When I was a kid, I was convinced my mom was some kind of culinary genius who invented recipes all the time. She would open the fridge, glance at whatever was inside, and somehow a delicious dinner would always appear on the table for my siblings and me like she was on Chopped. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized my mom wasn’t casually inventing dishes for fun. She was just turning whatever she carried home from the food bank and whatever happened to be on sale that week into meals that could fill our whole family. What I remembered as magic was really resourcefulness, love, and a deep talent for turning humble ingredients into something that tasted like pure comfort, and that’s something that has really transformed my own love for food and cooking. One dish she often made was sup nui tom, or Vietnamese shrimp macaroni soup.
Think of it as the shrimp version of the classic Vietnamese macaroni soup you might already know as sup nui ga (the chicken version) or sup nui heo (the pork version). This soup features a light and clean pork broth that tastes gentle and almost restorative, ladled over tender American pasta noodles (stick with me here), topped with juicy, seasoned shrimp, and paired with all the herbs and veggies you might find in a typical bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup. It’s not only delicious, but also nourishing and warming from the inside out. As the weather gets colder and fall settles in, this is exactly the bowl that commonly finds a spot in my weekday rotation, and once you taste it, I hope you find the same comfort in it as I do.
Pork bones (neck, knuckle, and marrow). I know it might be a little confusing since this is a shrimp soup, but this trio of pork bones is the soup’s base. Neck bones bring meaty flavor, knuckles bring body and a silky mouthfeel from natural gelatin, and marrow bones bring richness. You can find these bones at your local Asian grocery store, and your butcher might have some in the back if you ask. If you can’t find these three, any type of pork bones, like spare ribs, will still be fine.
Dried shrimp. This is the secret for many great Vietnamese broths. Dried shrimp melts into the background and adds a savory, gently sweet depth of the sea that you cannot get any other way. I like buying mine online from Kho Market, as they’re the best quality dried shrimp I’ve ever used. My friends at Kho Market were also kind enough to offer my readers a 10% discount; just use my code “FEEDTHEPUDGE” at checkout.
Dried pasta noodles. Yes, everyday American pasta. Vietnamese folks typically make this soup with a Vietnamese version of pasta made with rice flour, but whatever you have on hand or is on sale is perfect. That humble swap is exactly what makes this dish so nostalgic and so comforting. Elbow macaroni, shells, or fusilli all work wonderfully.
Peel the yellow onion and cut it in half. Peel the carrots and daikon and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Using a sharp knife, finely slice the white onion and chop the green onions and cilantro, then set your garnishes aside. Next, soak the dried shrimp in room-temperature water for 5 to 10 minutes, then drain.
Place the pork bones in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for five to ten minutes, then drain, rinse the bones under cold water, and scrub them clean. Wash the pot too! This will keep the broth light and clean.
Fill the clean pot with fresh water and bring it to a boil. Add the pork bones, rehydrated dried shrimp, onion, carrots, and daikon. Simmer covered on low for two hours, skimming as needed to keep the broth clear. After two hours, remove the aromatics so they do not dissolve into the soup. Reserve the carrots and daikon to serve in the bowl if you like. Keep the bones in the pot and simmer for another two hours to pull out every bit of flavor.
Remove the bones. Season the broth with Dear Mam Fish Sauce and MSG, then hold it at a low simmer. Taste as you go and trust your own palate. The broth should taste light, savory, and just slightly sweet from the vegetables.
Heat a splash of annatto seed oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the peeled, deveined shrimp in a single layer and sear for one to two minutes. Season with salt, white pepper, and MSG, toss, and cook for one more minute until the shrimp are just shy of done. Pull them off the heat and let the residual warmth finish them, then set aside until you’re ready to serve.
Bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain and toss the noodles with a small splash of oil to keep them from sticking together. Always cook your noodles separately from the broth.
Add a generous scoop of pasta to each bowl. Ladle the hot broth over the top, and add some of the reserved carrot and daikon if you saved them. Top each bowl with a pile of the seared shrimp. Garnish with the sliced white onion, chopped green onion, fresh cilantro, fried shallots, and a few cracks of black pepper. Serve immediately and enjoy!
What does sup nui tom mean?
In Vietnamese, sup means soup, nui means short pasta or macaroni, and tom means shrimp. So sup nui tom translates roughly to shrimp macaroni soup. Swap the protein for sup nui ga with chicken or sup nui heo with pork.
What kind of pasta is best for sup nui?
Any short pasta shines here. Elbow macaroni is the nostalgic favorite, but shells, fusilli, and even alphabet pasta work if that’s what you have. Use whatever pasta you want!
Why is my broth cloudy?
Cloudy broth almost always comes from skipping the blanch or from boiling too hard. Blanch and scrub your bones first, then keep the pot at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil. Boiling the pork bones instead of simmering pulls out too much marrow and collagen, resulting in a cloudy or milky broth.
Can I make the broth ahead of time?
Yes, and it actually tastes even better the next day. Make the broth up to three days ahead, store it in the fridge, then reheat it and add fresh noodles and shrimp when you are ready to serve.
This post is part of a collaboration with The Asian American Foundation (TAAF). All opinions…
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