Welcome back everyone! So I haven't posted a recipe since around Christmas, and I apologize. A series isn't really a series if you quit after three posts right? In my defense, I came down with the flu right around the New Year, and it's been a rocky month ever since.

DC's had a sudden week of warm weather lately, but today temperatures dropped back to freezing. I couldn't think of a better time to feature a recipe for my favorite soup than right now.

This simple soup is basically the Vietnamese equivalent of chicken noodle soup. In fact, you can substitute chicken for the pork ribs if you'd like, but this is the version that my dad would make for me whenever I was sick. He would use spare ribs, but boneless country style ribs also work.

Vietnamese people take great pride in how clear their broth comes out. A soup can be delicious, but it's nothing if it has a muddy broth. Par boiling your ribs is an essential step to achieve this. Remember to put it in a pot and barely submerge it in water. Add a little salt and boil just until all the impurities are drawn out. Don't skip this step! After you rinse the meat off and add it to a fresh pot of water, you'll get a crystal clear broth that any Vietnamese grandma would be proud of.

After I took these pretty pictures, I stored the noodles and the broth in separate tupperware containers. I live by myself, so it'll take me a while to finish off this whole pot, and storing everything separately will prevent the noodles from continuing to absorb the broth and getting mushy.

With a few ingredients and about an hour of your time, you'll have an amazingly hearty soup that will quickly become a go-to. Chicken soup doesn't have anything on Vietnamese pork and noodle soup!

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Nui nước nấu sườn (Vietnamese pork and noodle soup)

by Suzanne Nuyen January-30-2018

Ingredients

1 lb, cut into cubes pork spare ribs
1 cup, dry elbow macaroni
3, diced carrots
2 cloves garlic
1 small shallot
2 tbsp fish sauce
to taste salt and pepper
to taste scallions
to taste cilantro (optional)

Instructions

1. Add spare ribs to a pot and add water to barely submerge. Add a good amount of salt and boil just until the impurities are drawn out. 2. In a separate pot, boil macaroni according to package instructions and drain 3. Remove ribs and rinse off, add back to pot with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. 4. Add carrots and simmer for another 20 minutes or until carrots and ribs are soft5. Add fish sauce, garlic, shallots, and salt and pepper to taste6. Add cooked macaroni and garnish with scallions and cilanto

Details

Prep time: 15 hour Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 6-8 servings

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The Return of Taste of Home Tuesdays: Nui nước nấu sườn