Chris and Shayna Dufresne are a Canadian YouTuber couple, owners of a travel channel with nearly 20,000 followers, documenting the world exploration journey of a family of four.
In 2017, they made a bold decision to sell all their possessions and move to Costa Rica. They then began exploring neighboring countries and then traveled throughout Southeast Asia. Recently, the couple came to Vietnam and had a culinary journey to Hoi An (Da Nang).
In the video , the couple experienced a culinary tour around Hoi An with Cao Lau, Banh Vac, Banh Mi, and Smoked Ice Cream. They chose to enjoy this Cao Lau dish at Cao Lau Thanh - a long-standing restaurant, located near Ba Le ancient well.
Chris and Shayna Dufresne had learned about the intricate details of Hoi An’s cao lau and were eager to try it. They even visited the ancient well that provides the water for making cao lau noodles.
At the restaurant, the couple watched the staff blanch the cao lau noodles in boiling water, then gradually arrange the full bowls of cao lau to serve the customers. They placed the cao lau noodles below, added some blanched bean sprouts, raw vegetables, then placed the char siu on top, adding some pieces of pork rinds, fried pork skin or crispy fried dry cao lau pieces. The char siu sauce was poured on top.
"The bowl of cao lau looks delicious and fragrant," Shayna exclaimed.
When tasting, they could not hide their surprise at the rich flavor, chewy, fragrant noodles, attractive char siu flavor and fresh, crunchy vegetables. "Oh my god, this dish is really delicious! The noodles have the perfect chewy texture, very pleasant to chew, the sauce is just the right amount of spicy, the pork is tender and the fresh vegetables are crunchy," Shayna shared in the video.
She also happily praised the dish as "so wonderful that I wanted to come back for another bowl".
The couple also tried a jar of chili vinegar, which the owner warned was "very spicy." Initially, they were both confident because they were used to spicy Thai food, but after just a few seconds, Shayna had to stop filming, her eyes red and she burst into laughter: "I'm actually crying. This is the spiciest chili I've ever had in my life!"
Chris Dufresne praised: "If you come to Hoi An, you must definitely try this dish. If you are in Da Nang, try to stop by here to enjoy it."
Cao Lau is a typical dish of Hoi An, made from 3 important ingredients, only found in Hoi An: Cu Lao Cham wood ash, Ba Le well water and Tra Que raw vegetables.
In 2013, Cao Lau was recognized by the Asia Records Organization as one of the 10 dishes with Asian culinary value.
Cao Lau noodles are made from rice as the main ingredient. The rice grains are soaked in ash before being ground into flour. The secret to making delicious Cao Lau is that the ash must be taken from Melaleuca wood in Cu Lao Cham, and the water mixed with the ash must be taken from Ba Le well. Only with the right recipe will you get noodles that are yellow like turmeric, with a unique chewy texture.
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Rice is ground into flour, drained and then kneaded until smooth. Cao Lau noodles are not coated like noodles, but rolled into 3-4mm thick pieces and then steamed. Next, the dough is cut into noodles as thick as noodles. If you want to keep it for a long time, dry it in the sun and store it in a cool place.
The broth of Cao Lau is made quite specially, from char siu pork. Each restaurant or family has a slightly different way of seasoning. The meat is marinated for a few hours and then fried on both sides over low heat, then the marinade is poured in and simmered until the meat is absorbed and the sauce thickens.
In particular, Cao Lau Hoi An cannot be served without Tra Que raw vegetables. Tra Que vegetables have small leaves and a very distinctive aroma, making Cao Lau even more appealing.
Nowadays, the dish is also varied with many flavors for diners to choose from such as Cao Lau with pork, Cao Lau with chicken, Cao Lau with meat and seafood. You can request to add fish sauce or soy sauce according to your preference.
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Khanh Linh
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/khach-tay-thu-dac-san-ky-cong-35-000-dong-o-hoi-an-muon-an-2-bat-moi-bo-2455668.html
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