bones: I used a mix of neck and knuckle bones.
- 18 cup water
- 2 tbsp salt
- 3 pandan leaves
- 6 clove fresh garlic
- 1/3 cup cilantro stems, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 heads pickled garlic (1 ounce): Halve them if large.
- 1/2 cup pickled garlic juice
- 3 cinnamon sticks (about 4 inches each)
- 3 star anise
- 1 tbsp white cardamom (6 pods) or 2 black cardamom pods
- 1+1/2 tbsp whole white peppercorns
- 2 tbsp sweet black soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Thai thin soy sauce
- 3 oz rock sugar
- 1/3 cup pig’s blood
- 1+1/2 cup rice noodles, softened before dunking in the broth
- 4 oz thinly sliced beef or pork
- 3-4 meatballs (pork or beef)
- 1/2 cup bean sprouts
- 1 cup morning glory (pak boong), Chinese broccoli, or spinach
- Fried garlic in garlic oil
- Chopped green onions and cilantro
- Thai chili flakes
- Pork cracklings or pork rinds
- Pickled radish (Tung Chai)
- Ground white pepper
- White sugar
- Chili vinegar
- Fish sauce
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- 1
In a small, dry pan (no oil), toast the cinnamon sticks, cardamom, star anise, and white peppercorns over medium heat until fragrant. Toast the larger spices for a couple of minutes first, then add the smaller ones. Once aromatic, remove the spices from the pan and set them aside to cool.
- 2
Once the spices are cool, place them in a sachet along with pickled garlic, fresh garlic, and cilantro stems.
- 3
In a large pot (8-quart or larger), combine water, pork bones, rolled pandan leaves, salt, and daikon. Bring the mixture to a boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat and let the broth simmer for 2–3 hours to develop its rich flavor.
- 4
About 1 hour before the broth is finished simmering, add rock sugar and soy sauces. Stir well and let the flavors deepen as the broth continues to cook.
- 5
While the broth finishes, prepare the ingredients for the bowls about 30 minutes before serving. Soak the rice noodles in water until tender, then drain.
- 6
During the last 15 minutes of simmering, slowly stir in the blood while whisking continuously to prevent clumping. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with additional sugar or soy sauce as needed. * You can leave the meatballs in the broth until serving, as Thai vendors often do to boost umami flavor.
- 7
In a separate medium-sized pot, boil water over high heat. This water will be used to dunk the noodles, preventing the starch from clouding the soup broth. Vegetables and meat, however, can be cooked directly in the soup broth to enhance their flavor. * it’s fine to cook the noodles directly in the broth for small batches of broth—I’ve done it often with great results. This step is entirely up to you!
- 8
Remove all the bones, herbs, and sachet from the broth. Use the meat from the bones to add protein to your bowls. Then, use a noodle basket to add about 1 cup of softened rice noodles to the bottom of each serving bowl. Submerge the noodles briefly in the boiling water pot, drain, and transfer them to the serving bowl.
- 9
Place sliced beef and meatballs directly into the soup broth to cook. Repeat with morning glory and bean sprouts or other greens in the same way. Once cooked, transfer them to the serving bowl.
- 10
Pour the hot, flavorful broth over the noodles and toppings in each bowl using a soup ladle. Adjust the amount of broth to your preference.
- 11
Top each bowl with fried garlic, garlic oil, green onions, cilantro, chili vinegar, sugar, chili flakes, and pork rinds. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Mix well and enjoy your flavorful bowl of Thai Boat Noodles Soup!