VIETNAMESE SNAIL NOODLE SOUP (BÚN ỐC)

• Broth: Simmer 300 g pork bones with 2 liters of water + 100g onions + 2 teaspoons sea salt, to obtain 2 liters of broth, then sieve the broth and discard the bones and onions.


• Garnishes: Shallots cut into thin slices and then fried until the shallots become golden. Scallions cut into small pieces. Fresh chilies finely-chopped and stir-fried with some vegetable oil, then added with some tamarind juice for mild sour-sweet taste.


• Preparation of snail: Soak snail in the rice-washing rice for 12 hours for purging. Chop the pointed top of the shell, open the mouth to get the snail meat, and discard the digestive tract. Gently crush the snail meat with some sea salt and wash several times with water to purge and drain.


• Mix about 500g snail meat with 2 tablespoons fresh turmeric (Curcuma longa) pounded finely (or 1 tablespoon of dried turmeric powder) + 1 tablespoon of high-quality fish sauce + 1 teaspoon sea salt + 1 tablespoon chopped young ginger + 2 tablespoons liquid fat (vegetable oil) + 1 or 2 tablespoons vinegar; set aside for 20 minutes. Quickly fry the snail meat with 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and 1/2 tablespoon of chopped shallots and garlics.


• Preparation of vinegar mixture: 500g clean, ripe tomatoes cut into 8 pieces. Heat the tomatoes with about 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, then ladle the broth to cover the top of the mixture, and add spice powder + tamarind juice + sea salt + sugar where necessary, however, the mixture should have sour taste. Simmer the mixture to make the tomatoes be tender, and then add some chopped shallots. Keep warm.


• To serve with rice noodles, some aromatic herbs (red perilla, mint, green perilla, saw-leaf herb, etc.) Pure fish sauce with a little chopped ginger, lime.