Phnom Penh-Style Kuy Teav with Crispy Garlic

Method

1. Put the ribs in a 24 cm pot, cover with cold water, bring to the boil on high heat and blanch for 8 min. Drain, discard the water and rinse away any clots and impurities between the bones under running water.

   Add in this stepPork spare ribs (or pork bones) 700 g

   high heat

2. Halve the onion with its skin on and place it cut side down in a dry pan on medium-high heat for 6 min, until charred black in patches. Remove it, then toast the dried squid and dried shrimp in the same pan for 1 minute until fragrant. The charred sweetness and toasted seafood are what give the broth its depth.

   Add in this stepOnion 1Dried squid 15 gDried shrimp 25 g

   medium-high heat

3. In a clean 24 cm pot, combine the bones, water, daikon in large chunks, charred onion, toasted squid and shrimp, and rock sugar. Bring to the boil on high heat, then immediately turn down to low heat so the surface barely trembles, and cook for 1 h 30 min, skimming foam and fat every 15 minutes. During the last 30 minutes, soak the rice noodles in lukewarm water.

   Add in this stepWater 2,000 mlDaikon radish 250 gRock sugar 2 tspDried thin flat rice noodles 140 g

   high heat→low heat

4. Chop the garlic very finely, put it in a small pan with the cold oil and fry on medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 5 min. As soon as it turns pale gold, pour it through a fine sieve; spread the garlic chips on kitchen paper and keep the oil. The chips crisp up as they cool.

   Add in this stepGarlic cloves 7Neutral oil 4 tbsp

   medium-low heat

5. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into another pot and season with the fish sauce and salt. Slice the pork shoulder thinly, 2 mm, across the grain. Keep the broth at medium-low heat, add the sliced pork and small pinches of minced pork and cook for 2 min, then add the prawns for 2 min and lift everything out. Boiling hard toughens the meat, so poach it gently.

   Add in this stepFish sauce 2½ tbspSalt ¾ tspPork shoulder (in one piece) 100 gMinced pork 100 gRaw peeled prawns 6

   medium-low heat

6. Bring 2 L of water to a rolling boil in another pot on high heat, put one portion of soaked noodles at a time in a sieve, dip for 1 min, shake dry and put in a bowl.

   high heat

7. Toss the noodles with 1 tsp garlic oil, top with the pork, prawns and rib meat and ladle over the boiling broth. Finish with the garlic chips, spring onion, coriander, garlic chives cut into 2 cm lengths and white pepper, and serve with bean sprouts, lime, chilli and hoisin.

   Add in this stepBean sprouts 80 gSpring onions 2Coriander (cilantro) 10 gGarlic chives 10 gLime 1White pepper ½ tspHoisin sauce 2 tspFresh red chilli (to taste) to taste