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When I eat breakfast, it's almost always a bowl of noodles. To me, they're a far lighter and healthier breakfast than, say, a stack of pancakes smothered in butter and syrup, topped off with a couple of sausage links. It's a habit I adopted during my wanderings in Southeast Asia: Though there are some foods people only eat in the morning (fresh hot soy milk or coffee with Chinese "donuts" or rice porridge, for example), there isn't really an analogue to bacon and eggs. In Vietnam, for example, vendors start selling their noodles at the crack of dawn. In fact, I ate the best pho of my life sitting on a curb near a Hanoi cathedral at 6 AM.
So when I'm back home in Portland, Sunday breakfast means just one thing: A trip to Ha & VL Deli for a bowl of Mi Quang. Christina Vuong, the matriarch of this small, family-run eatery, makes two kinds of soup a day, and when they're gone—which is usually by noon—they're gone. So I make a point of showing up at 8 am on Sundays.
Mi Quang exemplifies everything I love about Vietnamese food in one bowl: Chewy rice noodles made earthy and radioactive-colored with turmeric, moistened by a ladleful of rich pork broth. Plenty of savory flavor from a spoonful of ground pork, a dollop of bean paste, a few juicy shrimp, and a couple pork ribs (hey, maybe some Vietnamese bologna, too). Then comes the contrast of the toppings: Crushed peanuts and a puffed rice cracker for crunch; plus plenty of bite from shaved raw onion, fresh herbs, lime wedges, and spicy Sriracha.
The combo makes for an eye-opening, satisfying breakfast, especially when followed by a strong cup of caphe sua da (iced Vietnamese coffee). Even in Vietnamese restaurants, some breakfast classics never change.
Want to bring the brilliance of Mi Quang home? Here are a few quick tips to make any noodle soup instantly better.
Tint Your Noodles with Turmeric
The yellowish hue that makes the soup's noodles so eye-catching? You can thank ginger's earthy cousin, turmeric, for that. And the best part is, you don't need any fancy equipment to turmeric-tint any old package of rice noodles you have lying around. Just place your dried rice noodles into a large heatproof bowl, pour over boiling water to cover, and let soak according to package directions. When the noodles are tender enough to stir, add 1-2 teaspoons of ground turmeric and stir to coat. When the noodles are as tender as you like them, drain before adding to the broth.
Don't Overdo It on the Broth
There's no need to fill your bowl to the brim with rich broth. Instead, just ladle in enough of your favorite heated chicken, pork, or beef broth to come one-third of the way up the bowl before adding the neon-yellow noodles and your pick of cooked meat or seafood. Bonus: This strategy makes actually finishing the bowl less daunting and reduces the temptation to take a midday nap.
Finish Things Off with a Crunch
Yes, we're obsessed with all things crunchy around these parts, and noodle soups are no exception. Mi Quang gets finished with a triple threat of crushed peanuts, a puffed rice cracker, and fresh herbs. You'll never forget to add crunch to your soup again.
*Andy Ricker is the owner of several acclaimed Thai restaurants in Portland, New York, and Los Angeles, including Pok Pok and the Michelin-starred Pok Pok NY. He is also the author, with JJ Goode, of *Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand.
