Everything about this is so right – little bits of crispy pork belly, silky noodles, rich broth, spicy shrimp, and peanuts for crunch. You’ll never go back to your old noodle dish again.

Yield: 6 servings

Preheat oven to 425˚F. Add bones to a roasting pan, and bake for 60 minutes. Add onions, carrots, and celery to a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon oil. Transfer vegetables to roasting pan with bones, and bake for 30 minutes.

Transfer bones, onion, carrots, and celery to a stockpot, and cover with 3 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 3 1/2 hours. Strain stock through a sieve lined with cheesecloth, and discard solids. Rinse pot, and wipe it out.

Return stock to pot, and add fish sauce. Add 2 tablespoons oil to a sauté pan on medium. Add pork belly. Cook until crispy, and drain on paper towels.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to a sauté pan. Add shallots, and cook for 3–4 minutes. Add garlic and chili, and cook another 2 minutes. Pat shrimp dry, and season with salt.  Add shrimp to pan, and sauté until just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, and add noodles. Cook 3–4 minutes. Strain.

Bring stock to simmer. Divide noodles evenly between 6 bowls. Divide pork belly, shrimp, cilantro, mint, scallions, and peanuts evenly between bowls. Ladle 1/2–1 cup broth into each bowl, and serve immediately.