Boat noodles: the secrets to Thai dish’s great taste and five places to eat them in Hong Kong

More expensive versions use wagyu beef and imported pig’s blood but the signature rich, dark broth flavoured with garlic and coriander in bowls of Thai rice noodles can also feature pork and fermented bean curd

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Wagyu beef boat noodles at Samsen Thai restaurant in Wan Chai.

Published: 12:45pm, 12 Oct 2017Updated: 8:02pm, 12 Oct 2017

Boat noodles aren’t new in Hong Kong: they’ve been on the menus at Thai restaurants in the city – especially the more casual places – for a long time, although not always known by that name.

The small bowls of noodles are recognisable by the intense, thick dark broth and toppings of sliced meat, meatballs, fresh herbs such as coriander and Thai basil, and fried pork crackling.

The name boat noodle has been around since the 1940s, says Lonuchit Suphasit, of Boat Noodle in Tsim Sha Tsui. The dish was originally served off boats in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

A woman sells noodles from her boat at a floating market in Bangkok.

Suphasit says the traditional version of the dish in Thailand is small because only the bottom of the bowl is covered by broth and noodles, making it easier for one person to paddle the boat and serve at the same time. “If the bowl is too full, the soup will spill,” he says.

Restaurants in Hong Kong usually offer a larger portion, although Nittaya Bistro in Tai Kok Tsui offers the traditional tiny bowl from 3pm to 10.30pm. Boat Noodle in Tsim Sha Tsui gives customers the option of adding a larger portion of noodles.

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The defining ingredient is fresh pig’s blood, chefs told the Post, but it’s not easy to get because Hong Kong does not allow the sale of liquid animal blood. Samsen in Wan Chai imports it from Thailand while Boat Noodle uses solidified blood, breaking up the pudding-like chunks before adding it to the soup base.