Wide golden rice noodles, tender pork and shrimp, crisp herbs and peanuts, and just enough savory broth to bring the bowl together.
Mì Quảng is closely associated with Quảng Nam and Vietnam’s central coast. Its wide rice noodles sit under a small amount of concentrated broth rather than a deep soup, with herbs and crisp toppings added at the table. Pork and shrimp are a familiar pairing, although proteins and garnishes vary from cook to cook. This four-bowl home version adds quail eggs, banana blossom, peanuts and sesame rice crackers.
Peel and devein the shrimp, reserving their shells. Refrigerate the peeled shrimp while you make the broth. Keep raw pork and shrimp away from the greens and cooked food; wash hands, board and utensils after handling them.
Put the pork bones and 1.3 litres water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim the foam, then simmer steadily for 35 minutes. Add the shrimp shells, 30 g shallot, 5 g garlic and ginger; simmer 10 minutes more. Strain and keep the broth hot. Skim excess surface fat if desired.
Boil the quail eggs for 4 minutes. Transfer them to cold water, cool, peel and halve. Prepare the lettuce, banana blossom and herbs; keep them covered and chilled. Crush the peanuts and slice the remaining 15 g shallot for garnish.
Warm 10 ml oil with the turmeric for 20–30 seconds without scorching it. Toss the noodles with the turmeric oil. Heat the noodles according to their package directions and keep them warm and covered.
Heat the remaining 20 ml oil in a heavy skillet. Cook 45 g shallot and 15 g garlic until fragrant. Add the pork and pepper; brown on several sides. Stir in 15 ml fish sauce, 8 g sugar and 200 ml strained broth. Cover and gently simmer for 20–25 minutes, stirring now and then, until tender and at least 63°C / 145°F in the centre. Rest whole-muscle pork for 3 minutes.
Add the peeled shrimp to the pan and cook gently for 2–4 minutes, turning once, until firm, pearly and opaque and at least 63°C / 145°F in the thickest part. Add enough hot broth to leave a concentrated, saucy topping. Season the remaining broth with 30 ml fish sauce, 4 g salt and the remaining 4 g sugar; stir in the last 5 g garlic and remaining scallions. Keep hot.
Divide the noodles among four bowls. Spoon the pork, shrimp and a little hot broth over them. Add quail eggs, lettuce, drained banana blossom, mint, Vietnamese coriander, sliced shallot and peanuts. Serve about 150 ml hot broth and one sesame rice cracker with each bowl, with lime wedges alongside. Add the cracker just before eating.
Make ahead: Make and strain the broth a day ahead, chill it promptly and refrigerate. Reheat until steaming. Wash and dry greens shortly before serving. Serving: Mì Quảng is served with a small amount of broth. Offer more broth in a cup so each diner can add it to taste. Storage: Refrigerate broth and cooked proteins in shallow covered containers within 2 hours, at or below 4°C / 40°F, and use within 3 days. Store noodles and greens separately. Substitution: If fresh wide noodles are unavailable, use dried wide rice noodles and cook them according to the packet. Drain well; their cooked yield and nutrition will differ.
Too soupy: Spoon off some liquid and serve it separately; the noodles should be lightly coated, not submerged. Pork is firm: Simmer it gently for a few more minutes with a splash of broth, checking tenderness and temperature. Shrimp is rubbery: It cooked too long. Add shrimp only after the pork is tender and remove it as soon as opaque. Broth tastes too salty: Dilute with a little hot water or unsalted stock and recheck before serving. Noodles stick together: Warm them briefly with a spoonful of broth or hot water and separate gently with chopsticks.
Is Mì Quảng a soup? It is usually served with much less broth than a soup noodle bowl. Add a little over the noodles and offer the rest alongside. Can I use plain white rice noodles? Yes. Fresh wide rice noodles work well; turmeric oil gives them a golden tint. Follow the package directions for dried noodles. Can I replace the pork or shrimp? Chicken and fish versions are also found. This recipe’s measured amounts, timing and nutrition are for pork and shrimp. Why serve the cracker on the side? It stays crisp and can be broken into the bowl just before eating. Can I freeze the broth? Yes. Cool it promptly, freeze in a sealed container and thaw in the refrigerator before reheating until steaming.
These rounded estimates divide the measured noodles, pork, shell-on shrimp, quail eggs, oil, peanuts, cracker, vegetables and broth among four bowls. Noodle moisture, pork fat trim, packaged cracker and fish-sauce labels, broth reduction and the amount of broth eaten change the values.
Contains crustaceans (shrimp), fish (fish sauce), peanuts and sesame. Check packaged noodle and cracker labels for additional ingredients and cross-contact warnings. Keep raw pork and shrimp separate from cooked noodles and ready-to-eat greens. Cook whole pork pieces to 63°C / 145°F and rest for 3 minutes. Cook shrimp until firm and opaque and at least 63°C / 145°F. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, keep at or below 4°C / 40°F and use within 3 days.
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