Thai · soup

Boat Noodles (Kuay Teow Rua)

Name: Boat Noodles (Kuay Teow Rua)
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 1 lb pork, sliced; 1/2 cup pork blood; 8 oz rice noodles; 8 oz pork balls; 1 tsp five spice; 3 tbsp dark soy sauce; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 6 cloves garlic; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 star anise; 2 cups bean sprouts; 2 cups morning glory; 2 tbsp fried garlic; 1 tsp dried chili flakes

Boat Noodles (Kuay Teow Rua) reads umami 7.3, funk & ferment 5.9 and salinity 5.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Thai soup, about 1 hr 30 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 8.9 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 1.5 / 10
Sour & Bright — 1.0 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.3 / 10
Rich & Fat — 4.2 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 5.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.3 · Funk & Ferment 5.9 · Salinity 5.9 · Warm Spice 4.9 · Allium 4.8 · Marine & Briny 4.6 · Richness 4.0 · Heat 2.3 · Herbaceous 1.7 · Sweetness 1.4 · Earthy 1.2 · Floral 1.1 · Bitterness 0.9 · Sourness 0.9 · Nutty 0.7

What's in it (14)

1 lb pork, sliced
1/2 cup pork blood
8 oz rice noodles
8 oz pork balls
1 tsp five spice
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp fish sauce
6 cloves garlic
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
2 cups bean sprouts
2 cups morning glory
2 tbsp fried garlic
1 tsp dried chili flakes

Time & effort: about 1 hr 30 min (30 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 148.7 kcal, 7.8 g protein, 7.4 g fat, 14.5 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (4 steps)

Simmer a dark, spiced broth with pork or beef, five spice, cinnamon, star anise, and blood for depth.
Cook noodles separately and place in small bowls.
Ladle hot broth and meat over noodles and top with bean sprouts, morning glory, meatballs, and crispy fried garlic.
Season each bowl with fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, and chili to taste.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Yukgaejang (Spicy Shredded Beef Soup with Fern and Sprouts) — Korean
Vietnamese Beef Stew — Vietnamese
Bossam (Boiled Pork Belly with Radish Salad and Oysters) — Korean
Lumpia Semarang (Semarang Spring Rolls) — Indonesian
Nam Prik Ong — Thai

Keep reading: what umami, funk & ferment, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.