This Thai boat noodles recipe offers a traditional kuay teow reua that tastes just like in Thailand. We served this noodle soup with pork at my Thai restaurant, but you can use any protein you like. With image instructions and a rich broth and intense aroma!
Tip: This soup is perfect for get-togethers. In my family, we make the broth ahead, sometimes freeze it, then cook fresh noodles and meat when we’re ready. We do the same with guay tiew tom yum too!
Boat noodle soup is a traditional Thai street food dish made with rice noodles, pork or beef, and a dark, rich broth. It tastes savory and slightly sweet, and it’s often served with toppings like chili flakes, fried garlic, and vinegar.
Everything about kuay teow reua
Boat noodles have a long history in Thailand. They were first sold by vendors in small boats along the rivers of Ayutthaya, which is how they got their name.
Because there wasn’t much space to offer extra condiments, the vendors would season each bowl before handing it over.
That’s why, even today, kuay teow reua is served fully seasoned with chili flakes, fish sauce, sugar, and vinegar already added. It’s traditionally made with pork or beef blood, though that’s optional in this recipe.
That’s one of the big differences between this and other Thai noodle soups, like kuay teow nam sai, which are served plain so you can adjust the flavor yourself.
If you ever visit Thailand, look out for noodle shops with a small decorative boat out front; that usually means they serve the original style. A small bowl costs around 20 baht (about $0.50), so it’s fun to try a few different ones in one sitting!
And while you’re there, don’t miss your chance to try a local khao tom and tom kha soup!
Ingredient notes and substitutes
Keep reading for step-by-step photos and helpful ingredient notes, or jump to the recipe card below if you’re ready to start cooking!
Broth ingredients
- Water
- Pork bone – Simmering pork bones releases collagen and fat, creating a flavorful, meaty broth.
- Coconut milk – Found in some original versions of the soup. Use full-fat coconut milk like Aroy-D.
- Golden mountain sauce – A Thai seasoning sauce that adds a deeper, slightly tangy umami flavor. Get it here.
- Light soy sauce – Provides gentle saltiness and helps balance the broth. I use this one.
- Dark soy sauce – Adds color and a touch of sweetness to round out the broth. I always use Healthy Boy Brand.
- Rock sugar – Offers mild, balanced sweetness without making the soup taste sugary. You can find this at Asian grocery stores and Amazon.
- Salt
- Fermented bean curd – Brings a savory, slightly tangy depth to the broth.
- Pickled garlic head & garlic water – You can use my pickled garlic recipe or find it in larger Asian stores.
- Daikon – Adds a natural sweetness.
- Garlic
- Galangal, black peppercorns, coriander root – Each of these common Thai cuisine spices bring their own flavor to the broth.
- Thai soup spice set – A premade dried herb mix for broths; often sold at Thai markets. (See the photo below and find a similar one locally, or get this alternative one at Amazon.)
- Pandan leaves (optional) – Infuses the broth with a subtle floral aroma.
- Pork blood (optional) – Adds richness, deep flavor, and a slightly thicker texture that defines this dish. Optional but highly recommended. You will also need lemongrass if you’re adding blood.
- MSG (optional) – A Thai flavor enhancer.
Soup assembling ingredients
- Noodles – I used rice noodles; you can also use instant noodles, egg noodles, sen yai, and glass noodles.
- Morning glory, bean sprouts – Feel free to customize with your favorite vegetables.
- Look chin – These are frozen meatballs, available in pork, beef, and fish flavor at most Asian grocery stores.
- Pork – You can use any protein you like, like beef, chicken, and liver.
- Coriander, green onions
- Crispy fried garlic
- Chili flakes
- Prik nam som – Chilies in vinegar.
- White sugar
How to make Thai boat noodles
Step 1: Crush the fermented bean curd in a small bowl until smooth and completely broken down.
Step 2: Place the soup spice set, garlic, black peppercorns, galangal, and coriander root into a cheesecloth or spice bag and tie it tightly.
Step 3: In a large soup pot over medium heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the spice bag, pork bones, crushed fermented bean curd, pandan leaves, daikon, golden mountain sauce, light and dark soy sauces, rock sugar, pickled garlic, salt, and optional MSG. Once boiling, lower the heat and let the broth simmer gently for 1 hour.
Step 4 (optional): In a separate bowl, knead the pork blood with lemongrass until smooth and free of clumps.
Step 5 (optional): Stir the coconut milk into the pork blood mixture until fully combined.
Step 6: Once the broth has simmered for an hour, strain the pork blood mixture through a fine mesh strainer into the pot. Let it simmer for 5 more minutes, then remove from heat. If you’re not using pork blood, just add in the coconut milk.
Step 7: Briefly cook the noodles and vegetables in boiling water. If you’re using dry rice noodles, soak them in water first until softened. Transfer the noodles and vegetables to serving bowls, then cook your protein of choice and add it to each bowl. Drizzle a little garlic oil over the noodles to keep them from sticking.
Step 8: Add a ladle of hot broth to a separate small bowl and adjust the seasoning to your taste. I used 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 tablespoon chilies in vinegar, and 1 teaspoon chili flakes for about 2 cups of broth.
Serve: Pour the seasoned soup over a bowl containing noodles and protein. Repeat for all bowls. Top with cilantro, green onions, bean sprouts, and crispy garlic. Serve your homemade boat noodle soup hot and enjoy!
Storage tips
- Refrigerate: Let the broth cool down to room temperature before storing. You can keep the broth and the toppings in your fridge for up to 3 days, stored separately in airtight containers. If you have a leftover soup bowl, it’s best to eat it as soon as possible, as the noodles will soak up the soup over time.
- Reheat: Reheat the broth in a pot over the stove and simply assemble your soup as you would normally.
More Thai soup recipes
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Thai Boat Noodles Recipe (Kuay Teow Reua)
Equipment
- Cutting board and sharp knife
- large pot for simmering the broth
- Medium pot for boiling vegetables, noodles, and proteins
- Fine mesh strainer (optional) for straining the pork blood mixture
- Cheesecloth or spice bag to hold the broth aromatics
- Noodle strainer or fine sieve for draining cooked noodles, vegetables, and protein
- Mixing bowls for prepping blood, sauces, and seasonings
- ladle for portioning broth
- Serving bowls
Ingredients
Broth ingredients
- 3 tbsp fermented bean curd
- 1 pack Thai soup spice set, see notes
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 5 slices of galangal
- 3 coriander root
- 15 cups water
- 2 lb pork soup bones
- 4 pandan leaves
- 5 oz or 1 cup daikon, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons golden mountain sauce
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 3.5 oz or 1/2 cup rock sugar
- 2 ounce pickled garlic head & water, see notes
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon MSG, optional
- 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp coconut milk
- 1 1/4 cups pork blood, optional
- 3 stalks of lemongrass, optional if using pork blood
Soup assembling ingredients
- thinly sliced pork, or other proteins, add to taste
- fried garlic, add to taste
- chili flakes, add to taste
- rice noodles, add to taste, see notes
- morning glory, roughly chopped, add to taste
- bean sprouts, add to taste
- look chin, see notes
- coriander, chopped, add to taste
- green onions, chopped, add to taste
- white sugar, add to taste
- prik nam som, add to taste, see notes
Instructions
Prepare the Broth
- Crush the fermented bean curd in a small bowl until smooth.
- Place the Thai soup spice set, garlic, black peppercorns, galangal, and coriander root into a cheesecloth bag and tie securely.
- In a large pot over medium heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the spice bag, pork bones, crushed fermented bean curd, pandan leaves, daikon, golden mountain sauce, light and dark soy sauces, rock sugar, pickled garlic, salt, and optional MSG. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 1 hour.
Prepare the blood mixture (or coconut milk only)
- In a separate bowl, knead the pork blood with lemongrass until smooth and free of clumps. Stir in the coconut milk until fully combined.
- After the broth has simmered for 1 hour, strain the blood mixture into the pot. If not using blood, just stir in the coconut milk. Simmer for another 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
Cook the noodles and protein
- Boil the noodles and vegetables. If using dry noodles, soak them first until softened. Transfer to serving bowls.
- Cook your chosen protein and add it to each bowl. Drizzle with garlic oil to keep the noodles from sticking.
Season and assemble
- In a small bowl, mix sugar, chilies in vinegar, and fried chili flakes. Add a ladle of hot broth and adjust to taste. I used 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tbsp chilies in vinegar, and 1 tsp chili flakes for about 2 cups of broth.
- Pour the hot broth over the noodles and protein in each bowl.
Garnish and serve
- Top each bowl with chopped coriander, green onions, bean sprouts, and crispy garlic. Serve hot.
Notes
- Use the nutrition card in this recipe as a guideline.
- Thai soup spice set - This premade set of dried spices is used for making aromatic broths. It's readily available at food markets in Thailand. While I couldn't find it on Amazon, I did find an alternative: Amazon.
- Look chin - These are frozen meatballs, available in pork, beef, and fish flavor at most Asian grocery stores.
- Pickled garlic head - Use 1 pickled garlic head and then add pickled garlic water until you get a weight of 1.80 oz.
- Rice noodles - If you're using dry rice noodles, soak them in water before boiling them.
- Prik nam som - Chilies in vinegar. You can use plain white vinegar as an alternative, but it will be more sour and have more vinegar taste.
Hi Praew, these recipes look so delicious ! Thank you very much for sharing so many yummy Thai.
Recipes ❤️
Thank you so much Karen!