Leng Saap is a bold, spicy Thai pork bone soup built on tender pork bones, a deeply savory broth, and a sharp finish of lime, chilies, garlic, and fresh herbs. It’s fiery, tangy, and unmistakably Isaan. Make it the traditional stove method or use an instant pot!
This is a true Isaan-style bone soup. Simple, brothy, and herb-forward, Leng Saap belongs alongside dishes like Gaeng Nor Mai and Gaeng Om Gai, not creamy coconut-based Thai curries.
Jump to:
- What Is Leng Saap?
- Ingredients
- Best Pork Bone Substitutes
- How to Make Leng Saap (Traditional Method)
- Instant Pot Leng Saap Option
- How to Eat Leng Saap
- Storage and Reheating Tips
- Suwanee's Top Tips
- Why Leng Saap Became So Popular
- More Isaan Dishes You’ll Enjoy
- FAQ
- Leng Saap (Thai Spicy Pork Bone Soup)
- Related and Pairing
- Hi there, I’m Suwanee!
What Is Leng Saap?
Leng Saap (also spelled Leng Saeb or Leng Zapp) is a spicy Thai pork bone soup popular in Northeastern Thailand and Lao-influenced regions. The word leng refers to pork bones, usually neck bones, spine, or ribs, while saap means bold, tangy, and intensely flavorful.
This isn’t a noodle soup. It’s all about the pork bones and the broth. The meat is simmered until tender, then finished with lime, chilies, and herbs right before serving. The flavor is sour, salty, and fiery. The kind of soup meant to wake up your appetite and be eaten family-style with jasmine or sticky rice.
Ingredients
This pork bone soup recipe is flexible and easy. Traditionally, you just use whatever bones you have. There are really two parts to making it. First, you simmer the pork bones to build a rich broth. Then you finish everything with the spicy dressing and bring it all together right before serving.
- Pork bones. Pork neck bones are classic, but pork ribs, backbone, spine, or mixed pork bones all work. I used long pork ribs cut into 3–4 rib sections for extra meat.
- Water or light broth. Keeps the soup clean and lets the pork shine.
- Garlic and white peppercorns. Build a simple, fragrant base.
- Fish sauce and sugar. Balance salt and heat.
- Fresh chilies. Adjust to your spice tolerance.
- Lime juice. Added at the end for brightness.
- Cilantro and culantro. Use cilantro roots if you have them for the broth. If you are able to find culantro (saw tooth herb) it's even better! These are essential for that unmistakable Isaan finish.
See recipe card below for exact measurements.
Best Pork Bone Substitutes
If pork neck bones aren’t available, don’t stress. This soup is flexible. Any bone with meat and connective tissue will work. The goal is bones with plenty of collagen so the broth turns rich and the meat becomes tender. Good options include:
- Pork ribs (meatier and easy to find)
- Pork backbone or spine
- Pork leg bones
- Mixed pork bones from an Asian butcher
How to Make Leng Saap (Traditional Method)
- Simmer the pork bones. Add pork bones, garlic, white peppercorns, salt, cilantro and water to a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim any foam, then simmer gently until the meat is fork-tender and the broth is flavorful. About 2 hours.
- Make the spicy herb mixture. Combine chopped chilies, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and herbs in a bowl. (This part you can make ahead of time as the broth will take some time before it's done).
- Assemble. Carefully remove the pork bones from the pot, keeping as much of the tender meat intact as possible. Arrange the bones on a shallow platter or large soup bowl. Next is the fun part. Stack and arrange them however you like for a dramatic presentation. Pour the hot broth and spicy dressing over the bones, letting the mixture cling to the sides so the pork absorbs all that bold flavor.
- Finish and serve. Garnish with thinly sliced lime wedges for more zing and more chopped chilis if you'd like more heat. Serve immediately.
Instant Pot Leng Saap Option
Short on time? The Instant Pot works beautifully for Leng Saap. Just add everything to the pot, set it, and let it do the work. You’ll get tender meat and a rich, flavorful broth with almost no effort.
- Add all the ingredients for the pork stock into your instant pot. (Pork bones, garlic, cilantro stems, white peppercorns, salt and water.)
- Pressure cook 25 minutes on high on your instant pot. Natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release.
- Finish with the same spicy lime-herb mixture as the stove top method. You’ll still get tender meat and a rich pork bone broth, just faster.
How to Eat Leng Saap
Leng Saap is meant to be shared. It’s usually placed in the center of the table and eaten family-style. Gently pull the tender meat from the bones, spoon some of the spicy broth and dressing over it, and enjoy each bite with rice. Set the bones aside as you go.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Best to store the broth and pork bones separately and refrigerate for up to three days. Reheat gently over low heat, then finish with fresh lime juice and herbs before serving. Like many bone soups, the flavors deepen overnight, making Leng Saap even better the next day.
Suwanee's Top Tips
- In many Isaan home-style versions, cooks add mushrooms, tomatoes, or a little toasted rice powder to help mellow the heat and add texture. These aren’t required, but they’re great options if you want a slightly softer spice level.
- You can make the spicy dressing up to a day ahead and store it in the fridge. Having it ready makes assembly quick once the pork is tender.
- If you have extra broth, store it in a glass container and save it for another batch or use it as a flavorful base for other soups.
- Traditionally, Leng Saap is made with pork, which is very common in Thai cooking. If you don’t eat pork, beef or lamb shanks work well and still pair beautifully with the bold, spicy broth.
Why Leng Saap Became So Popular
Leng Saap went viral for its over-the-top presentation at Thai restaurants and street food stalls, especially after being featured by Mark Wiens. Towering bowls of pork bones piled high with chilies, lime, and herbs are hard to forget.
In this more manageable home-made versions, we'll make a smaller portion that make sense for everyday cooking and sharing at the table.
More Isaan Dishes You’ll Enjoy
If Leng Saap is your kind of food, explore these next:
- Tom Saap – A spicy, sour Isaan soup with chilies and herbs
- Gaeng Pa– Spicy Isaan soup with mixed vegetables
- Nam Jim Jaew – Classic Isaan dipping sauce for meats
- Gai Yang – Charcoal-grilled chicken with bold seasoning
You’ll find all of these in my Isaan Food Hub, where I share the dishes I grew up eating and still cook at home.
FAQ
They’re similar, but Leng Saap focuses on pork bones, while Tom Saap often uses sliced meat or offal.
It can be. The heat comes from fresh chilies, so you can easily adjust it.
No. Leng Saap is a Thai pork bone soup, typically served without noodles.
Leng Saap (Thai Spicy Pork Bone Soup)
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
Leng Saap is a bold, spicy Thai pork bone soup built on tender pork bones, a deeply savory broth, and a sharp finish of lime, chilies, garlic, and fresh herbs. It’s fiery, tangy, and unmistakably Isaan. Make it the traditional stove method or use an instant pot!
Ingredients
Soup Broth
- 2.5 lb pork bones (neck bones preferred; ribs or backbone work)
- 8 cups water (or enough to cover)
- 2 tsp whole white peppercorns
- 5–6 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 Tbsp salt
- ⅓ cup cilantro stems, chopped (about 2-inch pieces)
Spicy Lime Dressing
- ¾ cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- ¼ cup culantro, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp garlic, finely chopped
- 2 oz Thai chilies, chopped (adjust to taste)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 5 Tbsp fish sauce
- 6 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1½ cups hot broth (from the soup)
Optional: mushrooms, tomatoes, toasted rice powder (khao khua)
Instructions
Stove-Top Method
- Simmer the pork bones. Add pork bones, garlic, white peppercorns, salt, cilantro and water to a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim any foam, then simmer gently until the meat is fork-tender and the broth is flavorful. About 2 hours.
- Make the spicy herb mixture. Combine chopped chilies, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and herbs in a bowl. (This part you can make ahead of time as the broth will take some time before it's done).
- Assemble. Carefully remove the pork bones from the pot, keeping as much of the tender meat intact as possible. Arrange the bones on a shallow platter or large soup bowl. Next is the fun part. Stack and arrange them however you like for a dramatic presentation. Pour the hot broth and spicy dressing over the bones, letting the mixture cling to the sides so the pork absorbs all that bold flavor.
- Finish and serve. Garnish with thinly sliced lime wedges for more zing and more chopped chilis if you'd like more heat. Serve immediately.
Instant Pot Method
- Add all the ingredients for the pork stock into your instant pot. (Pork bones, garlic, cilantro stems, white peppercorns, salt and water.)
- Pressure cook 25 minutes on high on your instant pot. Natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release.
- Finish with the same spicy lime-herb mixture as the stove-top method. You’ll still get tender meat and a rich pork bone broth, just faster.
Notes
- In many Isaan home-style versions, cooks add mushrooms, tomatoes, or a little toasted rice powder to help mellow the heat and add texture. These aren’t required, but they’re great options if you want a slightly softer spice level.
- You can make the spicy dressing up to a day ahead and store it in the fridge. Having it ready makes assembly quick once the pork is tender.
- If you have extra broth, store it in a glass container and save it for another batch or use it as a flavorful base for other soups.
- Traditionally, Leng Saap is made with pork, which is very common in Thai cooking. If you don’t eat pork, beef or lamb shanks work well and still pair beautifully with the bold, spicy broth.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: Stovetop: 1½–2 hours Instant Pot: 25 minutes + natural release
- Category: Isaan food
- Method: Instant pot, stove top
- Cuisine: Isaan Recipe, Thai
Related and Pairing
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these: These are my favorite dishes to serve with Leng Saap.
Hi there, I’m Suwanee!
I’m the person behind this Thai food blog. I spent the first thirteen years of my childhood in Thailand, where I fell in love with the flavors of Thai cooking. What started as sharing recipes from my kitchen has grown into a journey from home cook to restaurant chef — and now one of just eight contestants chosen nationwide for PBS’s The Great American Recipe, Season 4. You’re in the right place if you love to cook Thai food. Come by often, and let’s get cooking!
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