Unique variation of jellyfish Quang noodles

Cooked with readily available ingredients, without fuss, the ingredients and flavors of Quang noodles are therefore diverse according to the region: Quang noodles with freshwater fish, Quang noodles with eel, Quang noodles with chicken, Quang noodles with frog... Each region, each family, each individual has their own experience with this dish. Among them, Quang noodles with jellyfish is a special and "mouth-watering" variation.

Jellyfish is a special gift from the sea. Jellyfish is best when caught from January to the end of March of the lunar calendar every year. To add to the Quang noodles, the jellyfish must be cut into small pieces, fresh, and drained. When eating, the jellyfish is mixed evenly in the bowl. Every time you bite into a piece of crispy, crunchy, and cold jellyfish, diners seem to remember the summer days of their childhood, when coastal children often walked along the water, picking up jellyfish as clear as jade, bringing them home for their mothers to mix into salads and make noodles. In the noodles, the jellyfish is a highlight, standing out against the overall shrimp, meat, and eggs, then mixed with the broth rich in the flavor of crushed shrimp, pineapple, tomatoes, etc.

A bowl of Quang noodles with jellyfish, rich in flavor, served with raw vegetables and green chili.

After finishing a bowl of Quang noodles, you still crave the refreshing taste of jellyfish. Sometimes, it is that lack that makes diners miss it, determined to come back a few times to enjoy it to satisfy their craving.

To eat jellyfish deliciously and properly requires a lot of effort. The owner of Hong Van Jellyfish Quang Noodles restaurant (Le Hong Phong Street, Hai Chau District) - one of the three Quang Noodles restaurants in Da Nang that made it to the Michelin Selected 2024 list - said that there must be a special way to process jellyfish to make it delicious, nutritious, and safe. The owner revealed that fresh jellyfish must be the kind with a slightly pinkish white color; the meat must be firm, not sticky to the touch, and no water should be seen flowing out.

To make the jellyfish meat chewy and crunchy, you must use the body part. From the moment you bring the jellyfish home, it must be soaked and rinsed in ice water continuously for a day to reduce the saltiness of the meat. From the initial processing stage until it is scooped into a bowl for diners, the jellyfish must be soaked continuously in ice water to keep its fresh, chewy, and crunchy taste.

Jellyfish is a rustic dish so the preparation is not complicated. Therefore, the first requirement to have a delicious piece of jellyfish is that it must be fresh. Only fresh jellyfish meat is delicious and sweet, creating the uniqueness of this Quang noodle variation.