In Vietnamese cooking, we always clean bones first before making stock. Either rubbing them down with salt and giving them a good rinse with water, or parboiling the bones with salted water, cleaning the bones will get rid of all the impurities to keep the stock clear. In other words, boiling the bones first will remove all the gunk and make the stock pretty. In Vietnamese cooking, a highly prized stock is a clear stock.
For this particular post, I’m making pork stock. To make pork stock, put the bones straight into a large stock pot. Add a bit of salt then fill the pot with water, enough to cover bones. Bring the pot to a boil. While the pork bones sit in the room temperature water, the water opens up all the nooks and crannies so blood and other impurities can loosen up and bleed out. Once the pot comes to a rolling boil, the pot will have a lot of gunk floating at the top, at which point immediately turn off heat. Place a colander in the sink and drain the content of the pot into the colander to discard all the dirty water. A lot of Westerners freak out at this point because they think all the stock just went down the drain. Relax, that’s not the case. It’s just dirty water. If you see the gunk in this water, you wouldn’t want that in your body. See picture below.
Wash the parboiled bones with cold running water, making sure to give it a good scrub to loosen up and wash away other loose particles. Rinse the bones then drain them dry. The bones are now ready for stock. Just make sure to wash the stock pot thoroughly before reusing it.
To make the stock, add water to the stock pot and bring to a boil. Add cleaned bones, a peeled yellow onion and small chunks of daikon. Cook the stock on a low simmer pot for 1-1/2 hours. The low simmer will prevent the stock from getting cloudy. Occasionally, skim the surface of any foam/bubbles that float to the top. Gather them all in one corner of the pot and scoop them all out at once. It’s best to do the skimming at the beginning of cooking because the fat (flavor!) have yet to be rendered in the stock yet so you aren’t scooping out and discarding delicious fat.
After 1-1/2 hours, remove all the solids by straining the stock into a container. You now have clean and clear pork stock for use with many Vietnamese recipes, such as the many vegetable soup side dishes (canh) or use it as a base for noodle soups.
To season the stock and make it a delicious broth, simply add equal amounts of granulated white sugar, stock powder (use either chicken, pork or mushroom) and salt (fine sea salt is best). Add a bit at a time to your liking. If you use MSG like me because you’re awesome, a general rule of thumb is for every tablespoon salt, use 1/2 teaspoon MSG. A little MSG goes a long way so much isn’t needed to make a very flavorful broth.
Popular Dishes that Uses Pork Stock
Central Vietnam Must-Eat Noodle Dish: Mi Quang
Vietnamese Thick Noodle Soup (Banh Canh)
Vietnamese Pork & Crab Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu Cua Thit)
Vietnamese Egg Noodle Soup with Wontons (Mi Hoanh Thanh)
Vietnamese Homemade Pork Stock/Broth (Nuoc Leo Suon Heo)
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: ~7 cups
Description
In Vietnamese home cooking, bones are cleaned before making stock to keep it clear. This is done by rubbing with salt and rinsing or by parboiling in salted water to remove impurities and ensure a clear, prized stock.
Ingredients
Stock
- 2 lbs pork bones (neckbones, marrow bones and/or spareribs)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 liters water
- 10 oz daikon (peel and slice into small chunks)
- 10 oz yellow onion (peel; leave whole)
Broth Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon MSG (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the Bones: To a large stock pot, add pork bones, salt (1 teaspoon) and water to cover. Cover pot and bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a rolling boil and impurities appear at the top, turn off heat.
- Clean the Bones: Place a large colander in a sink and strain the content of pot into the colander, discarding all the dirty water. Wash bones throughly with cold running water. Rinse and drain dry. Set aside.
- Prepare the Broth Base: Clean the stock pot and fill it with water (3 liters) and return to stove. Bring the pot to a boil then add the cleaned bones, daikon and yellow onion. Simmer on low for 1-1/2 hours, uncovered. Occasionally, skim the surface of any foam/bubbles that float to the top.
- Strain and Season: Strain out solids. To make a tasty bone broth, season stock with sugar, sea salt, stock powder and MSG (optional). Serve with the bones (don’t discard; lots of tender meats there) and optionally garnish with green onions and/or cilantro for a beautiful finish.
Notes
Why Parboil the Bones? Removing impurities ensures a clear and visually appealing stock.
Customize the Flavor: Add other aromatics like ginger or star anise for a more complex stock.
Use the Bones: After straining, the bones still have tender meat—serve them alongside the broth or in noodle soups.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Base Recipe, Soup
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
Similar Recipes:
Vietnamese Pork Spare Rib Soup with Potatoes, Carrots and Cauliflower (Canh Suon Khoai Tay Ca Rot Bong Cai Trang)
Vietnamese Luffa Gourd Soup with Ground Pork (Canh Mướp Thịt Băm)
Vietnamese Mustard Green Soup with Pork Spare Ribs (Canh Cai Be Xanh Nau Suon Heo)
Vietnamese Kabocha Pumpkin Soup with Ground Pork (Canh Bi Do Nau Thit Bam)