Cao Lau
intro
Iconic Hoi An specialty of chewy rice noodles, five-spice braised pork, fresh herbs, crisp greens, and light savory broth, topped with crunchy fried croutons.
Ingredients
Steps
Marinate the pork
Pat 300g boneless pork shoulder dry, cut into 2 equal 150g thick pieces. Combine in a glass bowl with 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon five-spice powder, half the minced garlic, and half the sliced shallot. Toss to coat evenly, cover, and refrigerate to marinate for 45 minutes.
Braise the marinated pork
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a small heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the remaining minced garlic and sliced shallot, sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove pork from the marinade, reserve all leftover marinade, then add pork to the pot and sear for 2 minutes per side until deep golden brown on all surfaces. Pour in reserved marinade and 200ml pork stock, bring to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 25 minutes until pork is tender when pierced with a fork. Remove pork, let rest 10 minutes, then slice into 5mm thick pieces.
Prepare the light broth
Pour the remaining 300ml pork stock into the same pot used for braising, add the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Stir over medium-low heat for 3 minutes until sugar fully dissolves, then keep broth at a bare simmer (do not boil rapidly) until ready to assemble bowls.
Blanch noodles and greens
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. First blanch 150g bean sprouts and 120g halved baby bok choy for 30 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon and drain well. Add 400g fresh Cao Lau noodles to the boiling water, cook for 45 seconds (do not overcook—noodles should remain chewy and springy, not mushy), then drain thoroughly and divide evenly between 4 serving bowls.
Layer bowl toppings
Top each bowl of drained noodles with equal portions of blanched bean sprouts and baby bok choy, fanned slices of rested braised pork, a small handful of mixed fresh herbs, and 15g of crispy fried Cao Lau noodle croutons per bowl.
Add broth and serve
Ladle 75ml of the hot simmered broth over each assembled bowl—note that Cao Lau is not a soupy noodle dish, so use only enough broth to moisten the noodles, not fully submerge them. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side for squeezing to taste.
Tips
2.Add the fried noodle croutons immediately before serving—if they sit in broth for too long, they will turn soggy and lose their signature crunchy texture.
3.Do not over-blanch the noodles: 45 seconds in boiling water is enough for fresh noodles, as they will continue to soften slightly from the heat of the broth when served.
OMG I had Cao Lau when I visited Hoi An 3 years ago and have been chasing that flavor ever since!!! This recipe is dead on, I made it for our weekly family dinner last Sunday and even my super picky teen went back for seconds. The char siu pork came out so juicy, and the herb combo is *chef’s kiss*. Total game changer for my weeknight rotation tbh.
Solid recipe! Took me a little longer than 1hr15 because I prepped all the herbs and pork the night before for meal prep, but the end result was SO good. Only knock is I wish there was a note about how salty the Cao Lau broth base is, I over-salted my first batch before tasting. Will definitely make again though, already planning to bring it to my office potluck next month.
I grow my own mint, Thai basil, and perilla in my backyard garden so this recipe was made for me!!! The crispy pork cracklin topping is addictive, I ate half of it straight off the baking sheet before I even assembled the bowls lmao. My partner said it’s better than the Cao Lau we got at our local Vietnamese spot in Seattle.
My kids loved it!!! I was worried the herbs would be too strong for my 7 and 9 year old, so I let them pick which ones to add to their bowls and they both crushed a full serving. The pork is sweet and savory enough that even without all the toppings it’s a hit. 10/10 will be making this at least once a month now.
Just got back from a 2 week trip to Vietnam last month and I can confirm this is the most authentic Cao Lau recipe I’ve tried making at home. Most recipes skip the specific noodle soak note and the little bit of five spice in the pork, but this nails it. I paid extra to ship the correct Cao Lau noodles from a specialty shop online and it was 100% worth every penny.
Taste was great, but this felt way harder than medium difficulty for me? I burned the first batch of pork because the heat was too high, and my noodles got mushy when I boiled them too long. Maybe I’m just a bad cook lmao, but I feel like a couple more troubleshooting tips would go a long way.
Brought this to our neighborhood block party potluck last weekend and people were begging me for the recipe before I even set the bowl down!!! I doubled the recipe to feed 12 people and it stretched perfectly, only thing I added was a little side of sriracha for folks who like extra heat. Will absolutely be making this for every summer gathering from now on.
Really solid noodle dish! I’m used to super brothy Vietnamese noodle soups so I was surprised by how little broth there is, but the flavor is so concentrated it totally works. I swapped the regular soy sauce for low-sodium because I’m watching my salt intake and it still came out super flavorful. Only reason it’s not 5 stars is I wish there was a little more veggie content, I added some sautéed bok choy on the side.
Just finished making this in my tiny studio apartment kitchen and it came out insane!!! I was worried I wouldn’t have enough counter space for all the herb platters and prep, but I just prepped each component one at a time and it worked out. The smell of the five spice pork cooking had my neighbor knocking on my door asking what I was making lmao.
Meal prepped this for my work lunches this week and it held up so much better than I thought it would! I kept the noodles, pork, herbs, and broth in separate containers and just assembled it each day when I was ready to eat. Even on day 4 the pork was still juicy and the herbs were fresh. Total meal prep win.
Flavor is 10/10, but I wish this had more of a kick! I added a whole chopped Thai bird chili to my bowl and it still felt like it was missing that heat level I love. Also, I couldn’t find perilla leaves anywhere near me so I used a little extra shiso and mint, which worked pretty well as a substitute.
Made this for my partner’s birthday dinner tonight because it’s his favorite dish from our trip to Hoi An, and he said it was better than the versions he had when we were traveling!!! I was so nervous I’d mess it up, but the step-by-step instructions were super easy to follow, even for someone like me who doesn’t cook pork that often. He already asked when we can make it again.
Made this in my dorm kitchen with a couple of my roommates and we all loved it! We had to split the cost of the ingredients because some of the herbs and specialty noodles were a little pricy on a college budget, but splitting it between 4 of us made it cheaper than getting takeout. We ate straight out of the pot because we don’t have enough bowls lmao.
Gluten free win!!! I swapped the regular soy sauce for tamari and used gluten free wide rice noodles, and it didn’t feel like a compromise at all. The flavor was still so rich and deep, I didn’t miss the gluten one bit. So hard to find good Asian noodle recipes that are easy to adapt for GF, this is going into my permanent rotation.
I smoked the pork shoulder for this instead of pan searing it because I love using my smoker on the weekends, and HOLY COW that was the best call I’ve ever made. The smoke flavor paired so perfectly with the five spice and soy marinade, it took the whole dish to the next level. Even my father in law, who hates ‘fancy foreign food’, went back for thirds.
First time making any kind of Vietnamese noodle dish and it was way easier than I thought it would be! I had to run to three different stores to find all the herbs, but it was worth the hunt. The only thing I messed up was the crispy pork cracklings—mine burned in the oven because I walked away to answer a work call. Next time I’ll camp out by the oven for those!
I’ve been making Vietnamese food at home for 40 years and this is one of the most accurate Cao Lau recipes I’ve come across online. Most home recipes cut corners with the pork marinade or skip the crispy topping, but this hits all the traditional notes. I added a little extra annatto oil to give the noodles that classic golden hue, which worked beautifully.
Taste was really good, but 1 hour 15 minutes cook time feels a little optimistic? I spent almost 2 hours total between running to the store for missing ingredients, prepping all the herbs, and cooking the pork. Maybe I’m just slow, but I wish the prep time was called out more clearly so I could plan better.
Hosted a little build-your-own Cao Lau brunch last weekend and it was such a hit!!! I laid out all the toppings, herbs, noodles, and pork in separate bowls so people could make their bowls exactly how they wanted, paired it with iced Vietnamese coffee, and everyone left so full and happy. Way more fun than my usual pancake brunch spread.
SO good. I was worried this would be too carb heavy for my post-workout meal, but the lean pork and tons of fresh herbs made it feel light but still filling enough to hit my protein goals. I added extra bean sprouts for crunch and it was perfect. Will be making this every Sunday after my long run from now on.