The secret in a bowl of banh canh in Ho Chi Minh City that made the American 'king of kitchens' come and continuously praise it as delicious

Unexpected joy

Nestled in alley 62/1 on Ngo Tat To street (Binh Thanh district, Ho Chi Minh city), the advertisement board for the snakehead fish noodle shop of Ms. Hong Thuy (47 years old) attracts many people's attention.

In addition to the words "queen of snakehead fish", there is a photo of the restaurant owner taking a photo with "king of the kitchen" Martin Yan (in the US), who is world famous for the show Yan Can Cook.

Ms. Thuy used to be a makeup artist, but after getting married, she became a housewife. She loves cooking, so she often tries to cook dishes according to her own preferences and ideas.

Ms. Thuy's snakehead fish noodle shop is located in a small alley on Ngo Tat To Street (Binh Thanh District, HCMC). Photo: Ha Nguyen

After that, the couple opened a small restaurant to earn income. But the restaurant was still empty and not many people noticed it.

She said: “Once, I tried cooking snakehead fish noodle soup for the whole family to eat and give feedback. But I cooked too much fish. Afraid that the family wouldn’t be able to finish it, I brought it out to the front door to sell for 12,000 VND.

Unexpectedly, the dish was praised by passersby. The next day, I continued cooking, adjusted according to customer feedback, and then sold it.

The restaurant is famous and sought out by many diners because of its fragrant, delicious, flavorful snakehead fish noodle soup cooked according to its own recipe. Photo: Ha Nguyen

Just like that, the number of customers gradually increased. From selling rice, I switched to selling snakehead fish noodle soup. The number of customers increased day by day, my business became stable, giving me a good income."

After 2 years of selling, her snakehead fish noodle soup, cooked according to her own recipe, became famous. Not only domestic customers but also foreigners traveling to Ho Chi Minh City also come to enjoy it.

In particular, the restaurant has delicious and unique dishes made from snakehead fish such as night noodle soup and snakehead fish stewed with Chinese herbs. Photo: Ha Nguyen

In the third year, the restaurant was unexpectedly visited by Mr. Martin Yan's assistant, who said the "king of the kitchen" would come to experience it. At that time, the couple still thought they were joking.

Unexpectedly, at exactly 7am the next day, a group of people brought cameras and placed them inside and outside the restaurant. At 9am the same day, Martin Yan appeared, warmly greeted and chatted with Thuy and her husband.

Ms. Thuy's restaurant was visited and introduced by "king of kitchens" Yan Can Cook on his show. Photo: Character provided

Mr. Martin Yan went directly into the kitchen to experience preparing snakehead fish meat, kneading dough, cutting noodles, cooking broth... with Ms. Thuy. After that, the two of them sold this dish to customers at the restaurant.

“He also finished the bowl of noodle soup I prepared and kept praising it as delicious. He also promised to come to Vietnam and visit my restaurant again.

That day, there were so many people coming to the restaurant to take pictures with Mr. Martin Yan that the restaurant was bustling, with no room to move around," Ms. Thuy recalled.

To make delicious, high-quality dishes, Ms. Thuy has a secret recipe for preparing fish and meat from fresh fruit. Photo: Ha Nguyen

"Queen of snakehead fish"

The appearance of "king of the kitchen" Yan Can Cook made Ms. Thuy's restaurant even more famous, attracting a steady stream of customers. During that period, she earned tens of millions of dong a day from selling snakehead fish noodle soup.

Her snakehead fish noodle soup has a delicious, sweet, and naturally refreshing taste from fresh snakehead fish. The noodles are chewy, not crumbly, and have a fragrant smell of flour while the fish meat is soft, not mushy, and has the delicious taste of fresh fish.

The secret to Ms. Thuy's dish becoming famous is that whether eaten hot or cold, well-cooked or rare, the snakehead fish meat does not have a fishy smell.

The spices at the restaurant are made by her. Photo: Ha Nguyen

To do this, she processed snakehead fish using a family secret that she cannot reveal. She confirmed that this method is done 100% with fresh Vietnamese vegetables, tubers, and fruits.

She also has her own way of mixing dipping sauce from vegetables and fruits for a unique flavor that cannot be found anywhere else.

Moreover, she also creates and prepares many delicious and unique dishes from snakehead fish meat such as night noodle soup, snakehead fish stewed with Chinese herbs... These dishes are not only delicious and flavorful but also have the effect of nourishing the body.

The restaurant is open from 6am to 8pm every day. Dishes cost from 35,000 to 80,000 VND.

A few years ago, her restaurant received a famous guest. Admiring her experience and creativity in using snakehead fish to prepare many delicious dishes, this person nicknamed her “snakehead fish queen”.

I found this name interesting, so I've been using it until now.

A male student named Huy (left) said the food at the restaurant is very delicious. Photo: Ha Nguyen

After nearly ten years of doing business on Truong Sa Street (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City), the couple had to move their shop to an alley on Ngo Tat To Street because the old premises were taken back by the owner. The move caused a decrease in the number of customers.

Despite the regular customers, their income is only 1/4 of what it used to be. Currently, the restaurant is on the way to regaining its "form" as it begins to welcome many new customers.

Present at the restaurant, a male student named Huy said that although it was his first time experiencing it, he found the food to be very delicious.

“I find the broth naturally sweet and very fragrant. The fish meat is chewy, not mushy, fragrant and fatty, and has no fishy smell. The dipping sauces here are also very unique. When eaten with the dish, it has a new aroma and flavor,” Huy said.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/bi-mat-trong-to-banh-canh-o-tphcm-khien-vua-bep-my-tim-den-lien-tuc-khen-ngon-2388674.html