Phnom Penh Noodle Shortcut

Phnom Penh Noodle Soup

I have been craving for noodle soup pretty often lately, particularly Cambodian or Thai noodle soup. And what’s widely available in my area is the infamous Vietnamese Pho grrrr. There’s something in the Pho broth that bugs me. Perhaps it’s the heavy spice they use like the star anise and cloves. Whatever it is I am not a fan of Pho.  I usually just settle for the Chicken Noodle or Seafood Noodle when I order because it uses a different type of broth.

I wasn’t born in Cambodia and when I had a chance to go visit I’ve only spent like a little over a week in Phnom Penh. My time exploring with food was pretty limited. I ate a lot of fish. You can see the types of fish dish Cambodia has to offer by viewing my video I made about the FOOD of CAMBODIA. Although my time was short my memory of the dishes lives on especially the Ground Pork Noodle Soup I had on my way to visit some relatives in Banteay Mean Chey province. The noodle shop is situated along Cambodia’s national road #5 in Battambang province right at the footstep on your way up to Phnom Thom temple. That noodle soup was THE BOMB! Perhaps it was the loaded fresh ground pork that made all the difference.  A noodle soup that is close to this would be the famous Phnom Penh Noodle Soup which consist of not only ground pork but also pork, garlic and shallots.  There’s a Khmer restaurant called Mitapheap in Stockton, CA that serves pretty good Phnom Penh Noodle. My family in Stockton goes there often and I usually join them when ever I’m in town.

Because I don’t want to drive hours just to have my bowl of Phnom Penh Noodle Soup and because I don’t feel like preparing the broth for hours, I think I’ve found a quick and easy remedy to this. I’m calling it the Phnom Penh Noodle Soup Shortcut គុយទាវភ្នំពេញផ្លូវកាត់ because not only was it effortless (at least for me) to put together but I felt that the taste was sort of similar to the those rich flavors of a broth that has been simmer for hours. In my shortcut version here the broth was flavored with chopped onions and a little help from chicken bullion in addition to ground pork, sugar and fish sauce.  I also added slice pork, shrimp and cuttlefish. My condiments include fried garlic, lime juice, my home made pickled jalapeños and hoisin sauce. Feel free to create your own topping and condiments. Do try my recipe and let me know what you think of it.

Phnom Penh Noodle Soup Ingredients

Ingredients
4 cups of water
¼ onion, chopped
3 tablespoons ground pork
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
½ chicken or pork bullion
6 oz dried rice stick, pre-soak in warm water for 30 minutes

Ideas for toppings/condiments
slice pork
shrimp
cuttlefish or pork/shrimp/fish balls
fried garlic/shallots
hoisin sauce
siracha chili sauce
pickled jalapeños (see my recipe)
mung bean sprouts
cilantro
lime juice

Method:
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the ground pork breaking it up as you put it into the pot. Once the broth returns to a boil add the chopped onion followed by chicken bullion. Stir to dissolve.  Add sugar and fish sauce then simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile in another pot bring about 8 cups of water to a boil. .Strain the pre-soak noodles and separate the noodles into 2 servings. Cook in boiling water until soften about 1-2 minutes. Empty the noodles (straining all the liquid back into the pot) into serving bowl.

It is now ready to assemble. Add additional toppings of your choice.  The meat such as slice pork or seafood should be cook it in the broth. This will add another layer of flavor to the broth. It can also be prepared ahead of time and refrigerate until you are ready to use it. Ladle about 2 cups broth into each bowl, distributing the hot broth evenly to warm all the ingredients. Serve immediately with garnishes and your choice of condiments.