Nam Ngiao (นำ้เงี้ยว) : Northern Thai Noodle Soup
Smoky and deeply savory, Nam Ngiao is Northern Thailand’s boldest noodle soup. Homemade paste packs it with fiber. Every spoonful bursts with balanced flavors—no sugar needed! I’m sharing this recipe in honor of the earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand in March 2025, as this dish reflects the deep culinary ties between Northern Thailand, Myanmar, and China.
Ingredients
For Nam Ngiao Paste (นำ้พริกนำ้เงี้ยว)
- 10 dried Guajillos chilies (See the link)
- 10 cloves garlic
- 1 cup shallots (Chop into smaller pieces to fit in a cup or 5-6 small shallots.)
- 1 disk fermented bean cake (Tuanao) (or 2 tablespoons fermented bean paste (Tao Jiew) or 2 tablespoons miso paste or 1 tablespoon shrimp paste (Kapi) See the link.)
- 4 tbsp water (to get the blender going)
For the Soup
- 1 tbsp oil
- ½ lb ground pork
- 1½ lb pork ribs (I used St.Luis ribs)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- ½ cup cotton tree flowers (See the link.)
- 2 liter water (2,000 mL)
- 2 cups tomatoes (I used grapes or cherry tomatoes so that I don't have to slice into bite sizes but any red tomatoes will work.)
For Noodles of Choice
- 1 lb rice vermilleci noodles (See the link) (Or regular fresh or fat rice noodles)
For Toppings of Choice
- ¼ cup Fried garlic (see the link of make homemade one or see the next few ingredients for homemade fried garlic.)
- 1 head garlic
- ¼ cup oil
- ⅛ tsp salt (a pinch)
- ¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
- ¼ cup green beans (or long beans chopped)
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 cup pickled green mustard
- fresh lime juice (As much as your heart desires)
Instructions
Make Nam Ngiao paste.
- Cut dried guajillos chilies into small pieces using kitchen scissors then soak them in hot water about 10 minutes. meanwhile, gather other ingredients.
- Peel and chop garlic and shallots into smaller pieces to fit the blender.
- Transfer the spices and herbs to a blender. Add fermented bean cake or paste, shrimp paste, or miso, plus a little water to help blend.
- Blend until smooth to create the Nam Ngiao paste. (You can make this homemade paste a head of time and store it in the jar and refrigerate up to a week.)
Cook the Paste and Pork
- Heat a little oil in a pan and stir-fry the paste until fragrant. (a few minutes)
- Add ground pork, then season with fish sauce and salt. Add pork ribs and stir-fry for another five minutes to develop flavor.
- Transfer the stir-fried mixture to a large pot. Add water, dried cotton flowers, and tomatoes.
- Simmer on medium heat for about an hour until the broth is rich and flavorful.
Alternative Method for Extra Tender Ribs
- Place pork ribs in a pot with water and dried cotton flowers.
- No need to wait for the water to boil—cook on medium heat and do not stir the pot for 40 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the paste, toppings, and noodles
- Once the paste is stir-fried with ground pork, transfer it to the pot with the ribs.
- Add tomatoes and let everything simmer for another 20 minutes.
Prepare the Noodles and Toppings while the Soup is Cooking.
- (Optional) Make fried garlic and oil. Pound or finely chop garlic cloves, including the peel.
- Add the chopped garlic to oil before turning on the heat.
- Fry over medium heat, sprinkling a pinch of salt to help remove moisture and enhance flavor.
- Continue frying until fragrant and the smaller bits start turning golden brown, then turn off the heat
- Transfer the fried garlic and oil to a container. The garlic will continue cooking in the residual heat.
- Slice limes into wedges. Chop cilantro, green beans and any toppings of choice. If using pickled green mustard, make sure to wash it very well before chopping.
- Cook the noodles of choice. Please, see the instruction about how to cook different types of noodles for this dish from the post above.
Assemble and Serve
- Place cooked noodles in a bowl. Add fried garlic and mix in with noodles so that it also helps to prevent noodles from clumping.
- Ladle the hot soup over the noodles. Add green beans, cilantro, bean sprouts, and pickled mustard greens.
- Squeeze in a generous amount of fresh lime juice. Enjoy!
Video
@stickyricethaikitchen Nam Ngiao (นำ้เงี้ยว) : Smoky and deeply savory, Nam Ngiao (นำ้เงี้ยว) is Northern Thailand’s boldest noodle soup. Homemade paste packs it with fiber. Every spoonful bursts with balanced flavors—no sugar needed! I’m sharing this recipe in honor of the earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand in March 2025, as this dish reflects the deep culinary ties between Northern Thailand, Myanmar, and China. #noodle#namngiao#thailand#thaifood#thaicooking#highprotein#highfiber#healthyrecipes#soup#earthquake#myanmar#china#foodandculture
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Notes
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