Hu Tieu

Parboil the Pork bones in a pot of boiling Water for 5 minutes to remove impurities; drain, rinse the bones and clean the pot.

Char the halved Yellow onion and halved Daikon radish under a broiler or over a flame until edges are browned to add sweetness; rinse and soak the Dried squid briefly, then tear into pieces.

Return the blanched bones to a clean large pot, add the charred onion, daikon and dried squid, a few pieces of Rock sugar and a teaspoon of Coarse salt; cover with fresh water, bring to a gentle simmer and skim foam occasionally. Simmer gently for 2–3 hours to extract flavor.

After simmering, season the broth with several tablespoons of Fish sauce and taste — adjust salt and sweetness with more rock sugar or a pinch of Sugar if needed; strain the broth into a clean pot and keep hot.

While the broth cooks, thinly slice the Pork loin and season lightly with a splash of fish sauce and a pinch of White pepper.

In a bowl, combine the Ground pork with minced Garlic, a teaspoon of Sugar, a dash of fish sauce and a little White pepper; form into small balls or flattened patties.

Rinse and slice the Pork liver very thinly and blanch briefly in the hot broth until just cooked, then transfer to a plate.

Peel and devein the Shrimp and cook them briefly in boiling broth or a hot skillet until pink; set aside.

Hard-boil the Quail eggs for 3–4 minutes, cool in ice water, peel and optionally marinate in a little fish sauce and sugar for extra flavor.

Heat a tablespoon of Neutral oil in a skillet, fry a little minced garlic until golden to make garlic oil, then use the same pan to sear the ground-pork patties until cooked through; reserve some fried garlic for garnish and finish patties with a drizzle of garlic oil and a sprinkle of Fried shallots.

Cook the Hu tieu rice noodles according to package directions — briefly in boiling water until tender, then drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and prevent clumping.

To assemble each bowl, place a portion of noodles in the bottom, arrange slices of Pork loin, pork patties, blanched Pork liver, cooked Shrimp and halved Quail eggs on top.

Add a handful of Bean sprouts, chopped Chinese chives, sliced Scallions and chopped Cilantro; ladle the hot strained broth over everything and sprinkle with extra freshly ground White pepper to taste.

Serve each bowl with a plate of torn Crisp lettuce, lime wedges from the Limes and sliced Thai chilies so diners can add lettuce, a squeeze of lime and chiles to taste; finish with a spoonful of fried garlic and more Fried shallots on top.