Bún Thang

Rice Vermicelli Soup with Assorted Toppings

2 lbs chicken bones
1 chicken half-breast
1 duck leg portion with thigh attaching
3 dried baby squids
2 eggs
2 salted eggs, hard boiled
4 ounces Vietnamese lean pork sausage (giò lụa), julienned
1/2 lb head-on shrimp
1 cup Vietnamese corriander leaves, thinly sliced
1 cup Vietnamese pickled daikon (dưa món, củ cải dầm)
few drops of belostomatid essence (dầu cà cuống)
10 oz fine rice vermicelli
2.5 quarts cold water
1/2 T vegetable oil
3 T fish sauce
salt,sugar, pepper to taste

Beat together the eggs, 1/4 t fish sauce, 1 T water, pepper to taste in a bowl. Add oil into a non-stick omelet pan over medium high heat until hot. Pour in half of the egg mixture and tilt the pan to spread evenly over the bottom. Cook until the egg set, about 30 seconds, turn and cook on the other side for another 15 seconds. Remove the egg pancake to a cutting board and repeat with the remaining egg mixture. Allow to cool and cut into thin strips.

Shell and devein the shrimps but leave the butter (viscera). Pan fry over medium heat with some salt and pepper until cooked, about 3 minutes. Pound the cooked shrimp until flossed. Pan dry a little more over low heat, the shrimp floss will be nice and fluff.

Put chicken bones + dried baby squids+ duck + chicken breast into a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off foam. Lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken breast. Set aside. Simmer for 5 more minutes, remove the duck meat. Set aside. Continue to simmer the broth for another hour. Discard the bones and squids, strain broth if you wish, add salt, sugar and fish sauce to taste.

Shred the chicken breast by hand.
Slice the duck meat into thin strips.
Cut hard boiled salted eggs into 1/2-inch slices crosswise.

Put rice vermicelli in boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Turn off heat and let it sit for 2 more minutes. Rinse over water.

Place noodle in a bowl, top with lean pork sausage, egg strip, chicken, duck, shrimp and salted egg. Sprinkle some Vietnamese coriander leaves on top. Ladle the hot broth over, drop some belostomatid essence, ground some black pepper. Serve with some daikon radish pickle on the side.