Boat noodles - Bangkok's most intensely flavored noodle soup, historically sold from small wooden boats navigating the canals of Bangkok. Distinguished from other Thai noodle soups by its dark, almost black broth, which gets its depth and color from pig's blood cooked slowly into the broth base alongside dark soy sauce, five-spice, and roasted coriander. Served in very small portions (a tradition from the boat era when bowls had to be small), it is common to eat four to six bowls in a sitting. The broth is deep, complex, and slightly metallic from the blood.
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Blanch the pork bones in water for 5 minutes to remove impurities. Discard the water and rinse bones. Place in a fresh pot with 8 cups of water, star anise, cinnamon, and coriander seeds. Bring to a then for 1.5 hours .
Strain the broth. Return to the pot and season with dark soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. If using pork blood, stir it in now and for 10 minutes . The broth should be dark, almost black, with a complex depth.
Prepare the noodles by soaking then blanching briefly in water. Drain and portion into bowls.
Add a portion of raw sliced pork loin to each bowl. Ladle the very hot, broth over the noodles and pork - the broth will cook the thin pork slices in the bowl. Add blanched morning glory.
Garnish with garlic in oil. Set out the traditional condiment quartet on the table: white sugar, fish sauce, vinegar with sliced chilies, and dried chili flakes - each diner seasons their bowl individually. The boat noodle experience is about personally calibrating the bowl across multiple small servings.
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