A light, tangy pork noodle soup from northern Vietnam with tomatoes, pork meatballs and crunchy dọc mùng (giant elephant ear stems).

Ingredients

For the broth

• ½ lb pork riblets
• ½ lb pork leg shank
• 1 onion, quartered
• 3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2.5 liters water
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1½ Tbsp rice vinegar, to taste

For the pork marinade

• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp bouillon
• ½ tsp turmeric powder

For the meatballs (mọc)

• 250 g fatty ground pork
• 5 g dried wood ear mushrooms
• 5 g dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tsp bouillon
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• A handful of green onions, chopped

For serving

• 400 g dọc mùng (giant elephant ear stems)
• Salt, for soaking the dọc mùng
• Rice vermicelli (bún)
• Sawtooth coriander
• Green onions

Instructions

1. Put the riblets and shank in a large pot, cover with water and boil for 2–3 minutes. Drain and rinse the pork.
2. Toss the pork with the fish sauce, bouillon and turmeric and marinate for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cover the wood ear and shiitake with hot water to soften.
4. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and briefly sauté the marinated pork.
5. Add the 2.5 liters of water, 1 Tbsp salt and the onion and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes.
6. While the broth simmers, make the meatballs: drain and finely chop the mushrooms, then mix them with the ground pork, bouillon, fish sauce, pepper and chopped green onion.
7. Peel the green outer layer off the dọc mùng and cut it into pieces. Soak in salted water, rinse a few times and drain. Pour boiling water over it, drain again and squeeze out the excess liquid.
8. Turn the broth up to medium. Spoon or roll the meatball mixture into small balls and drop them in. Once they float, cook 5 more minutes, then remove.
9. Move the pork shank to an ice bath, then slice it thinly.
10. Add the tomato wedges to the broth and cook for 2–3 minutes. Stir in the rice vinegar to taste.
11. Warm the noodles in a strainer dipped into the broth and divide them between bowls. Do the same with the dọc mùng.
12. Top each bowl with sliced shank and meatballs, then ladle in the broth with a few riblets and tomato wedges. Finish with sawtooth coriander and green onion.

Notes & substitutions

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Photos