Phá lấu is the Vietnamese offal stew of Saigon — a five-spice braise of pork belly, pork intestines, pork heart, and pork tongue (or any combination of beef offal and pork), simmered in a dark, star-anise-scented coconut broth until the meat is fall-apart tender. The dish is most commonly sold from street carts in the Chinatown district of Ho Chi Minh City, ladled over rice noodles or eaten with a crusty baguette, and washed down with a cold beer. In the diaspora, it's a special-occasion dish that Vietnamese families make when they can source the offal — usually from a Chinese or Vietnamese butcher who breaks down whole animals.

The defining flavor is the five-spice braise, which gives the broth its signature warm, aromatic depth. Star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, and Sichuan peppercorns are toasted and steeped in coconut water with palm sugar, fish sauce, and a generous pour of soybean paste for color and umami. The broth is sweet-sour-savory in equal measure, and the offal is simmered until it's tender enough to cut with a spoon.

The work is mostly in the prep — the offal must be cleaned thoroughly (especially the intestines, which need several rounds of salt-and-vinegar scrubbing), and the five-spice needs to be toasted just right to extract its aromatic oils without burning. Plan for at least an afternoon.

Ingredients

For the offal

  • 1 lb pork belly, skin on, cut into 1½-inch chunks
  • 1 lb pork intestines, cleaned and prepped (see notes)
  • ½ lb pork heart, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
  • ½ lb pork tongue, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces (or substitute with more heart)
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar (for cleaning the intestines)

For the braise

  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 3-inch piece fresh ginger, smashed
  • 2 star anise pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick (3-inch)
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
  • 2 tbsp sugar (palm sugar if available)
  • 3 tbsp soybean paste (or hoisin sauce as a substitute)
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut water (or water + 1 tbsp coconut cream)
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbsp tamarind paste (or 2 tbsp lime juice)
  • 2 Thai chiles, smashed (optional)

For serving

  • 1 lb fresh rice noodles (bánh phở) or 1 baguette
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1 cup Thai basil
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
  • 1 small red onion, sliced paper-thin
  • Fresh Thai chiles or chili-garlic sauce, optional

Instructions

1

Clean the offal

The intestines need the most attention. Rub them generously with salt, then rinse under cold water. Repeat 3 times, then rub with vinegar and rinse again. The intestines should smell clean and look pale pink when done. If your butcher cleaned them, this step is just a precaution.

Cut the cleaned intestines into 2-inch segments. Cut the pork heart and tongue into bite-size pieces. Leave the pork belly in 1½-inch chunks.

2

Parboil the offal

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add all the offal and pork belly. Boil for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water. This removes any remaining impurities and tightens the meat for the braise.

3

Toast the five-spice

In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, fennel seeds, and Sichuan peppercorns for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Watch carefully — the spices should smell aromatic but not burned. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

4

Bloom the aromatics

Heat the neutral oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook 5 minutes until softened. Add the smashed garlic and ginger; cook 1 minute until fragrant.

5

Build the braise

Add the toasted five-spice to the pot. Stir in the sugar, soybean paste, and fish sauce; cook 1 minute until the sugar starts to caramelize. Pour in the coconut water and 2 cups of water. Add the tamarind paste and chiles if using. Stir well and bring to a simmer.

6

Braise

Add the parboiled offal and pork belly to the pot. The liquid should cover the meat; add more water if needed. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Braise for 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the offal is fork-tender.

Taste the broth — it should be sweet, sour, savory, and aromatic all at once. Adjust with more fish sauce for savoriness, more tamarind for sourness, or more sugar for sweetness.

7

Serve

Ladle the phá lấu over cooked rice noodles or into shallow bowls with torn baguette for dipping. Pile the herbs, lime, sliced onion, and chiles on the table. Each diner adds herbs and squeezes lime over their bowl to taste.

VNomy notes

  • The offal must be cleaned thoroughly. Intestines especially. If you can, ask your butcher to do the initial cleaning and then do one more round at home. The flavor of the dish depends on the cleanliness of the offal — there's nowhere for poor prep to hide in this recipe.
  • Toast the five-spice yourself. Pre-ground five-spice powder loses its aromatic oils within weeks. Toasting whole spices takes 2 minutes and produces a dramatically better flavor.
  • The braise is long but mostly unattended. Once the pot is simmering, leave it alone for 1 hour 30 minutes. Just check the liquid level every 30 minutes and stir.
  • The broth improves overnight. Like most braises, phá lấu is better the second day. Refrigerate the offal and broth separately, then reheat gently and serve.
  • Substitute hoisin for soybean paste if needed. The flavor is similar but sweeter. Use 2 tablespoons hoisin for the same umami depth.
  • The herb plate matters. Vietnamese phá lấu is a meal, not just a stew. The herbs and lime brighten the richness of the broth.

Source notes

Recipe adapted from the team at Keep Up Cooking, which documents the Saigon street-food version with detailed guidance on offal sourcing. Technique cross-checked against Helen Le's phá lấu recipe for the braise timing.