Noodles have been a comfort food for me since childhood. Usually made with noodles, meat, meatballs, and a hot broth, it’s a simple yet satisfying dish that we Thais often prepare at home. As I got older, I began adding vegetables—both boiled and raw—to enhance the flavors.
The best thing about Thai noodles is that they can be customized in countless ways, from the classic broth to personalized seasonings like chili flakes, sugar, fish sauce, and chili vinegar sauce, to really make it your own.
This is my personal recipe for Thai beef noodles, a comforting dish I often make, especially when I’m abroad, it's cold outside, and I can’t easily access a Thai noodle shop. You know how it is with us Thais—we get bored with the bland food abroad and end up cooking Thai food to satisfy our cravings. If you’re friends with a Thai, you might be lucky enough to benefit from this, as we often make large portions to share 😉!
If you’ve been to Thailand before, you will know that noodle dishes come in a variety of forms, including beef, chicken, and pork noodles. While the preparation is similar, the main difference lies in the broth. Noodles also come in many types, such as wide rice noodles, thin rice noodles, vermicelli, and egg noodles. Some people even skip the noodles altogether and enjoy the broth with steamed rice instead.
For this recipe, I’m making a simple beef noodle dish with pork spare ribs broth. I’m using ingredients I already have in the fridge, like pork spare ribs, sliced beef, meatballs, and some green leafy vegetables. So, I decided to make a mixed pork and beef noodle soup with a clear broth—perfect for home cooking.
The broth is made by boiling the spare ribs until tender, adding radish for natural sweetness, and enhancing the flavor with a pork broth cube for richness and balance.
For the noodles, you can use any type available at your local supermarket, depending on your preference. For this recipe, I’ll be using rice noodles because they’re healthy and delicious. Follow along, and let’s make this authentic Thai beef noodle dish together!
If you're interested in more tasty Thai soup dishes, you might want to check out these recipes: Thai Vegetable Soup (Tom Jued) Recipe, Authentic Thai 5-Spice Stew with Egg and Braised Pork (Kai Pa Lo) Recipe, Thai Spicy Beef Soup (Tom Saap) Recipe, and Authentic Thai Braised Chicken Noodle Soup (Guay Tiew Gai Toon) Recipe
To make this recipe, you are going to need:
- 250 g. Spare ribs pork (soup)
- 150 g. Green leafy vegetables
- 1 radish white, bite-sized
- 2 litre water
- 1 pork broth cube
- 300 g. (any meat you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon salt
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make Thai Beef Noodle Soup (Guay Tiew Nue Nam Sai) Recipe
1 Start by gathering all the essential ingredients for the Thai clear noodle soup.
2 Place a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the pork spare ribs, chopped radish, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, salt, and the pork broth cube.
3 Place a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the pork spare ribs, chopped radish, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, salt, and pork broth cube. Pour in the water, cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes. Once the soup begins to boil and bubbles form, skim off any foam from the surface.
4 After 30 minutes, check the spare ribs and radish. If they’re tender, reduce the heat to low. Add the meatballs to the soup, cover the pot, and keep it warm until ready to serve.
5 Next, heat ½ cup of cooking oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and stir constantly until it becomes fragrant and slightly golden. Once done, remove the pan from the heat.
6 Bring a small pot of water to a boil to cook the noodles and vegetables. Add the noodles and vegetables to the pot and follow the package instructions. If there are no instructions, simply add the dry noodles and cook for about 2-3 minutes until they soften. Drain the water and transfer the noodles into a bowl.
7 Boil the meat in the soup pot until fully cooked.
8 Place the noodles at the bottom of the bowl. Pour the soup over them, then top with the meat, meatballs, radishes, vegetables, spring onions, and fried garlic.
9 Next, adjust the taste to your liking by adding sugar and chili flakes as desired. Enjoy!
Other Thai Recipes You Might Like
Here are some of my favorite Thai that I think you might like. For more Thai cuisine, check out my Thai recipe page.
Thai Beef Noodle Soup (Guay Tiew Nue Nam Sai) Recipe
The perfect noodle dish may not exist, but this one comes very close. This is an authentic Thai beef noodle soup recipe that combines tender beef with the delicious spices Thailand is known for. Follow this recipe to recreate the Thai noodle dish you love from your travels, right at home.
Ingredients
- 250 g. Spare ribs pork (soup)
- 150 g. Green leafy vegetables
- 1 radish white, bite-sized
- 2 litre water
- 1 pork broth cube
- 300 g. (any meat you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon salt
Directions
- Start by gathering all the essential ingredients for the Thai clear noodle soup.
- Place a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the pork spare ribs, chopped radish, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, salt, and the pork broth cube.
- Place a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the pork spare ribs, chopped radish, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, salt, and pork broth cube. Pour in the water, cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes. Once the soup begins to boil and bubbles form, skim off any foam from the surface.
- After 30 minutes, check the spare ribs and radish. If they’re tender, reduce the heat to low. Add the meatballs to the soup, cover the pot, and keep it warm until ready to serve.
- Next, heat ½ cup of cooking oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and stir constantly until it becomes fragrant and slightly golden. Once done, remove the pan from the heat.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil to cook the noodles and vegetables. Add the noodles and vegetables to the pot and follow the package instructions. If there are no instructions, simply add the dry noodles and cook for about 2-3 minutes until they soften. Drain the water and transfer the noodles into a bowl.
- Boil the meat in the soup pot until fully cooked.
- Place the noodles at the bottom of the bowl. Pour the soup over them, then top with the meat, meatballs, radishes, vegetables, spring onions, and fried garlic.
- Next, adjust the taste to your liking by adding sugar and chili flakes as desired. Enjoy!
