Bun Rieu Saigon: Some dishes are irresistibly delicious, others are extremely unpleasant.
Báo Tuổi Trẻ•30/11/2024
Many people are familiar with the simple, rustic street vermicelli soup. But few people expect that there are still strange versions of vermicelli soup in Saigon. Some dishes are unique and irresistible, while others are... 'extremely unpleasant'.
Huong Beo's vermicelli soup with balut in Saigon - Photo: DANG KHUONG
Vermicelli with crab and balut
Bun rieu vit vit is a familiar dish to people in the North. However, in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, there are many restaurants serving this dish, and it is crowded every day.
Bun rieu Huong Beo on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street (HCMC) is such a restaurant. Bun rieu Huong Beo sells many versions of bun rieu, but many people come to the restaurant because they love and are curious about the bun rieu with duck eggs.
The vermicelli bowl includes tofu, pig's ear, meatballs, pork rinds... The most prominent is the duck egg floating in the middle of the bowl. Those who are used to Southern dishes will find that the duck egg does not blend well with the vermicelli soup, and is a bit bland compared to the other ingredients. The broth is seasoned with vinegar, has a sour, refreshing taste.
The plus point of the restaurant is the crispy pork ear and meatballs, stuffed with tendons, shrimp, meat... making diners crave more and more.
Balut is a dish that makes many people "frown" when thinking about it, and vermicelli soup with balut is similar. Some people commented on TikTok: "How can you eat balut with vermicelli soup?"; "Can vermicelli soup with balut really be eaten with duck eggs?"...
Vermicelli with crab and balut at Huong Beo restaurant costs from 65,000 VND/bowl.
Duck vermicelli soup
The duck vermicelli soup restaurant is located at the corner of Ta Quang Buu Street (HCMC). The seller said the restaurant has been open for 20 years.
Duck vermicelli soup is seasoned richly and lightly sweet. When eaten, the broth is fragrant and full of the sweetness of duck meat.
The ingredients in the bowl of noodles include meat, liver, duck kidney and blood. In addition to the usual blood, the restaurant also sells blood cooked with sticky rice, which tastes unique. Most customers here order an extra portion of blood.
To make the duck meat color "match" with the vermicelli soup, the seller also processes the meat to have a bright orange color, looking rich and eye-catching.
Rustic duck vermicelli soup with price from only 27,000 VND/bowl.
Octopus vermicelli soup
Located in the heart of Rach Ong market (HCMC), Ms. Phuong's 17-year-old vermicelli soup shop attracts many customers thanks to its attractive and eye-catching octopus display.
Similar to a traditional bowl of vermicelli soup with crab, the bowl of vermicelli here still has all the ingredients such as tofu, crab soup, tomatoes, and blood. But the most exciting thing for diners is the octopus pieces.
The seller said that on days when the octopus is not delicious, the restaurant often replaces it with squid.
The broth here is clear and light. Not much different from the taste of the usual vermicelli soup, but the main highlight is the light sweetness of the octopus or squid cooked together.
When eaten, the squid is very fresh and crispy. Especially the orange color of the squid makes many diners excited. The restaurant owner said:
"The squid has this color because I cooked it with fried cashew nut water after cooking it with the broth."
The biggest minus point of the restaurant is the two dipping sauces: green pepper salt and tamarind.
Although both enhance the deliciousness of the squid, they are somewhat "out of place" with the whole bowl of noodles.
A bowl of octopus vermicelli soup is about 50,000 VND.
Vermicelli with dried shrimp
The dried shrimp vermicelli soup shop in District 10 (HCMC) run by Ms. Dao Thi Thanh has been selling for more than 50 years.
As the name suggests, the dish is filled with dried shrimp instead of crab paste, blood, tofu... like a bowl of vermicelli soup with crab that many people often see.
Bun rieu with dried shrimp - Photo: DANG KHUONG
The ingredients are rustic and simple, but Mrs. Thanh's vermicelli with dried shrimp is very rich. The sweet, sour, and slightly fatty taste of the broth made from dried shrimp, stewed tomatoes, and pork rinds makes it hard for many people to resist.
On the Google Maps review section, some regular customers commented: "The broth is rich and sweet due to dried shrimp. Every time I go there, I drink it all up"; "The flavor of the broth is unique"...
A bowl of vermicelli soup with crab soup filled with dried shrimp at the restaurant is only from 30,000 VND.
Crab and snail noodle soup
When talking about crab vermicelli soup, many people immediately think of a small restaurant hidden in an alley for over 40 years in Saigon. This is Thanh Hai crab vermicelli soup, famous for preserving the Northern flavor.
Thanh Hai crab and snail noodle soup - Photo: DANG KHUONG
Unlike normal broth, the broth of vermicelli with crab soup has a cloudy brown color, originating from ingredients such as crab soup, star fruit, wine lees... cooked for a long time. Diners can easily recognize the rich flavor and light aftertaste in the broth.
The two main ingredients are apple snails and crab paste that fill the bowl of noodles. The snails are selected to be fresh and crunchy. The owner said that during unfavorable seasons, the quality of the snails will be reduced to some extent.
Crab soup is also very popular. Crab soup precipitates into large pieces, cooked well and soft. On Facebook, an account shared: "Looking at a lot of crab soup, it's so delicious. I don't see any vermicelli anywhere."
From only 50,000 VND, diners can experience authentic Thai Binh dishes in the heart of Saigon.
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