Thai Boat Noodles

Kuaitiao ruea got its name and its form from the canals. Vendors sold from boats along the waterways of the central plains, and serving from an unsteady boat to someone on another boat meant small bowls - spill less, hand over easier - which is why the standard portion is a few mouthfuls and why the convention is to order many and stack the empties. The broth is the other distinguishing thing: a dark beef or pork stock built with cinnamon, star anise and other spices and thickened at the end with fresh blood, which gives body and a mineral depth rather than any strong taste of blood itself. It is served with noodles of choice, beef or pork, offal, morning glory, crisp pork rind and a heap of chilli and vinegar condiments. The lane by the canal at Victory Monument in Bangkok is the best-known concentration of shops, where stacks of twenty bowls are routine.

What you actually see

• The small bowls - a few mouthfuls each, ordered many at a time.
• The blood-thickened broth - dark, spiced beef or pork stock with body.
• The stacked empties - the count kept in a tower on the table.
• The canal origin - boat vendors, and why the portion is what it is.

When to go

Any time; boat noodle shops open through the day and into the evening. The Victory Monument lane in Bangkok is the standard place to try it. An hour.

Honest expectations

The broth contains blood, which some people will want to know before ordering. Portions are tiny by design - one bowl is not a meal. Shops are basic and cash-only in most cases. Offal is standard unless you ask otherwise.

Nearby

The Victory Monument canal lane in Bangkok; shops throughout Ayutthaya and the central plains.