Boat noodles

Name: Boat noodles
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 6 bowls
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 500 g Beef, shin or brisket, in one piece; 2 l Beef stock, low-salt; 500 ml Water; 3 piece Star anise; 1 piece Cinnamon stick; 30 g Galangal, sliced; 1 bunch Coriander, roots and stalks; 6 clove Garlic, smashed; 2 piece Pandan leaves, knotted; 3 tbsp Dark soy sauce, 4 tbsp if not using blood; 2 tbsp Soy sauce; 2 tbsp Fish sauce; 1 tbsp Palm sugar; 0.5 tsp White pepper; 300 g Rice stick noodles, thin (sen lek), soaked in warm water 20 minutes; 200 g Beef, sirloin or rump, sliced paper-thin; 150 g Morning glory, in 5 cm lengths; 150 g Bean sprouts; 6 tbsp Pig's blood, or cow's blood, very fresh, whisked with a pinch of salt; 4 clove Garlic, finely chopped, for garlic oil; 3 tbsp Neutral oil, for garlic oil; 1 handful Thai basil; 3 piece Fresh chilli, bird's eye, sliced into the vinegar; 4 tbsp Vinegar; 2 tsp Chilli flakes, toasted Thai chilli flakes; 2 tsp Sugar

ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือ

Small bowls of rice noodles in a dark, spiced beef broth with star anise, cinnamon and galangal, traditionally thickened with blood. Blood is optional here.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือ.

Start cooking

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 2 hr 30 min
Rest: None
Total: 3 hr
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium heat
Cost: Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

Image coming soon

About

Boat noodles are small, intense bowls of rice noodles in a dark beef broth spiced with star anise, cinnamon, galangal, coriander root and pandan, then seasoned with dark soy, fish sauce and palm sugar. The classic bowl is finished with a spoonful of fresh pig's or cow's blood stirred into the boiling broth, which gives it body, a near-black colour and a faint iron edge. Blood is hard to buy in many places, so here it is optional. Without it, extra dark soy carries the colour, and the bowl is lighter but still recognisable. Thin slices of beef, morning glory and bean sprouts go in each bowl, with garlic oil and basil on top.

What you'll need

26 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 26 ready

6 servings

Broth
Bowls
For the table

Ingredients

Servings

Broth

Beef, shin or brisket, in one piece500 g
Beef stock, low-salt2 l
Water500 ml
Star anise3
Cinnamon stick1
Galangal, sliced30 g
Coriander, roots and stalks1 bunch
Garlic, smashed6 clove
Pandan leaves, knotted2
Dark soy sauce, 4 tbsp if not using blood44 ml
Soy sauce30 ml
Fish sauce30 ml
Palm sugar15 ml
White pepper2½ ml

Bowls

Rice stick noodles, thin (sen lek), soaked in warm water 20 minutes300 g
Beef, sirloin or rump, sliced paper-thin200 g
Morning glory, in 5 cm lengths150 g
Bean sprouts150 g
Pig's blood, or cow's blood, very fresh, whisked with a pinch of salt (optional)89 ml
Garlic, finely chopped, for garlic oil4 clove
Neutral oil, for garlic oil44 ml
Thai basil1 handful

For the table

Fresh chilli, bird's eye, sliced into the vinegar3
Vinegar59 ml
Chilli flakes, toasted Thai chilli flakes9.9 ml
Sugar9.9 ml

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Put the beef shin, stock, water, star anise, cinnamon, galangal, coriander roots, smashed garlic and pandan in a stockpot. Bring to a simmer, skim, and cook gently, partly covered, for 2 hours until the beef is tender.
120 min
Step 2
Lift out the beef, cool it and slice thinly. Strain the broth and return it to the pot; you want about 1.5 litres. Season with the dark soy, soy sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar and white pepper and simmer 10 minutes. It should be dark, salty-sweet and strongly spiced. Keep it at a simmer.
15 min
Tip: Season it harder than you think. The small bowls are meant to be punchy.
Step 3
Fry the chopped garlic in the oil over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes until pale gold, and tip it into a bowl. Put the chilli in the vinegar and set the table seasonings out.
5 min
Step 4
For each bowl, dunk a small handful of drained noodles with some morning glory and bean sprouts in a pan of boiling water for 30 to 40 seconds, using a spider. Shake dry and drop into a bowl with a few slices of shin and a few slices of raw sirloin.
15 min
Step 5
If using blood, bring a ladle of broth per bowl to the boil in a small pan, stir in 1 tbsp blood and keep stirring as it returns to a simmer, darkens and thickens slightly, then pour it over the bowl. Without blood, ladle the boiling broth straight over; it cooks the raw beef.
10 min
Watch: Use blood only from a butcher who sells it for food, keep it cold, and bring it to a full simmer in the broth. Do not stir it raw into a bowl.
Step 6
Top each bowl with a spoon of garlic oil and a few basil leaves, and serve at once with chilli vinegar, chilli flakes and sugar on the table, and pork crackling if you have it.
2 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 534 kcal
Protein: 40.8 g
Carbs: 29.7 g
Fat: 26.3 g
Saturated fat: 8.2 g
Fibre: 1.9 g
Sugar: 8.7 g
Sodium: 2837 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Fish
Soy
Wheat

Dairy-free
Nut-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Beef → Pork shoulder and pork balls
Kuay teow reua moo is the pork version, usually with pig's blood. Use pork or chicken stock and the same spices.
Morning glory → Chinese broccoli or spinach
Chinese broccoli needs a minute in the water; spinach only 10 seconds.

Tips

Crushed pork crackling on top is standard. A bag from the shop is what most people use.
Make the broth a day ahead. Chill it and lift off the fat before reheating.

History & culture

The bowls are small, a few mouthfuls each, and people order them by the stack; a tower of a dozen empty bowls is part of the fun at the noodle shops around Victory Monument in Bangkok. Pork crackling, chilli vinegar, dried chilli and sugar sit on every table, so each bowl is seasoned to taste.

The name comes from the boats that sold these noodles on the canals of Bangkok and Ayutthaya in the mid-20th century, passing bowls up to customers on the bank; they stayed small so they would not spill. The noodles and the spiced broth come from Chinese cooking. As the canals were filled in and roads took over, the vendors moved ashore and kept the name.

Modern adaptation — Shops simmer beef or pork bones for many hours and keep the pot going all day; this home broth uses bought beef stock and two hours with a piece of shin. Blood is what gives a true boat noodle bowl its body and colour. With it, this is close to a Bangkok bowl; without it, it is a lighter version. Shops also add fermented red bean curd and pickled garlic liquor, and sell pork bowls alongside beef.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Boat noodles take?

3 hr all in — 30 min prep, 2 hr 30 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 6 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

Medium heat.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Fish, Soy, Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.

13 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Stockpot, Saucepan, Spider or strainer, Frying pan, Chef's knife.

How much salt do I put in?

This recipe does not list salt as its own ingredient. Saltiness comes from Dark soy sauce — 3 tbsp (4 tbsp if not using blood); Soy sauce — 2 tbsp; Fish sauce — 2 tbsp. Taste at the end rather than adding a number we did not write.

How much dark soy sauce?

3 tbsp (4 tbsp if not using blood) of Dark soy sauce.

How much soy sauce?

2 tbsp of Soy sauce.

How much fish sauce?

2 tbsp of Fish sauce.

How much vinegar?

4 tbsp of Vinegar.

How much sugar?

2 tsp of Sugar.

What can I use instead?

Beef → Pork shoulder and pork balls. Kuay teow reua moo is the pork version, usually with pig's blood. Use pork or chicken stock and the same spices. Morning glory → Chinese broccoli or spinach. Chinese broccoli needs a minute in the water; spinach only 10 seconds.

What should I watch for?

Use blood only from a butcher who sells it for food, keep it cold, and bring it to a full simmer in the broth. Do not stir it raw into a bowl.

Any tips from this recipe?

Crushed pork crackling on top is standard. A bag from the shop is what most people use. Make the broth a day ahead. Chill it and lift off the fat before reheating.

Can I prepare this ahead?

Make the broth a day ahead. Chill it and lift off the fat before reheating.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.