 Quang noodle (Photo: afamily.vn) |
A: Welcome to VOV24/7’s Food Delight. We’re……..
B: We’re still enjoying the atmosphere of the Lunar New Year. Why don’t we take this chance to try a new cuisine?
A: Good idea. Localities in the central region such as Da Nang City, Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces always attract many tourists, especially during Lunar New Year holidays and their cuisine is very tempting, too.
B: When visiting this area, don’t forget to stop over at a street stall or restaurant to taste local foods.
A: Quang noodles are my favorite. I fell in love with the tasty flavor of the broth, the chicken, and the herbs. This is a can’t-miss dish on your trip to the central region.
B: Quang noodle soup is available at street food stalls or restaurants. But today, we’ll have this dish at Lang Co Beach Resort.
A: Quang noodle soup has its name from its place of origin, Quang Nam province in central Vietnam. The major ingredients are rice noodles, meat and herbs. There is a variety of Quang noodle soup made with different kinds of meat such as shrimp, pork, chicken, duck and frog, but the most popular is chicken.
B: Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Hue, the chef at Lang Co Beach Resort prepares for us Quang noodle soup with chicken.
Hue: We prepare the main ingredients: chicken, noodles, herbs to serve with radish leaves, banana flowers, lettuce, and coriander. For the toppings, we have roasted peanut, grilled rice cracker, and green chilli. You may have different kinds of vegetables but banana flower is indispensable to make sure that the dish has spicy, salty and acidic flavors.
A: So, it’s important to choose good chicken, the main ingredient for the dish and this is also the most time-consuming process.
Hue: We need to choose lean chicken with low fat. Then, we’ll marinate it with cu nem which is like shallots, a typical onion in the central region, together with chili, fish sauce, pepper, and seasoning. Cover and leave the marinated chicken to marinate for several hours.
After that, heat some oil, stir-fry the marinated chicken with cu nem, and dried chilli. Add some water and simmer the chicken until it turns tender.
B: Like Pho of the North and Hu tieu of the South, Quang noodles are served in broth. But the difference is that the broth of Quang noodles is more condensed with a stronger and spicier flavor. And the way to make Quang noodle broth is different from that for Pho and Hu tieu. Ms. Hue tells us more:
Hue: Quang noodle’s broth is made by simmering chicken in water or bone broth. The broth has a more intense flavor as it is seasoned with fish sauce, black pepper, shallots and garlic. Turmeric can be replaced for chilli and also adds a yellowish color to the dish.
The next ingredient is the noodles which are made from rice flour and water. The noodles are available at local markets. If the noodles are too sticky, you can use some peanut oil to separate the sticky strands.
A: So, you must pay attention to minute details to make sure that you can cook the dish successfully. Now we combine the chicken, broth, noodles and herbs to have a delicious bowl of Quang noodle soup.
B: That’s not all. Quang noodle soup is served with rice crackers, peanuts, hard-boiled eggs and some spices such as lime juice and fresh chili or chili sauce.
A: Quang noodle soup can be made with other kinds of meat such as beef, duck, frog or snakehead fish. Is it cooked as the same way as the Quang noodle chicken soup?
Hue: Basically, it is cooked the same way. Eggs and fish are prepared and marinated in the same way. But, it is necessary to add the strong flavor of chili to mitigate the fishy smell. Moreover, it doesn’t take as much time as Quang noodle chicken soup because frog and fish can be cooked in a shorter time.
B: What are you waiting for? Let’s visit Hue, Da Nang, and Hoi An to enjoy unique cultural activities, landscapes, as well as the great cuisine. See you next time.