Very Authentic Mì Quảng | Vietnamese Turmeric Noodles

Name: Very Authentic Mì Quảng | Vietnamese Turmeric Noodles
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 1.5 pound chicken thighs; 1 tbsp chicken powder; 2 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tbsp sugar; 8 boiled quail eggs; 2 tbsp annatto oil; 4 cup water; 4 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tbsp chicken powder; ½ tbsp sugar; 8 shrimps; 1 tbsp fish sauce; ½ tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp annatto oil; 3 tbsp minced shallots; 1.5 tbsp minced garlic; 5 tbsp minced Vietnamese pearl onions (Củ Nén); 2 thumb-sized pieces turmeric root; Extra-virgin peanut oil; 1 package Mì Quảng Noodles; Vegetables (salads, baby mustard greens, bean sprouts, shredded banana blossoms); Herbs (mint, lemon basil, perilla, Thai basil...); Sesame crackers; roasted peanuts; lime; chili

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5.0

6 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Servings
4 people
Course
Main Course, Dinner
Cuisine
Vietnamese

Very Authentic Mì Quảng | Vietnamese Turmeric Noodles

Gael Pickett

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Mì Quảng (Vietnamese Turmeric Noodle Soup) is a must-try dish when you visit the ancient town of Hội An or Đà Nẵng city. It's not difficult to make at home, and I'll show you how to cook it.

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Ingredients

Servings

Chicken Marinade & Broth

1.5 pound chicken thighs (700g) (see note 1)
1 tbsp chicken powder
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
8 boiled quail eggs (optional)
2 tbsp annatto oil (or 2 tbsp cooking oil + 1 tsp paprika)
4 cup water (1 liter) (see note 2)
4 tbsp fish sauce (for the broth) (to your taste)
1 tbsp chicken powder (for the broth) (to your taste)
½ tbsp sugar (for the broth) (to your taste)

Shrimp Marinade

8 shrimps (with head and shells on) (see note 3)
1 tbsp fish sauce
½ tbsp sugar
1 tbsp annatto oil (or 1 tbsp cooking oil + 1/2 tsp paprika)

Aromatics

3 tbsp minced shallots
1.5 tbsp minced garlic
5 tbsp minced Vietnamese pearl onions (Củ Nén) (or regular pearl onions / onions) (see note 4)
2 thumb-sized pieces turmeric root (or 1 tsp turmeric powder)

Other ingredients

Extra-virgin peanut oil (or cooking oil) (see note 5)
1 package Mì Quảng Noodles (see note 6)
Vegetables (salads, baby mustard greens, bean sprouts, shredded banana blossoms)
Herbs (mint, lemon basil, perilla, Thai basil...)
Sesame crackers
roasted peanuts
lime
chili (optional)

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Instructions

Marinating

Finely chop (or crush) the garlic, pearl onions, shallots, and turmeric together.
Marinate the chicken with fish sauce, chicken powder, sugar, 1/3 the aromatics, and annatto oil. Mix well and let it marinate for 30 minutes.
Peel and devein the shrimps (if your shrimps are small with thin, soft shells, this step may not be necessary). Combine the shrimps with 1/3 the aromatics, fish sauce, sugar, and annatto oil. Mix well and allow it to marinate for 30 minutes.

Cooking

Heat some peanut oil in a sauté pan and stir-fry the remaining aromatics until fragrant. Then, add the chicken along with its marinade. If you like boiled quail eggs, you can add them at this point.
Adjust the seasoning with more fish sauce and stir-fry over medium-high heat until the chicken and quail eggs have absorbed the flavors.
Pour in water and let it simmer over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. Adjust the seasoning by adding more fish sauce and chicken powder as needed. Mì Quảng is traditionally served with a moderate amount of broth, so the broth should be saltier than your preferred taste.
In another saucepan, heat some peanut oil and add the shrimps. Cook the shrimps over medium-low heat with the lid closed, stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking. The shrimps are done when most of the liquid has evaporated, leaving only a small amount of sauce.

Assemble

Prepare the flat rice noodles according to the instructions on the package, then rinse and drain them thoroughly.
Arrange the noodles in a bowl and layer them with vegetables and herbs. Add the chicken and shrimps, then pour the chicken broth over the noodles.
Top the bowl with roasted peanuts and cracked sesame crackers, and optionally, squeeze some lime juice over it. Mix everything together and enjoy.
For those who like spicy flavors, add some chili. Authentic Mì Quảng is often served with Hoi An chili sauce and local green chilies.

Notes

Chicken thighs are more friendly to the Western palate, but in Vietnam, we typically use a broken-up whole chicken to cook Mì Quảng. You could also use drumsticks.
You could use chicken broth instead of water to shorten the cooking time.
In Vietnam, we use shrimps with heads and shells on, but you could remove them before cooking.
Củ Nén are the local pearl onions used to make authentic Mì Quảng. They can be substituted with pearl onions or even regular white onions.
Extra-virgin peanut oil is also an essential ingredient for cooking authentic Mì Quảng, but you can adapt with neutral cooking oil.
The flat wide rice noodles for Mì Quảng in Vietnam can be either white or yellow. Therefore, feel free to use rice noodles for Phở or Pad Thai as substitutes. As a last resort, you could use Ho Fun, which is thinner and more delicate.
Chicken thighs are more friendly to the Western palate, but in Vietnam, we typically use a broken-up whole chicken to cook Mì Quảng. You could also use drumsticks.
You could use chicken broth instead of water to shorten the cooking time.
In Vietnam, we use shrimps with heads and shells on, but you could remove them before cooking.
Củ Nén are the local pearl onions used to make authentic Mì Quảng. They can be substituted with pearl onions or even regular white onions.
Extra-virgin peanut oil is also an essential ingredient for cooking authentic Mì Quảng, but you can adapt with neutral cooking oil.
The flat wide rice noodles for Mì Quảng in Vietnam can be either white or yellow. Therefore, feel free to use rice noodles for Phở or Pad Thai as substitutes. As a last resort, you could use Ho Fun, which is thinner and more delicate.