History

Boat noodles emerged in the 1940s along Bangkok's khlong (canal) waterways, where vendors paddled small wooden sampans serving noodle bowls to commuters. The tiny portion size (one-third of a regular bowl) was so the broth would not spill in waves from passing boats. By the 1980s the canal vendors moved to land and clustered at Victory Monument's Soi Ranchanawi, where Boat Noodle Heaven and Boat Noodle Avenue still ladle the dark beef or pork broth at 15 to 40 baht per bowl, expecting four or five rounds.

Common allergens: Gluten (some toppings), Soy, Fish sauce, Pork

Make it at home

Yield 12Hands-on 45 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg pork bones, blanched
  • 500g pork belly or pork loin, in one piece
  • 3 litres cold water
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 5 star anise
  • 4 pandan leaves, knotted
  • 1 large daikon, peeled and cut in chunks
  • 8 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 100g coriander roots and stems, washed
  • 5 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 3 tbsp Thai rock sugar
  • 2 tbsp fermented red bean curd (nam yi)
  • 150ml pork blood (from a Thai or Asian butcher), optional but traditional
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped (for the blood)
  • 400g thin dried rice noodles (sen lek)
  • 300g pork meatballs (luk chin moo), halved
  • 100g pork liver, sliced thin
  • 200g morning glory or water spinach, cut into 5cm lengths
  • 200g beansprouts
  • Crispy pork rinds, fried garlic, coriander, chilli flakes, vinegar with chillies, white pepper, to serve

Method

  1. Blanch the pork bones in boiling water 5 minutes; drain and rinse. This gives a clear broth.
  2. Place the bones, pork belly, 3 litres water, cinnamon, star anise, pandan, daikon, garlic and coriander roots in a stockpot.
  3. Simmer gently for 2 hours, skimming the surface. Lift the pork belly out at 90 minutes, slice thin when cool.
  4. Strain the broth into a clean pot. Add the dark and light soy sauces, fish sauce, rock sugar and fermented bean curd. Simmer 10 minutes.
  5. Pound the lemongrass with the blood in a mortar until smooth, then mix in 3 tbsp of warm broth.
  6. Take the broth off the heat. Strain the blood mixture through a sieve into the broth, stirring as you pour. Do not boil after this; the broth must stay just below simmer or the blood seizes.
  7. Cook the noodles in boiling water 60 to 90 seconds. Drain and divide between 12 small bowls.
  8. Top each bowl with sliced pork belly, halved meatballs and slivers of liver.
  9. Blanch the morning glory and beansprouts briefly in the same noodle water, divide between bowls.
  10. Ladle the hot broth over each bowl. Serve with crispy pork rinds, fried garlic, coriander, vinegar with chillies, white pepper and chilli flakes on the side.

Tip from the editors. Tiny bowls are not a gimmick; they were sized so the broth would not slosh out when the canal boats hit a wake. Four bowls is a real meal.

Where to eat boat noodles (kuay teow ruea)

Boat Noodles (Kuay Teow Ruea) in Bangkok

Guay Jub Mr Joe ★ 4.3

Street food฿Daily 18:00-02:00Cash only

Guay Jub Mr Joe in Bangkok's Yaowarat is the late-night kuay jab cart at the corner of Soi 11, peppery pork-offal broth and rolled rice noodles cooked.

Try: Rolled rice noodles in pork-offal broth (kuay jab)

Tip: Cash only. Stall is on the kerb; eat at the plastic stools opposite. Order with extra crispy pork belly.

Soi Yaowarat 11, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100

Nai Ek Roll Noodles ★ 4.6

Chinese฿฿Until 00:00Cash only

Nai Ek in Bangkok's Yaowarat has cooked rolled-rice-noodle kuay jab in peppery pork-offal broth until midnight since 1960, the late-night canonical Chinatown.

Try: Kuay jab Yaowarat in pork broth

Tip: Open 08:00 to midnight daily, cash only. Order with extra crispy pork belly; the pork offal bowl is also the local pick.

442 Soi Yaowarat 9, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100

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