Method
- Marinate pork shoulder with five-spice, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, Shaoxing, garlic and shallots for 4 hours. The five-spice marinade is the Chinese-influenced signature of Hoi An.
- Sear the marinated pork in a heavy pot over medium-high heat for 6 minutes until browned. Add stock, rock sugar and any remaining marinade. Simmer covered 50 minutes until the pork is tender.
- Lift the pork out and rest 10 minutes; slice thinly. Reduce the cooking liquid uncovered for 5 minutes until syrupy — this is the cao lau glaze.
- Fry the rice paper crouton-noodles: cut rice paper into 4cm squares, deep-fry at 180°C for 10 seconds until they puff and turn pale gold. Drain on a rack — these are crispy crouton garnish, not optional.
- Boil cao lau noodles in unsalted water for 90 seconds (fresh) or 4 minutes (substitute). Drain and divide into deep bowls. Drizzle 2 tbsp of the reduced cooking liquid over the noodles to coat — cao lau is a glazed, not soup-based, noodle.
- Top each bowl with sliced pork, a handful of bean sprouts, herb leaves, and a generous sprinkle of fried rice-paper croutons. Serve with lime wedges and sliced chili. Diners toss everything thoroughly before eating; the noodles should turn glossy with the glaze.
Common questions
Can Cao Lau be made ahead?
Cao Lau is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 60 minutes.
Is Cao Lau spicy?
Cao Lau as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Cao Lau vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe contains gluten via the soy sauce and/or noodles. To make it gluten-free, substitute tamari for soy sauce.
How hard is Cao Lau to make at home?
Cao Lau sits at intermediate difficulty — total time about 90 minutes. The ingredients are not unusual but the timing requires attention.
Can Cao Lau be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 4 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Cao lau is unique to Hoi An — the noodles, the locals insist, can only be made from water drawn from the ancient Ba Le well in the old quarter and lye from a specific local tree. Whether or not the chemistry holds up to scientific scrutiny, the noodles cooked outside Hoi An are flatly different. The dish layers Chinese (five-spice pork), Japanese (the chewy noodle texture, plausibly inherited from sixteenth-century Japanese merchants) and Vietnamese influences in a way that traces Hoi An's port-city history.
