Destination
Koh Samui
The story
Guay teow neua is Bangkok's most-eaten beef noodle soup — a clearer, lighter, more approachable cousin to the fierce dark boat noodle: clear beef broth simmered for hours with star anise, cinnamon, garlic and coriander root, poured over rice noodles topped with thin slices of slow-braised beef shin, beef meatballs (loog chin), blanched bean sprouts, spring onions and a heavy scatter of fresh coriander. Diners season their own bowls at the table with fish sauce, white sugar, chili powder and vinegar from four small pots on every noodle-shop table (this is called "nam prik phrom sii" — "the four seasonings"). Sold at every Bangkok noodle shop; Wattana Panich near Ekkamai has been simmering the same master beef broth for over 40 years and is one of the country's most-visited noodle addresses.
Method
Preheat oven to 220C. Toss beef bones with 2 tbsp oil. Roast 30 minutes until deep brown.
In a large pot, warm 1 tbsp oil. Char halved onion, garlic head, ginger 5 minutes. Add coriander roots and whole spices; toast 60 seconds.
Add roasted bones, beef shin and water. Bring to a boil, skim foam. Simmer 3 hours over low heat. Strain.
Return strained broth to a clean pot. Add fish sauce and salt. Adjust — should be gently savoury (most seasoning happens at the table).
Slice the braised beef shin thin against the grain. Reserve.
In a mortar (or food processor), pound the chopped beef with cornstarch, fish sauce, pepper, sugar, egg white and iced water for 5 minutes until it becomes a smooth, elastic paste. Shape into 3cm balls with wet hands. Drop into simmering broth; they'll rise to the surface when cooked (4 to 5 minutes).
Blanch fresh noodles 30 seconds. Divide between 6 bowls. Top with beef slices and 4 or 5 meatballs.
Ladle hot broth generously over. Top with bean sprouts, spring onion, coriander, fried garlic and Chinese celery. Serve with the four seasonings and lime wedges on the side. Eaters season their own bowls to taste.
Tips
- Roast the bones. Same as boat noodles — deep-roasted bones give you a dark rich broth.
- Meatballs pounded, not minced. The classical Thai bounce comes from pounding beef with cornstarch and iced water in a mortar. A food processor works if kept cold.
- Four seasonings on the table. Do not season the pot to full flavour — let eaters build their own bowl at the table. This is the Thai noodle-shop tradition.
- Sen lek or sen mee. Flat medium or thin rice vermicelli are the classical noodles. Fresh from an Asian grocer.
More recipes
View all
Fresh rice vermicelli in a tangy tomato-pork rib broth spiced with dried chili and Chinese black cardamom, topped with pig's blood cubes and beansprouts. Chiang Mai's Sunday-morning noodle.
Small bowls of rich dark noodle soup with beef or pork, offal, morning glory, pickled bean sprouts and pig's blood, sold at street counters where diners stack 6 to 12 bowls per meal.
Thai instant noodle brand Mama transformed into a proper meal: tom yum broth, minced pork, prawn, kaffir lime and a runny yolk fried egg. Thailand's midnight comfort food.
Egg noodles in a rich coconut-curry broth with braised chicken, topped with crispy fried noodles, pickled mustard greens, shallots and lime. Northern Thailand's iconic bowl.
Yellow noodles stir-fried Hokkien-style with prawns, squid, pork, kai lan and dark soy. Bangkok Chinatown's Chinese-Thai classic, tossed in a screaming wok.
Pork leg slow-braised in a five-spice soy-sugar broth until silky, sliced over jasmine rice with pickled mustard greens, a soy egg and coriander. Bangkok's Chinese-Thai comfort bowl.