Mì Khô Xá Xíu (Vietnamese Dry Noodles with Char Xiu Pork)

Step 1

Add all ingredients into a pan. Heat on high until boiling, then lower to medium high and cook for ~15 minutes while flipping the pork every ~5 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low and continue rotating the pork every ~5 minutes so it cooks and abosrbs the seasoning evenly, until just about all the water has evaporated.

Step 2

Add all pork bones or pork ribs to a pot and fill with tap water until just covered. Add 2 Tbsp salt and bring to a boil on high heat. Once it hits a boil, let it boil for 30 seconds and then turn off the heat, and drain. Rinse under running water until clean and drain the water.

Step 3

Return the pot to the stove and add all the broth ingredients. Turn the heat to high until it hits a boil, then lower to around medium so it maintains a low boil. Cook until the meat or meat around the bones is soft--approximately 2 hours.

Step 4

Remove the lid, discard the onion and squid, then check the pork for doneness if using pork meat and not just bones.

Step 5

Cut the pork fat into 1/2" cubes and saute on medium high heat until crisp, drain and set aside.

Step 6

Add oil and shallot to a small sauce pan and saute on medium until fragrant. Add the remainint ingredients and bring to a boil on high. Taste, and adjust as needed, then remove from heat.

Step 7

Boil noodles according to package instructions, drain and split into 8 bowls. Assemble your bowl with accoutrement, sliced xa xiu, fried pork fat and add a bit of seasoning on top of each bowl. Serve with a small bowl of soup on the side.