Vietnamese Turmeric Noodles with Pork and Shrimp (Mì Quảng T

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

3 lbs pork bones (neckbones or leg/marrow bones)

1 lb pork belly

1 lb large whole shrimp with heads

2 quarts water

1 tablespoon sea salt (divided)

1 tablespoon granulated sugar (divided)

1 tablespoon fish sauce (divided)

1 tablespoon paprika (divided, little heat, mainly for color)

1 tablespoon turmeric powder (divided)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)

1 yellow onion (peeled and quartered)

2 large shallot (peeled and finely chopped)

6 cloves garlic (peeled and finely chopped)

2 10.5-oz bags of Quang Nam yellow rice noodles

Fried shallots

Green onions (sliced thin)

Cilantro (sliced thin)

Yellow onion (sliced thin)

Toasted peanuts

Bean sprouts

Green or red cabbage

Lettuce

Sesame rice crackers

Lemons or limes

Directions

Optional: If the pork bones, pork belly and shrimp have a lingering foul smell, place them into a large mixing bowl and scrub them down with 2 tablespoons coarse salt then rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Drain dry.

Slice the pork belly into long strips. Then slice it into thin pieces. Transfer to a bowl and marinate with a bit of salt, sugar, fish sauce, paprika and turmeric. Set aside.

Detach the shrimp heads from the bodies. Set shrimp heads aside to make the broth later. Shell the shrimp if preferred and devein.

Transfer the shrimp to a bowl and marinate with a bit of salt, sugar, fish sauce, paprika and turmeric. Set aside.

To the bottom of a large pot, heat a tablespoon oil on medium-high. Add shrimp heads and pan fry for 5 minutes. Using the back of a ladle, smash the shrimp heads to release its head fat, which will naturally color the broth a beautiful red/orange. Add pork bones, yellow onion, and 2 quarts of water and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, leave the pot uncovered, and let it simmer for 45 minutes. Once done, remove all the solids and discard.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet. Add half the shallots and garlic, and pan-fry until fragrant (20 seconds). Add the marinated pork belly slices, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the outside is caramelized. Transfer the pork belly to the stock pot and continue to cook the stock for an additional 15 minutes. Season broth with remaining salt, sugar, fish sauce, paprika and turmeric. Adjust to taste. If you find the broth a little underwhelming, add a bit of MSG or chicken bouillon powder (wink wink).

Return to the empty skillet and heat the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add remaining shallots and garlic and pan-fry until fragrant (about 20 seconds). Add the marinated shrimp and cook for about three minutes or until they are no longer translucent. Once cooked, set the shrimp aside.

Cook the noodles per packaged instructions. Prep the vegetables.

To make the rice crackers, lightly wet them with water. You can use a water spritzer on both sides or dab them with a wet paper towel. Ensure that the microwave plate is clean and place the crackers directly on it. Heat them for 30 seconds, flip them over, and heat for another 30 seconds until they puff up evenly. Break the crackers into small pieces and set aside.

To assemble, add your choice of vegetables to the bottom of the bowl. Layer the cooked noodles on top of the bed of vegetables. Pour about a cup of broth over the noodles, making sure to include slices of pork belly.

Add shrimp, rice crackers, peanuts, and fried shallots on top of the noodles.

Garnish with thinly sliced green onions, cilantro, and yellow onions. Serve with lime or lemon wedges on the side and enjoy.