Name: Thai Boat Noodles
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 10 min
Total time: 2 h 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 800 g beef shin, in large pieces; 2 litres water; 30 g galangal, sliced; 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised; 4 coriander roots, or stalks; 3 g cinnamon stick; 2 g star anise; 1 g cloves; 3 tbsp dark soy sauce; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar; 1 tbsp fermented soybean paste; 300 g flat rice noodles; 150 g bean sprouts; 150 g morning glory or spinach; 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander; 2 red chillies, sliced

Thai Boat Noodles

A dark, spiced beef noodle soup with rice noodles, bean sprouts, morning glory and crispy garlic, served in small bowls.

2 hr 40 min total Serves 6 servings Hard

In Bangkok, boat noodles are sold in tiny bowls, a few mouthfuls each, so that diners can eat six or seven in one sitting. The broth is the reason: dark, deep and layered with spice, sweet, salty, sour and hot all at once.

It starts with beef shin and bones simmered with galangal, lemongrass, coriander roots, cinnamon, star anise and cloves for 2 hours. The kitchen smells like a spice shop. Skim the surface regularly in the first 20 minutes to remove grey foam, which clouds the broth. Do not let it boil hard. A hard boil turns the stock cloudy and muddy.

The colour and body come from dark soy sauce and a little fermented bean curd or soybean paste. Fish sauce adds salt, and palm sugar rounds off the edges. The traditional version includes blood for richness; here it is left out, and the broth is still full.

Cook the rice noodles for 2 minutes in boiling water and drain. Put a small bundle in each bowl, add the sliced beef, bean sprouts and morning glory, and ladle the hot broth over. Top with crispy garlic and coriander, and add chilli, vinegar and sugar to taste at the table.

The Method for Thai Boat Noodles

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Put the beef and water in a large pan. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then add the galangal, lemongrass, coriander roots, cinnamon, star anise and cloves. Simmer gently for 2 hours.
Lift out the beef and slice thinly. Strain the broth and return to the pan with the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and soybean paste. Simmer for 10 minutes and taste.
Fry the garlic in the oil over a medium heat for 2 minutes until golden. Drain.
Cook the noodles in boiling water for 2 minutes, adding the bean sprouts and morning glory for the last 30 seconds. Drain and divide between 6 bowls.
Top with the sliced beef, ladle over the hot broth and finish with the garlic, coriander and chillies.

A Few Pointers

Skim the broth in the first 20 minutes.
Serve in small bowls and refill, as the Thai stalls do.
Add a splash of vinegar and a pinch of sugar at the table.

If You're Missing Something

Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the red chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

What to Serve With It

Pork crackling · Chilli vinegar · Fish sauce with chillies · Iced Thai tea

Leftovers and Storage

The broth keeps in the fridge for 3 days and freezes for up to 3 months. Cook fresh noodles each time.