Finally I am able to document and share my recipe for banh canh gio heo (Vietnamese udon noodle with pork hock soup) that is kids-approved.  Hope you and your little ones enjoy this soup as well.

• Prep time: 30 minutes
• Cook time: 1.5-2 hours
• Serving: about 10 large bowls/quarts
• Notes:  I used a 12-quart pot and a 6-quart Instant Pot
• Self reminders:  Use garlic powder and more daikon and shiitake mushrooms next time.

Ingredients:

• 4 lb pork hock
• 2 Tbsp white cooking wine
• 3 Tbsp pink Himalayan salt
• 2.5 Tbsp blue agave nectar
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 7 quarts water
• 2 large yellow onions
• 1 daikon (1.5 lb)
• 2 pieces ginger (85 grams)
• 8-12 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1/3 cup premium dried shrimp
• 2 packages of Vietnamese rice udon (banh canh)
• 1 package of rice macaroni (optional)

Serve with:

• scallion
• cilantro
• bean sprouts (optional)

Directions:

1.    Prep the ingredients: Rinse, soak, and strained the dried shrimp and shiitake mushrooms in hot water for about 15 minutes until soften.  Peel onions and ginger. Chop scallion and cilantro. Minced garlic if not using garlic powder. Peel and chop daikon. Baby Ethan loves eating daikon in soups.

2.  Rinse the pork hock. Marinate with the prepped seasonings for at least one hour.

3.  Cook the Vietnamese rice udon noodles or rice macaroni at this time. Heat the rice udon in the microwave for two minutes and then cook in boiling water for about 5 minutes with a little vegetable oil so it won’t stick together.  Rinse in cold water and strain in colander.

4.  Put the soaked and strained dried shrimp and shiitake mushrooms, daikon, onion, and ginger into the 12-quart pot.  Fill up with seven quarts of water.

5.  Cover the pot with lid and bring it to a boil on high heat.  This took about 30 minutes for the water to boil.  Meanwhile, sear the marinated pork hock in a deep pan and then transfer the pork hock into the soup pot. Cover the pot with lid.  Bring to a boil on high heat (#8 setting) and then low simmering heat (#4 setting) for an hour.

6.  Well, after 90 minutes, the daikon and onions are soft, but the pork hock wasn’t soft and tender as I was hoping it would be so I transfer the meat into my 6-quart Inspant Pot filled with the soup broth and cook with High Pressure for 5 minutes with a Quick Release. I then add the meat back into the stove top pot.  It’s perfect now.

7.  Serve the pork hock soup with rice udon (banh canh) or rice macaroni, chopped scallion, cilantro, and beansprouts.  A dash of fish sauce would enhance the flavor. Enjoy!

Banh canh soup broth is great for freezing. I transferred the pork hock soup into 5 quart- size containers to freeze and the rest into a 8-quart pot.

I’ll update this pictorial with pictures of my little ones eating and enjoying this soup later. =)

Flashback memories of my 2016 version: I serve the banh canh pork hock soup with fried fish balls and cha lua (Vietnamese pork sausage). My daughter loved it.  It was the day she wanted to try to help me wash the dishes too.