Kway Teow Noodle Soup (Chaozhou Pho)

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Kway Teow Noodle Soup (Chaozhou Pho)
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Kway Teow Noodle Soup (Chaozhou Pho)

Recipe by chaozhousistersCuisine: Chinese, Chaozhou, Chiuchow, TeochewDifficulty: Easy
Servings

2

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes

Many are familiar with the vietnamnese dish "Pho"which is quite similar to the "Kway Teow Soup" we eat in Chaozhou. This is because the Teochew people who used to live in the Chaoshan region moved to many places like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, and Indonesia; thus there are many similarities in our cuisines.

Grocery Shopping Tips
Picking the freshest and best of the best ingredients is important to making a delicious meal. Chaozhou people are all about the freshness of their ingredients. The beef that we use for our beef hotpot is usually killed only 2 hours before serving!! Ya, we are pretty serious about that freshness!

For Kway Teow Noodle Soup, there are also a few things you need to look out for when buying your ingredients.

Beef

When it's down to a time crunch, we usually use hotpot sliced meat to go along with the Kway Teow Noodle Soup. However, when you have a little more time and want to make it the authentic way, you can get a nice cut of beef and slice it thin to create the perfect tender beef for topping off your Kway Teow Noodle Soup.

When we are feeling fancy, we grab a "Beef Ribeye" for the meat in the Kway Teow Noodle Soup. You would want to have a nice deep colour in your beef with good marbleization. With a nice cut of meat, even if you screw up slicing it, it will compensate and still have a nice tender texture.

Remember to always slice the meat as thin as possible so you don't have to cook it for too long. This will make sure that it comes out tender. As well, remember to slice against the grain of the meat.

Hu Tien Noodle (Rice Noodle)

When you are picking the hu tien or rice noodles, try to pick the ones that are the most tender and bouncy. These rice noodles don't last for a very long time at all and when left out for a long time, they tend to get stiff. So picking the softer package usually means selecting the fresher noodles and this also makes nice chewy and elastic noodles.

Ingredients

  • 2 portions of fresh hu tien or flat rice noodles

  • 2 portions of thinly sliced beef (can replace with pork or lamb)

  • 2 portions of beef meatball

  • 1 small green leaf lettuce (can replace with taiwanese cabbage) (washed and cut to large chunks)

  • 1 stem of coriander (optional)

Directions

  • Using two medium size pots, fill the pots to 1/4 full and put on high to bring to a boil.
  • Once boiled, in one pot put in the meatballs and again let it bring to a boil. Meat is what gives the soup base its rich flavour. Meatballs usually have strong flavours in them so they can be boiled for a while.
  • At the same time, you can put the rice noodles into the other pot of water. Stir the noodles to separate them and ensure they do not clump together. Beware to only cook the noodles till they are just tender and do not overcook as the noodles will turn mushy. Usually this is 30 seconds after the water starts to boil. Once cooked, pour into a strainer to remove the water and then portion the noodles into your bowls.
  • By now the pot with the meatballs should have been boiling for around 5 minutes. Next, we will add the hot pot meat to the pot to further enhance the flavour of the soup. However, you do not want to overcook the meat, which is tricky as it is only the difference of seconds that cause it to be overcooked. To prevent this, put your meat on a strainer ladle and cook the meat in the soup. Remove the meat the second you see no more red/raw parts. Portion the meat into your bowls on top of the noodles.
  • Leveraging the flavour of the soup, we will cook the cabbage next. Again, do not overcook the cabbage as this will ruin the flavour of your soup and give it an earth flavour. Put in the cabbage and submerge it in the soup. Once the water boils, cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the cabbage appears translucent; then remove the cabbage with a ladle and portion to your bowls.
  • Lastly, remove the meatballs and portion to your bowls. Pour the soup into each bowl.
  • Sprinkle some freshly chopped coriander to add some colour and refreshing flavour to the dish. This is optional.