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1
Clean the intestines with rigour, working in stages so that each agent strips away what the last left behind. Turn them inside out and scrub thoroughly with coarse salt, which pulls the slick inner lining and its odour from the surface rather than merely rinsing over it. Follow with white vinegar rubbed along the full length, then the cut lime squeezed and worked across every surface; finish with a final rinse under cold running water, and judge the intestines ready only when they carry no residual odour beyond clean pork.
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2
Place the pork bones in cold water, bring to the boil and blanch for 5 minutes — starting in cold water so the impurities are drawn out gradually as the temperature rises rather than sealed in by sudden heat. Drain, rinse the bones under cold water, and discard the blanching liquid. Return the bones to a clean pot with 3 litres of fresh water, add the star anise and cinnamon stick, bring to a steady simmer and maintain it uncovered for a minimum of 2 hours; the broth is ready when it is opaque, full-bodied, and carries a clear pork depth on the nose.
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3
Stir the five-spice powder and dark soy sauce into the simmering broth, adding them at this stage rather than at the start so the spice remains bright and the soy does not turn acrid from prolonged boiling. Continue at a low simmer for a further 30 minutes. The finished broth must read deep mahogany — not black — when held up to light in a ladle; adjust with additional dark soy if the colour is too pale, but proceed with restraint.
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4
Prepare the palo by combining the 500 ml water, dark soy sauce, and five-spice in a separate pot and bringing it to a simmer. Add the cleaned intestines, heart, and liver, keeping the heat at a gentle simmer throughout so the offal cooks through without toughening on the outside before the centre is done — as liver overcooked by even a few minutes turns grainy and bitter beyond rescue. Remove each piece as it reaches tenderness — approximately 45 minutes for the intestines, less for the liver and heart — and slice the intestines into 3 cm rounds for service.
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5
Render the pork belly in a dry pan or roast it until the skin is blistered and the fat beneath is visibly crisp, giving the belly a second texture that cuts through the softness of the offal in the bowl. Rest briefly, then slice into 1 cm pieces. The skin must shatter cleanly under the knife — if it bends, return it to the heat.
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6
Bring a separate pot of unsalted water to a rolling boil — salted water would begin softening the noodles unevenly before they are fully submerged — then add the rolled rice sheet noodles and cook for 2–3 minutes only, until they have softened and unrolled slightly while still holding their tubular shape. Do not allow them to sit in hot liquid beyond this point or they will collapse and lose the texture that distinguishes guay jab from any other noodle soup. Drain immediately and divide among four deep bowls.
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7
Ladle the hot spiced pork broth over the noodles in each bowl so the heat carries the fragrance of the five-spice and soy up through the offal and pork belly arranged on top. Finish with fried garlic, sliced spring onion, and coriander. Serve at once with fish sauce and white pepper at the table.