SOUTHERN NOODLE SOUP

In its early days, it was called “weird” pasta because it looks similar to vermicelli noodles, yet rougher and uglier and no two noodles stringsare alike; however, the taste is splendid as mentioned in an old saying – “Noodle strings are short and long; our parents work hard all days long. How much we do love them.” The dish hasn’t been found in China or any othercountries’ cuisines. It’s popular in all 13 Southern provinces, and almost everyone has once “hurdled over one’s shoulder to the market with some pennies for a bowl of noodle soup!”– This dish has therefore been listed in the previous book edition for its name and its cooking method. It can be served either for main course like rice noodle soup or for dessert like sweet porridge. Noodle strings carry the regional variety from the rice to the flour. Sometimes, the flour is mixed with tapioca starch. Some other times, it is made from tapioca starch, called translucentdough noodle soup, and strings are jellying white. In some places, vermicelli noodles are mixed with tapioca starch to create the dough and strings are made from it, called cut dough noodle soup, or rolled dough noodle soup (a cub is used to knead the dough). Some say there is even squeezed dough noodle soup since the strings are made from rolling the strings by hands or sliding on thighs of Southern countryside ladies. The soup and main ingredients are nonetheless less various. The names therefore also vary according to cooking methods, ingredients and regions. There are crab noodle soup, fish noodle soup, shrimp pork noodle soup, ducknoodle soup, and sweetnoodle soup, etc. Each of them is a masterpiece that should be treasured and developed.

TraVinh noodle soup: The dish has been known with the name of Ben CoHamlet, NguyetHoaVillage, Chau ThanhTown, TraVinhProvince. Five kilometers away from the province, there is a famous shop which has been selling delicious noodle soup for decades. It is a family run business passed down from a mother to her six children. She started her businessin 1980, first as a street vendor along the field paths, then a small stall owner, and slowly a big shop owner of a well-known brand. Noodle soup flour is delicious because it is made from seasonal rice. The strings are thick, translucent, chewy, and will not get expanded being brewed in water for a long time. In addition, the soup is another key element to the dish quality. The shop owner has to order all ingredients early in the morning and get them all carefully cleaned. During cooking time, bubblesfrom the soup pot must be constantly cleared out to preserve the meat’s fresh color. The strings are cooked with the soup to enhance the flavor. When there are customers’ orders, they are taken out, about three or four bowls each patch. After that, another patch of strings will be added into the soup pot. The seller puts the noodle into a bowl together with diverse types of meat on the surface. The soup is poured atop with chopped onions, parsley, some pepper and then it is ready to serve. The dish doesn’t come with vegetables or bean sprouts. You can order them separately if you like. There are also Chinese crullers to serve with.

Cai Lay duck cut dough noodle soup: Besides the soup and black sticky rice, noodle strings are the key to distinguish this dish from its ten different versions in the Southern region. Rice flour is finely kneaded and mixed with tapioca starch until it becomes smooth and elastic. After that it is cut into slumps and a thin layer of flour is spread out for crusting. In many places, noodle strings production has become automatic. However, it is a pleasure to watch the ladies swiftly spread the dough using glass bottles, and cut them into strings on the cutting board or banana leaves with a knife, which leavesa distinctive flavor in the final product. That is why it is called cut dough noodle soup. The handmade noodle strings are not even; they look as down-to-earth as those who make them. Despite their look, they won’t get soft after hours being brewed in the soup. This is becausethe rice hasearlier been brewed for ten hours. To spice up this dish, a slice of black sticky rice is added. The method is not difficult; however, in order to make the noodles fragrant, elastic, and tasty, black sticky rice must be fresh and cooked in 2 hours. Sometimes it is cooked with the soup for a better taste. Ducks or Muscovy ducks are the best to choose from. A grown up male duck usually has great meat and feathers shaving is easier. After being cleaned, duck meat is boiled by the soup and chopped into thin slices. Some other times, the meat is finely chopped and seasoned. Duck blood and black sticky rice are mixed and left to freeze. Next, the mixture is boiled in one or two hours, taken out, and cut into slices to serve. Sliced noodle soup is dipped in the water to get rid of the oil and leave to dry. The soup is poured on top with chopped onion, parsley and pepper to enhance flavor. Thedish is served with sweet sour ginger fish source.

Ben Tre Muscovy duck and coconut milk noodle soup: BenTre is adjacent to TienGiang by a river. It therefore has the similar cut dough noodle soup. Still, the dish here demands a different identity since it is not commercially sold in shops but rather home cooked due to its sophisticated ingredients and cooking method. On certain occasions,to make this dish, rice is brewed and grinned into flour. The flour is then put into a cloth bag. The bag is put under the grinder machine and turned from side to side to drain out excessive water. That dry flour is later mixed with diluted coconut milk (the second/ third time coconut meat is mixed with water. This milk is translucent and diluted and contains less fat compared to the first mix). The mixture is then flattened by a glass bottle so that the dough covers the bottle. It is cut into strings by a bow (made from bamboo and bamboo strings). While cutting the strings into the soup pot, the cook should frequently stir the pot to avoid dough sticking together at the bottom. Clean duck meat is cooked, sliced up, and put on a plate. Stir fried mushrooms are put into the soup pot. Spices, coconut milk, onion, and parsley are later added into the pot. Noodle soup is served in bowls with some pepper on top. The noodle stickiness and its white coloradorned by green herbs look wonderful together. The coconut milk is greasy while the meat is tasty and distinctive. It would be more interesting when dinners take the duck meat and dip it into sweet and sour ginger fish sauce. It is like the country spirit is represented by this dish.

Can Tho noodle soup: The dish is cooked with small shrimps and chopped pork. It is called “salty” to distinguish with the sweetnoodle soup which is only cooked with coconut milk and sugar. Dough can be bought from the market or made at home. The dough recipe is ½ kg of tapioca starch, ½ kg noodles, and 1kg grinned coconut meat. Noodles are well kneaded while the flour is slowly added. Water cannot be added. Keep kneaded until the dough is smooth and soft. Cut into small slumps which are crusted with flour and vertically rolled by two hands. The tasktakes time and can be tiring to those who are not used to it. Boil diluted coconut milk and put the strings inside. Let it boil for a while then add shrimps, chopped pork, and heads of onion leaves. Finally add coconut milk. Soup is poured into a bowl with pepper and chopped onion on top. Homemade noodles is always more chewy and tasty than that bought from the market. The fragrance of greasy coconut milk and tasty meat is irresistible. One just wants to grab a spoon and enjoy it.

Phong Dien coconut ladle noodle soup: According to Ms. Phượng Loan in PhongDienat the arch highway, over 50 years ago, this dish was created by a teacher, Madam Đậu. She was a grandma who usually prepared food for family gatherings. It used to be on the verge ofextinction and was later recovered. Once, culinary artist Bui Thi Suong, a judge of Golden Spoon Contest, saw the beautiful chef Đoan Thi Tu Minh of Ha Chau restaurant presenting this dish. She remembered how her grandmother and mom cooked it for her when she was little living in her hometown, TienGiang. The unique trait lies in the flexible dough recipe which is different from families. In the early days, there were stages of rice brewing, using stone grinder, dough resting, etc. Now, the dough is ready made; the secret therefore lies in how to mix rice flour and tapioca starch. The mixture is stirred and sifted. Next, it is brewed in boiled water for 15 minutes, and finelykneaded until the dough is no longer sticky. These steps play an important role in deciding whether the noodles strings later will be round, translucent, crispy, chewy, long, yet not too soft. Finally, the dough is put into a coconut ladle with small holes underneath. Use a cooking chopstick to paddle on the coconut ladle so that the dough runs down the holes into the boiling water pot, creating noodles strings. Making strings this way with the right technique, the strings can be long enough for a bowl of soup. The recipe and cooking method are the same, but it’s important to how to make a delicious soup pot with various simple ingredients such as bones, shrimps, meat, squids, carrots, mushrooms, and white radish… Readers can search for more information with these key words on the internet. A bowl of noodle soup presented in the typical Southern style is not only colorful but also nutritious. On top are pork slices, carrot flowers, green salad, black pepper, fried purple onions, sweet mushrooms, and some parley for decoration. Other versions of the dish are shrimps or fish cooked with coconut milk. Or for sweet noodle soup, pandan leaves are used and coconut milk must be accompanied by sesame or peanut beans on top.

Collected by Linh Trang