Kuy Teav

Ingredients

Broth

• 1.5 kgpork bones, preferably neck and leg, blanched
• 3 litreswater
• 1whole dried squid, rinsed
• 2dried scallops (optional)
• 1daikon, in thick rounds
• 2onions, halved and charred
• 50 grock sugar
• 1 tbspsalt
• 2 tbspfish sauce

Bowls

• 500 gfresh flat rice noodles (kuy teav)
• 300 gpork loin, sliced paper-thin
• 250 gminced pork
• 200 gbeansprouts
• 4 tbspfried garlic and its oil

Table

• 1 bunchgarlic chives, cut in 4 cm lengths
• Lettuce and Thai basil
• 2limes, in wedges
• Sliced bird’s eye chilli in fish sauce
• Chilli paste and sugar, to taste

Directions

1. Cover the bones with cold water, bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse them and scrub the pot. This blanch is what makes the finished broth clear rather than muddy.
2. Return the bones to the clean pot with 3 litres of fresh water and bring to a bare simmer. Skim the scum for the first 20 minutes and never let it boil.
3. Add the charred onion, daikon, dried squid, scallops, rock sugar and salt, and hold at the barest simmer for 3 hours, uncovered, topping up to keep the bones covered.
4. Strain the broth through a fine sieve or cloth, season with fish sauce, and taste — it should be clean, faintly sweet and deeply savoury, not salty.
5. Fry the minced pork in a little oil until crumbly and browned, 6 minutes, and season it with a splash of fish sauce.
6. Fry sliced garlic in oil over low heat until pale gold, then drain it the moment it turns colour — it keeps browning off the heat. Keep both the garlic and the oil.
7. Blanch the noodles in boiling water for 20 to 30 seconds only and divide between four bowls. Blanch the beansprouts for 10 seconds and add them.
8. Lay the raw sliced pork over the noodles, ladle the broth over at a rolling boil so it cooks the slices through in seconds, then top with minced pork, fried garlic and a spoon of the garlic oil. Serve with the herb plate and let each person add lime, chilli and sugar.

Technique

• Kuy Teav is a breakfast, sold from carts and shophouses from dawn and gone by ten. Eating it at night is possible but slightly odd, like ordering porridge for dinner.
• The dried squid is not optional in Phnom Penh. It gives the broth the particular sweet-marine backbone that distinguishes it from Vietnamese hu tieu and Thai kuay teow.
• Kuy teav kor ko is the beef version; the dish crosses the region under related names, and Cambodians will tell you the Khmer version is the older one — the history is genuinely disputed.

Substitutions

• No fresh rice noodles: use dried flat rice sticks, soaked 30 minutes in warm water then blanched 30 seconds.
• Dried squid can be replaced by 2 tbsp of dried shrimp for a similar sea-sweetness, though less complex.

Variations

• Kuy teav cha is the dry version: noodles tossed in the seasonings with the broth served alongside in a cup.
• Many stalls add pork liver, meatballs and a raw egg cracked into the hot broth at the counter.

History

Pork-broth rice noodle soup brought by Teochew Chinese migrants; Cambodia’s standard breakfast, related to Vietnamese hu tieu.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kuy Teav?

Kuy Teav is a breakfast from Cambodia: pork-bone noodle soup with beansprouts, lime and fried garlic. Pork-broth rice noodle soup brought by Teochew Chinese migrants; Cambodia’s standard breakfast, related to Vietnamese hu tieu.

How long does Kuy Teav take to make?

Kuy Teav takes 30 min of preparation and 3 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kuy Teav?

Yes, within limits. No fresh rice noodles: use dried flat rice sticks, soaked 30 minutes in warm water then blanched 30 seconds. Dried squid can be replaced by 2 tbsp of dried shrimp for a similar sea-sweetness, though less complex.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kuy Teav?

Cover the bones with cold water, bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse them and scrub the pot. This blanch is what makes the finished broth clear rather than muddy.