Bun rieu has only dried shrimp, tomatoes, pork rinds and broth like vermicelli soup but the pot is always clean.

Bun rieu tom kho with unique ingredients - Photo: HUY DOAN

In a peaceful, leisurely alley, completely different from the hustle and bustle of District 10 (HCMC), Mrs. Dao Thi Thanh's vermicelli soup shop serves countless diners every day and often closes early because the pot is empty.

The shop was “started” by Ms. Thanh’s mother in 1970. When she started helping her mother, she was only 11 years old and has kept her mother’s job until now.

The name, "bun rieu tom kho" (rice noodle soup with dried shrimp), sounds quite unusual, and it comes from the restaurant's unique cooking method.

Homemade vermicelli soup with dried shrimp

When jokingly asked why Ms. Thanh has been doing this job for so long, she said: "It must be because of the farmer blood from my mother in me."

Ms. Thanh's family used to live in the North, but later moved to the South to live and work.

Mrs. Thanh's family's small vermicelli soup shop for 50 years - Photo: HUY DOAN

According to Ms. Thanh, the family's circumstances at that time were difficult and lacking, so her mother wanted to find a job in wholesale to earn a living and support the family.

And the current shrimp noodle soup restaurant is actually her mother's "business."

Ms. Thanh recounted: "At that time, Saigon had many delicious dishes, but my mother only thought of our family as being from the North, so she chose to sell regional delicacies from our own region."

The shop was originally located in this alley but was a bit more rustic and simple. Low plastic tables lined the wall.

The ingredients were neatly arranged by her mother on the table, not on a cart like now.

The restaurant is always crowded with diners - Photo: HUY DOAN

“Gradually, my family saw that the restaurant had a certain number of customers, so we moved inside to make it more convenient.

Rain or shine, it also makes life easier for the eater" - Ms. Thanh shared.

Thanks to that, the space of the restaurant is also a big plus.

Although the house wasn't spacious, it was always kept clean and felt airy.

The neat arrangement, especially the use of family-owned furniture, makes diners feel as if they are enjoying a bowl of "homemade" bun rieu (Vietnamese rice noodle soup).

"Remember to add lots of dried shrimp and tomatoes, okay?"

Almost anyone who regularly eats at the restaurant will hear the catchphrase of the regular customers here: "Remember to add lots of dried shrimp and tomatoes, ma'am."

That is also the special point of Mrs. Thanh's vermicelli soup with crab, because the main ingredients are dried shrimp and tomatoes, not crab, blood or tofu like some other places.

The ingredients are simple but no less special than regular vermicelli soup with crab - Photo: HUY DOAN

In addition, pork fat also brings a unique, fatty flavor to the eater.

Ms. Thanh said this rusticity was passed down from her mother. Because vermicelli soup with crab has become a familiar dish to everyone, Ms. Thanh's mother wanted a new flavor of vermicelli soup with crab, but still keeping the rustic features.

A bowl of vermicelli soup here only has simple ingredients such as dried shrimp, tomatoes, pork rinds, green onions...

Each ingredient is carefully selected and prepared by Ms. Thanh from 4am. For example, the dried shrimps are medium-sized and washed thoroughly so that the broth does not have residue.

One of the most important ingredients is the broth.

The broth is cooked thoroughly with the ingredients. When you eat it, you can immediately feel the sweetness of the dried shrimp, a little sourness from the cooked tomatoes and a little fat from the pork rinds.

Compared to the usual crab noodle soup, the broth here is a bit different. A person who ate at the restaurant even said that the broth tasted like... noodle soup.

Ms. Thanh said: “Besides dried shrimp, I also use another ingredient to cook with the broth. But this is my secret.”

Because of this richness, many people become regular customers, some even visit Mrs. Thanh's restaurant right after long business trips.

“The broth is rich and sweet from the dried shrimp. Every time I go there, I drink it all up”; “The flavor is unique” - diners at the restaurant shared in the review section of Google Maps.

Ms. Thanh said: “My happiness is seeing customers enjoy the food, love it and come back.” Above all, she also considers this dried shrimp vermicelli shop a “memento” from her mother.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bun-rieu-chi-tom-kho-ca-chua-top-mo-va-nuoc-leo-nhu-canh-bun-ma-hom-nao-cung-sach-noi-20241021153941093.htm