Gio Mak Phet - Spicy Chilli, Shallot and Garlic Oil for Noodle Soups

Ponpailin 'Noi' Kaewduangdee · A Child of the Rice Fields

Pho is a renowned Vietnamese dish of rice noodles in a light beef stock that is popular all over Laos. Often it is served with a combination of thinly sliced raw beef that is allowed to cook until medium-rare in the piping hot broth, and beef meatballs or Luk Sin Ngua. In Laos, unless you are eating in a Vietnamese-run noodle shop, the soup will not be seasoned as you would find in Vietnam. The stock itself is often made using pork rather than beef bones, and there’ll be no cinnamon, star anise or black cardamom used in the stock. Meat offerings will include chicken, pork and offal, and meatballs. I have never been a fan of the bland and rubbery meatballs, Luk Sin, that are used in noodle shops, so my pho recipe is for a simple, clean-tasting pork soup with homemade pork balls. They are quick and easy to make. The addition of a small amount of smoked bacon takes these meatballs to another level. You can pinch nutmeg-sized pieces off the mixture, give them a light squeeze to bind the m