Miến lươn is a vermicelli soup topped with strips of eel that have been coated in cornstarch and fried until crisp. The eel bones don’t go to waste: they simmer in the broth with marrow bones, carrot, onion and ginger. This recipe comes from someone who didn’t like eel at all until trying miến lươn at a cousin’s home. There are quite a few ingredients, but the method is simple and comes down to three stages. Ingredients For the eel 2 eels (about 300 g) 1 teaspoon pepper powder ½ bowl cornstarch For the broth 500 g marrow bones ½ onion, sliced 1 carrot 1 piece of ginger Sliced Vietnamese coriander (rau răm) Pepper powder 6 teaspoons seasoning, or to taste Water For the bowls 300 g vermicelli (miến) 3 scallions, sliced Coriander, sliced Also listed 2 tablespoons dried shallot. The recipe lists it without saying where it goes. How to make miến lươn 1. Prepare and fry the eel Wash the eels and cut them into thin strips, then separate the meat from the bones. Keep the bones for the broth. Season the strips with 1 teaspoon of pepper powder and coat them in the cornstarch. Fry them until they’re crisp. 2. Make the broth Wash the marrow bones. Slice the carrot into rounds and slice the ginger. Put the marrow bones in a pot with water, the sliced onion, carrot, Vietnamese coriander, ginger, the eel bones and some pepper powder. Bring it to the boil and cook it into a broth. Season it with the seasoning; the 6 teaspoons in the list is a guide, so add it to your own taste. 3. Assemble the bowls Cut the vermicelli into shorter lengths. Put it in boiling water, and when it’s cooked, lift it out into a bowl. Arrange the crispy eel, sliced onion, sliced scallions and sliced coriander on top, then ladle in the broth. Share: