Start by cooking your rice noodles. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the noodles. Cook them until they’re just tender, about 3-5 minutes.

Drain and rinse under cold water. This helps to prevent them from getting mushy and sticky. Set them aside, and let’s move on to the lovely sauce.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium heat. Once hot, sauté the minced garlic and chopped onion until they’re translucent. This should take about 2-3 minutes.

Now, it’s time to add the ground pork. Cook it until it’s browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. The aroma should be incredible by now!

Pour in the beef broth, including the dissolved annatto powder. This not only adds flavor but also gives your dish that beautiful color. Then, add the shrimp bouillon cube, flour mixture, fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper, paprika, and oyster sauce. Stir well to combine.

Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Allow it to cook for about 10 minutes until it thickens and all the flavors meld together. You should be doing a little happy dance at this point; it smells heavenly!

Now, toss in those cooked rice noodles. Gently mix everything, so the noodles soak up that glorious sauce. Let it cook for another 5 minutes on low heat.

While the noodles are soaking up the flavors, let’s prep the toppings. Slice the hard-boiled eggs, chop the green onions, and if you haven’t done so yet, get the shrimp and fried pork skin ready.

Serve the noodles hot, topped generously with smoked fish flakes, shrimp, egg, crispy pork skin, and green onions. Squeeze a little lemon over the top for an extra burst of flavor.