For the ground pork, use pork shoulder or pork butt with a bit of fat for tenderness. Put all the riêu ingredients into a food processor. Bring water to a boil, shape the mixture into balls, and drop them in to simmer until tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Simmering longer makes the riêu softer and more fragrant! Skim off any foam as needed.

In a small pan, heat lard and annatto seeds to make annatto oil. Add the pork hock and its broth, tomatoes (cut into wedges), and onion (cut into wedges) to the riêu pot along with the annatto oil. Add salt, rock sugar, and MSG if desired (I skipped it since the broth was sweet enough). Season to taste, making it a bit stronger since you'll add noodles later.

Roughly chop the fresh vegetables and mix with bean sprouts and shredded banana blossom. Add shredded water spinach if you have it. Chop scallions, cilantro, and sawtooth herb. Cut lime or calamansi into wedges. Prepare small bowls of fermented shrimp paste and fish sauce for extra seasoning.