A bowl of vermicelli soup with meatballs, a familiar dish with a rich, nostalgic flavor that evokes the spirit of home in those living far from their homeland. Photo: Do Truong.
From the vision of a master chef to a culinary heritage.
Mentioning Kim Son, Ninh Binh, brings to mind the "Golden Mountain" region, a land shaped by the visionary leader Nguyen Cong Tru. In 1829, under the leadership of General Uy Vien, a large-scale dike-building and land reclamation project transformed the once-swampy alluvial plain into a prosperous Kim Son district. The generous and self-reliant spirit of this renowned landowner not only shaped the landscape but also permeated the lifestyle of the local people.
Perhaps it was from those arduous yet heroic pioneering days that a simple yet refined dish was born: Kim Son vermicelli soup with meatballs, without any artificial embellishments; all the essence is concentrated on the quality of the ingredients and the handcrafted processing techniques, reflecting the straightforward and genuine character of the pioneering ancestors who valued substance.
Unlike noodle dishes in many places that are often customized with raw vegetables or side dishes, the original Kim Son noodle soup absolutely respects the natural sweetness, allowing diners to fully appreciate the essence of each noodle strand and piece of meat from the coastal region – a culinary culture with a humanistic flavor that we are very proud of.
The art of preparing meatballs
The meatballs are taken out of the pot immediately after cooking. Photo: Do Truong.
What sets Kim Son's bun moc (rice noodle soup with meatballs) apart is its crispy, chewy meatballs. To achieve this, the noodle shop owner is very meticulous from the ingredient selection stage. The pork must be fresh, tender, and warm from slaughter, carefully trimmed of tendons and fat, then continuously ground and kneaded until it reaches a smooth, glossy consistency. The meat is then shaped into small, round meatballs and dropped into the boiling broth. When cooked, the meatballs float to the surface, white with a slight pinkish tint, boasting a rich, sweet flavor and a natural crispness without the need for any additives.
Kim Son sausage, the perfect piece of the puzzle.
The meatballs and pork patties are air-dried before being added to the bowl of vermicelli. Photo: Do Truong.
If the meatballs represent elegance, then the accompanying pork sausage represents the richness of the local cuisine. Making Kim Son pork sausage is an extremely elaborate process. The owner selects the finest pork belly with evenly interwoven layers of lean and fat, and the meat is finely ground with ice, ensuring a low temperature during the grinding process to keep the meat fresh.
Each patty is deep-fried until golden brown. Photo: Do Truong.
After seasoning with fish sauce and black pepper, the meat is shaped into large pieces and then deep-fried. The most unique aspect is the texture of the patty. When in the hot oil, the outer layer of the patty gradually turns golden brown and glossy. When cooked, the patty has an interesting contrast: crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, rich on the outside, savory on the inside...
Broth, the wonder of water sources in open lands.
If the meatballs and sausages are the "body," then the broth is the "soul" of a bowl of Kim Son vermicelli soup. However, the secret to Kim Son vermicelli soup doesn't lie entirely in the recipe, but in the water source. Long-time vermicelli vendors here assert that only the water from the alluvial soil of Kim Son can produce such a sweet, rich, yet light broth.
Just like the famous Kim Son rice wine, if you take the same type of rice, the same yeast, and the same artisan's hands to brew it elsewhere, the wine will never reach the same rich, smooth flavor as when brewed in its hometown. The same applies to the broth of bun moc (a type of Vietnamese noodle soup). With meticulous care, the locals simmer clean pork bones for hours, constantly skimming off the foam to achieve clarity. Then, the "meeting" of the rich, sweet bone marrow and the unique water of this coastal region creates a pure, inimitable broth. If the same people and ingredients are used, but without the Kim Son spring water, the bowl of bun moc will lose its distinctive flavor.
Enjoy the flavors of the past.
A bowl of authentic Kim Son vermicelli soup, when served to a customer, will have thin, white vermicelli noodles, pale pink meatballs, golden-brown pork sausage slices, garnished with fresh green scallions and fried shallots, and no raw vegetables.
Diners sip a spoonful of hot broth, bite into a crispy meatball, and slowly chew a fatty sausage, savoring the flavors blended with the delicate freshness of their hometown's water.
Thin rice noodles, pale pink meatballs, golden-brown fried pork patties, garnished with a sprinkle of scallions and fried shallots. Photo: Do Truong.
The beauty of a bowl of noodle soup without vegetables lies in its affirmation of the quality of the ingredients. Only truly fresh meat and perfectly prepared broth can stand alone and still captivate even the most discerning diners. Enjoying Kim Son noodle soup is like savoring a whole world of memories, a cherished, old-fashioned flavor of the open land of Kim Son, Ninh Binh.
Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/bun-moc-kim-son-vi-xua-tu-vung-dat-mo-d806360.html
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