Phu Yen Style Squid Noodle Soup: Clear Broth, Crispy Squid Recipe

How to cook squid noodle soup (Bun Muc) may seem simple, but achieving the rich, sweet, clear flavor and perfectly chewy squid texture typical of the sea requires quite refined technique. In this article, Ola Squid will share all the secrets from choosing ingredients, preparing them, to cooking the broth and presenting the dish to achieve the standard flavor, without any fishiness, cloudiness, and with a distinctive squid aroma. Let’s explore and make a delicious bowl of squid noodle soup right at home.

Preparing ingredients for authentic squid noodle soup

Essential ingredients (squid, bones, noodles)

To get a bowl of squid noodle soup with a harmonious natural sweetness, the main ingredients play a decisive role. In the Central region of Vietnam, especially Phu Yen, the cradle of squid noodle soup, people prefer to use rice squid or baby squid because of their crispiness, sweetness, and aroma compared to larger squid. When cooking, rice squid gives a rich flavor and evokes the scent of the sea, creating the soul of the dish.

Besides squid, pork bones or chicken bones are standard choices for simmering a clear and naturally sweet broth. Noodles should be fresh, white, and small or medium-sized to quickly absorb the broth. In each bowl of noodle soup, the combination of clear broth, fresh squid, and soft noodles creates a harmonious whole.

Spices and accompanying vegetables

A standard bowl of Phu Yen squid noodle soup cannot be without the duo of tomatoes and pineapple to create a light red color and a naturally sour taste. This is a characteristic of Phu Yen people: they don’t sauté the tomatoes beforehand but add them directly to the boiling water to preserve the color and mild flavor.

Important spices:

• Shallots, garlic, fresh chili, scallions, cilantro.
• Basic spices: fish sauce, salt, rock sugar, pepper, seasoning powder.

Accompanying vegetables should include: lettuce, herbs, bean sprouts, especially chili peppers, a component that creates the true spirit of Central Vietnamese squid noodle soup: slightly spicy but exhilarating.

How to choose fresh squid and other ingredients

To achieve high-quality squid noodle soup, the first step is to choose fresh squid correctly. Observe that the squid skin must be bright, with the membrane intact, the eyes clear, the flesh firm, and no sticky discharge. The fresher the squid, the clearer and sweeter the broth will be.

Tomatoes should be chosen ripe, with few seeds, to give a bright red color when cooked. Pineapple should be chosen evenly yellow, with a distinctive aroma but not soft to keep a slight crunch when cooked.

Bones for simmering should be marrow bones or old chicken bones to make the broth sweet without being too fatty.

Detailed preparation of ingredients for squid noodle soup

How to clean squid and remove fishiness

To keep the squid crunchy, sweet, and without fishiness, the preparation process is crucial.

• When you buy it, gently remove the squid’s mantle and carefully take out the ink sac to avoid breaking it and causing bitterness.
• Wash the squid with lightly salted water or use crushed ginger + white wine to completely remove the fishy smell.

An important tip: do not squeeze the squid too hard when washing, as this will make the squid soft and lose its sweetness. For small rice squid, it is best to leave it whole so that the squid eggs (if any) contribute to a naturally mild fatty flavor when cooking.

Preparing bones, tomatoes, and accompanying vegetables

• Pork or chicken bones should be quickly blanched in boiling water for 2-3 minutes to remove impurities, then rinsed with cold water. This is a key step to keep the broth clear.
• Tomatoes wash and cut into wedges.
• Pineapple peel and remove the eyes, cut into slices. Shallots peel and thinly slice to fragrant.
• Wash all the fresh vegetables many times and soak in salt water to ensure safety.

Instructions on how to cook delicious and authentic squid noodle soup at home

Step 1: Simmer bones and cook the broth

To have a sweet and clear broth, you need to simmer the bones for at least 40-60 minutes. Initially, add the lightly fried shallots to the pot, pour in the bone broth or filtered water depending on the time. When the water boils, skim off the foam to keep it clear.

When the broth reaches the desired sweetness, add tomatoes and pineapple and continue cooking. This is a special point in how to cook Phu Yen squid noodle soup: do not sauté the tomatoes but add them directly to the boiling water to preserve the beautiful color and refreshing flavor.

Step 2: Stir-fry squid and prepare toppings

Squid can be stir-fried briefly with shallots to enhance the aroma, or added directly to the boiling water depending on your style. The traditional Central Vietnamese way is to add the squid to the vigorously boiling broth. Squid cooks very quickly, in just 2-3 minutes, so adding it too early will make it tough and lose its crispness.

Additional toppings:

• Chopped scallions and cilantro.
• Sliced fresh chili peppers to increase the natural spiciness.

For those who like a bolder flavor, you can prepare a small bowl of pure fish sauce with chili, the soul of authentic squid noodle soup.

Step 3: Blanch noodles, arrange and present the dish

Fresh noodles only need to be blanched quickly in boiling water for 5-10 seconds, do not leave it too long as the noodles are easy to break. Put the noodles in a bowl, arrange the squid, tomatoes, and pineapple on top. Pour in the hot broth until the noodles are just submerged.

Sprinkle with scallions, ground pepper, a few slices of chili, and a little cilantro to complete the noodle soup. The light red color of the tomatoes, the yellow of the pineapple, and the white of the squid body create a harmonious and attractive culinary picture.

See more:

• What are the best dishes to make with baby squid? 10 easy recipes to make at home

• What delicious soups can be made with squid? Top 11 easy-to-cook soups to relieve the heat every day

• What delicious dishes can be made with dried squid? Suggestions for easy, authentic recipes at home

Tips for making squid noodle soup taste authentic like a restaurant

Tips for cooking a clear, sweet broth

To get a clear broth, it is important to control the temperature. Do not let the water boil vigorously for too long; medium heat is ideal. Rock sugar is the ingredient that creates natural sweetness, not harsh like granulated sugar.

When adding tomatoes and pineapple, do not stir too much as it can easily make the water cloudy. Another tip: do not add too much pineapple as the sourness can overwhelm the squid flavor.

How to make squid chewy and not overcooked

To achieve the desired crispness, chewiness, and sweetness, remember the rule of “cooked to perfection”. Squid only needs to be cooked when the water is boiling and removed after 2-3 minutes. If you want the squid to be crispier, you can marinate it lightly with a little salt + pepper + ginger before cooking.

Do not leave the squid in the pot for too long after turning off the heat as the continuous heat will make the squid tough and lose its natural sweetness.

How to prepare the dipping sauce and choose the right accompanying vegetables

Authentic Phu Yen squid noodle soup cannot be without pure fish sauce + crushed chili peppers. The salty, spicy, and fragrant flavors blend together to enhance the flavor.

Accompanying vegetables should lean towards freshness and coolness:

• Bean sprouts
• Lettuce
• Basil, cilantro, perilla leaves. These vegetables help balance the noodle soup, reduce fishiness, and enhance the distinctive flavor.

With the detailed instructions, small tips, and experience from Ola Squid, we hope you can confidently make Phu Yen squid noodle soup right at home, quickly and authentically like a restaurant. Wish you success and have fulfilling meals with your family.

If you are looking for cheap dried squid of high quality to make delicious squid dishes, you can refer to Ola Squid, which specializes in providing standard-quality, high-quality dried squid.