The broth is made by simmering pork (or sometimes beef) in a mixture that includes a spice paste, dried herbs and halved cherry tomatoes. The meat, which can range from minced pork to chopped spareribs, combines with the spice paste to form a rich, meaty and often rather oily stew. The tomatoes provide a counterpart of acidity, and the broth is served over the noodles and supplemented with cubes of blood, topped with a generous amount of deep-fried crispy garlic and accompanied by sides of pickled mustard green, thinly sliced cabbage, bean sprouts, lime and dried chilies, deep-fried until crispy.