Have you had Kasoy Noodle Soup Mien style before?

Kasoy Noodle soup, or Kaosoy, or Kasoi is THE Mien noodle soup you will find at every party, birthday, baby shower and large gathering. Kasoy noodle soup will warm your soul, and even help with a hangover. This is one of my ultimate favorite noodle soups, and I can't even put into words how much I love it.

Kasoy Noodle Soup is a budget friendly noodle, Perfect for large gatherings or families!

If you know me now, you KNOW I love a deal. I buy meat in bulk when its on sale , and even grind my own pork when I buy pork butt for $.88-$.99/lb. That's what makes Kasoy Noodle Soup so affordable. The main protein is ground pork, which usually ranges in price from $1.99-$2.99/lb. The meats in many Asian noodle soups can add up quickly in price. For example Bún Riêu uses crab meat, and Phở uses multiple cuts of beef and beef bones.

Another bonus is that Kasoy is simpler to make than most Asian noodle soups!

If you can chop, you can make Kasoy! The most labor intensive portion of this recipe is cutting the garnishes, carrots and meatballs (if using). You can also skip the home made bone broth and use a pre-made chicken or beef broth, and add some Pho Soup Base Seasoning, fish sauce and salt to taste.

The MEAT SAUCE is the STAR of this Noodle soup.

The Kasoy noodle soup meat sauce is meant to be salty if eaten alone, because the seasonings and flavors of the meat sauce will transfer into the soup base. The meat sauce is heavily seasoned with a fermented bean paste called thopzey. The essential ingredients for the meat sauce are ground pork (or your preferred ground meat), tomatoes, and thopzey. I've chosen to add some extra seasonings to the meat so the extra seasoning sauces are not usually needed.

So... What is Thopzey (Thopxay, Dopczeic) and where can I find it ?

Thopzey is a fermented bean paste made of soybeans and Mien Grandma magic! Most grocery stores do not carry thopzey, but there are some specialty stores that do in California, Washington, Oregon and even Alaska! I grab all my Thopzey from Mien Market (Store Link) , and luckily they also do sell thopzey local to me as well. There are 2 versions of thopzey from Mien Market. "Grandma Yien Choy's is spicy, salty, moist, and more paste-like, and Grandma Saechao's is very pungent, dry, and firm in texture."

Is there ANY Alternative at all to Thopzey?

While Thopzey has a very unique taste, This Healthy Boy Soybean paste is also a fermented soybean that does share some similarities. This soybean paste can be used to substitute, but Thopzey really is the heart and soul of Mien Kasoy.

Whats with all these sauces?!

Since Kasoy is often enjoyed with many friends, or family, the soup broth is usually very neutral so the meat can really shine in the dish. Another fun aspect of enjoying Kasoy is the ability to add seasonings and toppings to your own taste. I have adjusted the meat sauce to include a few seasonings, but its always fun to have additional options!

What kind of rice noodles should I use?

The top three noodles in the photo below are dried rice noodles, and the bottom three are the fresh rice noodles. Typically the large rice noodles are used to make chow fun, and pad kee mao (drunken noodles), the medium ones are used for pad thai, and the smaller ones are commonly used in pho. I love the thicker sized noodles to thow into my noodle soups but chose any thickness you prefer for kasoy.

Various types of rice noodles, fresh and dried : Photo by John Lee

Mien Kasoy Noodle Soup is not the same as Thai Khao Soi.

Traditional Mien Kasoy Noodle Soup is made of 5 main ingredients, ground Pork, tomatoes, thopzey (Fermented Bean Paste), clear bone broth and rice noodles. Thai Khao Soi noodle soup is commonly made with chicken and a curry coconut broth.

If you LOVE Noodle and Soups, Here are some RECIPES you'll want to give a try!

Taiwanese Braised Beef Noodle — Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Khao Piak Sen — Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Equipment

Pressure Cooker ** For most beef bones cook on high for 35 minutes , and NPR (Natural Pressure Release) 20 minutes. For Oxtails cook on high for 40 minutes and NPR (Natural Pressure Release) for 20 minutes. If the oxtails are very large you may want to cook for 45 mins on high and then NPR (Natural Pressure Release) for 20 minutes. **

Ingredients

For the Meat Sauce - This is meant to be salty to flavor the entire broth of the soup (serving- about ¾cup of meat sauce per bowl)

2 lbs Ground Pork
1 tbsp oil
15 cloves Garlic (Minced) about 3-4 tbsp
½ cup Thopzey Mien Market (Mien Fermented Soybeans) use less for a more mild taste **This is the most important ingredient of the dish. As a last resort, you can sub Healthy Boy Fermented Soy Bean Paste but the taste will be slightly different
1 pack Beef Meatballs (sliced in half) - Optional
2 lbs Tomatoes
1 tbsp Chicken Powder
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Pho Paste (Optional Sub in ½ tablespoon more fish sauce if not using)

Kasoy Noodle Soup-3 — Meat Sauce Ingredients

For the Soup Broth - To save a step, you can also substitute pre-made Chicken or Beef Stock

6 lbs Beef Bones (Beef neck/Ox Tail/Beef bones with marrow)
2 stalks Lemongrass
2-4 Onions
½ cup Quoc Viet Pho Soup Base (Optional but recommended) Sub 4 tablespoon Salt + 1 tablespoon Sugar
21 cups Water (for the soup broth) + more for parboiling
2 lbs Carrots to be added in 2 hours into cooking
¼ cup Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Salt (I used Kosher)

Noodles

3 packs Dried Rice Noodles 14oz
6-7 lbs Fresh Rice Noodles

I love fresh noodles with this recipe, but all rice noodles taste great with Kasoy.

Fresh Rice Noodles : Photo by Cathyla.com

Garnishes:

Fried Garlic
1 bunch Cilantro (chopped)
1 bunch Green onions (chopped)
Small head of cabbage (I like purple but green works too)
Pork rinds (chicharrones) ** I had these and totally forgot to film and photograph it!**
Jalapeños or Serranos (sliced)
Lime
Bean Sprouts

Extra Seasonings to be served alongside:

Instructions

Beef Bones

** If you don't want to cook your own broth, chicken broth is a great substitution. Season the chicken broth to taste with Quoc Viet Pho Soup Base, salt, and fish sauce to taste. The meat sauce is the star of this type of noodle soup, and will flavor your broth**
For this recipe I used a combination of beef neck, oxtails and bone marrow. I do love oxtails and bone marrow but beef neck is my preferred cut because they are very meaty, flavorful and affordable.

Parboiling (Optional but recommended for a clearer broth)

To a large stockpot parboil beef bones for 20 mins, by adding room temperature water and bones to a pot. Rinse and drain.

Stovetop Cooking Instructions: ( Pressure cooking instructions below)

Add the parboiled bones back into the pot with fresh water, and add in onions, and lemongrass and Quoc Viet Pho Soup Base (If using).
I added about 21 cups of water back to my pot for 6lbs of beef bones. You can adjust the servings of my recipe using the (+/-) buttons next to servings
Bring the pot to a boil, and use a skimmer or a spoon to remove and additional impurities that rises up to the top of the broth. Let simmer about 2-2.5 hours until meat on bones are tender.
Once the beef bones are tender, add in the fish sauce, salt and carrots. I used jumbo sized carrots which took 45 minutes to cook but most carrots will cook in about 20-25 minutes.

Kasoy Noodle Soup-14 — Removing Impurities

Kasoy Noodle Soup-5 — Removing Impurities

Pressure Cooker Cooking Instructions:

Add the parboiled bones into the pressure cooker liner pot with fresh water, and add in onions, and lemongrass and Quoc Viet Pho Soup Base (If using). Add enough water to cover up the contents of the pot. (Keep track of how much water you add so you will know how much water to add to the final soup pot)
For most beef bones cook on high for 35 minutes , and NPR (Natural Pressure Release) 20 minutes. For Oxtails cook on high for 40 minutes and NPR (Natural Pressure Release) for 20 minutes. If the oxtails are very large you may want to cook for 45 mins on high and then NPR (Natural Pressure Release) for 20 minutes.
After depressurizing the pot, add in the fish sauce, salt and carrots. Turn the pressure cooker to saute mode on high. I used jumbo sized carrots which took 45 minutes to cook but most carrots will cook in about 20-25 minutes.
If making a full batch that needs more water, transfer all the ingredients of the pressure cooker to your stock pot and add the remaining water.

For the Meat Sauce:

**Thopzey is an essential part of this soup dish and if you can find it locally or online (Mien Market), I highly recommend it. I will also list one alternative above in the full recipe.**
Heat pan to medium and add 1 tablespoon oil and minced garlic.
Once the garlic is fragrant and slightly browned, add in ground pork. Break apart the pork, and when it is almost fully cooked add : ½ cup Thopzey (Mien Fermented Soybeans) use less for a more mild taste
Mix together and once fragrant, add in the tomatoes and cook down for about 10-15 minutes until saucy.
Add in the seasonings and meatballs if using, mix together and simmer another 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon Chicken Powder, 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce, 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce, 1 tablespoon Pho Paste (Optional Sub in ½ tablespoon more fish sauce if not using), 1 pack Beef Meatballs (sliced in half) - Optional

Assembling your soup:

Cook your rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse noodles and add to soup bowl.
Top with about ¾ cup of the meat sauce, and generously ladle over soup broth.
Add the garnishes to your hearts desire, and mix the noodles to taste the broth.
Add additional salt or fish sauce if needed, and Enjoy!

The Best Easy Mien KaSoy Noodle Soup (Iu Mien)

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