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Banh Canh is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup made with thick noodles (banh canh noodles) in a pork broth served with sliced pork, sausage, fish cake and fresh herbs. It's an incredible soup to have on a cool winter day!

a bowl of noodle soup with sliced meat, shrimp and fresh cilantro

I am just head over heels in love with all Vietnamese soups. This homemade Bun Bo Hue was just one of my favorite things ever, so I just had to keep it going with this Banh Canh.

But we can't forget about the infamous Instant Pot Pho, or this delicious Chicken Pho either! Those are the OG Vietnamese soups on Went Here 8 This.

The thick noodles and rich pork broth in this soup really won me over. Pair that with tender slices of pork, some sliced fish cake (loooove me some fish cake), marinated shrimp and fresh herbs and I am just drooling over the bowl.

And while this is typically not a spicy soup, I like to drizzle a touch of spicy chili oil or Sriracha over mine 🙂

And if you like this, you'll probably also love this tom yum noodle soup and this classic pho tai!

Jump to:

What is Banh Canh?
Ingredients
Step By Step Instructions
Expert Tips
Recipe
💬 Comments

noodles in a bowl with fried garlic, sliced meat and shrimp

What is Banh Canh?

Banh Canh is a thick Vietnamese noodle typically made with tapioca flour for it's starchiness. The noodles can be difficult to find here in the US, so we substitute udon as it's the closest in texture.

This soup is a homemade pork broth with tender slices of pork, the thick banh canh noodles and other optional add ins like Vietnamese pork sausage, fish cake, shrimp, or really whatever you'd like!

However, the soup comes in many different forms - you can make it with crab (banh canh cua), shrimp and coconut milk, a lighter, a less starchy version, among many others depending on your preference.

It's the ultimate Vietnamese comfort food and there are a ton of different versions out there as it differs among households!

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Ingredients

The full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

I find that meaty pork bones work the best as they add the most flavor and you can use the tender meat in the soup when it's done simmering!

Pork shoulder is also a must as it stay nice and tender due to the extra fat it has.

Banh Canh noodles are a thick noodle made from tapioca flour. Because they are difficult to find, we use udon noodles as a substitute.

The pork bouillon adds a bit of extra porkiness and an umami flavor to the broth. Any kind works just fine.

As always, I highly recommend Red Boat 40 fish sauce as I believe it has the best flavor as it is made only with salt and anchovies - no other additives.

Vietnamese sausage (Chả lụa or giò lụa) is popular in many Vietnamese dishes. It is a sausage made from pork and spices and steamed in banana leaves.

Fish cake is optional, but I personally love it. You can find fried fish cake in the refrigerated section at the Asian market. You can also use fake crab - I've used this in a pinch and it's yummy!

Fresh herbs, fried garlic and/or shallots, chili oil and/or bean sprouts are all great accompaniments to this banh canh!

noodles soup in a bowl with chopsticks garnished with fresh herbs, sliced pork and shrimp

Step By Step Instructions

Add the pork bones and pork shoulder to a large pot and cover them with water. Boil for 5 minutes then drain and rinse the bones thoroughly.

Add the pork back into the pot with the chopped onion and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours.

**Skim any foam off the top periodically while the broth simmers.

chopped onions and pork bones in a pot covered with water

While the pork broth is cooking, marinade the shrimp in the coconut sugar and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce for 1 hour. Drain.

a bowl of raw shrimp with brown sugar on top

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the shrimp. Cook until barely pink on each side, about 30-60 seconds. Set aside.

Remove the broth from heat and strain it, reserving the pork shoulder and bones.

Add the pork bouillon, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, salt and pepper to the broth and heat to simmer. Add additional salt (or pork bouillon) to taste if necessary.

Slice the pork shoulder and remove any meat from the pork bones to serve in the soup.

Cook the noodles according to the package instructions and drain. Divide among the bowls.

Add slices of pork meat, Vietnamese pork sausage, fish cake and shrimp. Pour the broth over the top. Garnish with chopped cilantro and fried garlic.

a bowl of noodles soup with chopsticks - sliced pork, shrimp and fresh green herbs

Expert Tips

Rinse the pork bones well to make sure you get any congealed blood off so your broth is nice and clear.
If there is meat on the pork bones when done cooking, I like to take it off and add it to my soup.
For an extra thick broth, you can cook the noodles right in the broth.
The soup is typically not spicy, but feel free to add sriracha or chili sauce for some added spice.
Adjust the salt in the broth to taste before serving.
Omit the sausage, fish, and/or shrimp if desired.
Garnish with anything you prefer - fried shallots, herbs, garlic, bean sprouts, chili oil, etc.