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1
Simmer the Pork and Broth
25 Mins
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (203°F); pork to 63°C (145°F)
Put 400g of pork loin in a pot with 1.6 litres of cold water, bring to a gentle simmer and skim off any foam. Add 1g of black pepper and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pork reads 63°C (145°F) at the thickest part, then lift it out and rest it for 3 minutes.
A bare simmer keeps the broth clear — never let it boil hard.
Done when: The broth is clear and lightly savoury; the pork is juicy and reads 63°C (145°F).
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2
Slice the Pork and Season the Broth
5 Mins
Simmer, about 95°C (203°F)
Slice the rested pork thinly across the grain. Season the broth with 30ml of fish sauce and 12g of sugar, tasting as you go — it should be savoury first, with a faint sweetness behind it.
Slice thinly and across the grain so the pork stays tender in the bowl.
Done when: A spoonful of broth tastes balanced, not salty; the pork slices are even and pink.
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3
Blanch the Long Beans and Noodles
5 Mins
Rolling boil, 100°C (212°F)
Bring the broth to a rolling boil. Drop 100g of yardlong beans into the boiling broth for 1 minute, lift out and set aside. Then cook the soaked noodles in the same broth for 2 to 3 minutes until just tender, and drain well. While the noodles cook, heat 20ml of oil in a small pan and fry the minced garlic until golden, then set aside for the topping.
Cook the noodles in the broth, not in plain water — they pick up flavour as they cook.
Done when: The noodles are silky and springy, not mushy; the beans are bright green and crisp-tender.
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4
Toss the Noodles in Sauce
5 Mins
No heat — toss hot, about 80°C (175°F)
Divide the hot noodles between 4 bowls. Spoon over 15ml of fish sauce and 15ml of light soy sauce, then toss each bowl with chopsticks so every strand is coated in the savoury sauce.
Toss while the noodles are still steaming — cold noodles clump and will not take the sauce.
Done when: Every strand is glossy and evenly seasoned.
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5
Assemble the Bowls
5 Mins
Broth at a rolling boil, 100°C (212°F)
Top each bowl with sliced pork, blanched long beans and 150g of bean sprouts, then ladle over just enough boiling broth to moisten the noodles — about 150ml per bowl, not a full soup. Finish with fried garlic, spring onions, herbs, lime wedges and chilli flakes on the side.
Ladle lightly: khao mee is a tossed noodle bowl with a little clear broth, not a drowned soup — that is what sets it apart from khao poon’s coconut curry broth.
Done when: The bowl shows glossy noodles, pink pork, crisp sprouts and green herbs, with a shallow pool of clear broth.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve immediately with lime wedges, chilli flakes and the herb plate on the side, so each person seasons their own bowl. Fry the garlic in 20ml of oil until golden just before serving and spoon it over the top — it is the finishing touch that makes the bowl smell like a Vientiane morning market.
Laos
25m
