Western tourists try the elaborate 35,000 VND specialty in Hoi An, want to eat 2 bowls to feel satisfied

The Canadian tourist couple could not hide their surprise at the rich flavor, chewy, fragrant noodles and attractive char siu pork in the bowl of cao lau - a Hoi An specialty.

Chris and Shayna Dufresne are a Canadian YouTuber couple who run a travel channel with nearly 20,000 followers, documenting their family of four's journeys exploring the world .

In 2017, they made a bold decision, selling all their assets and moving to Costa Rica. Later, they began exploring neighboring countries and then traveled throughout Southeast Asia. Recently, the couple visited Vietnam and embarked on a culinary adventure in Hoi An (Da Nang).

In the video , the couple takes a culinary tour around Hoi An, enjoying dishes like cao lau, banh vac, banh mi, and smoked ice cream. They chose to try cao lau at Cao Lau Thanh, a long-standing eatery located near the ancient Ba Le well.

A Canadian couple on a culinary adventure in Hoi An. Photo: The Dufresnes

Chris and Shayna Dufresne had learned about the meticulous process behind Hoi An's Cao Lau noodles and were both eager to try them. They even visited the ancient well that provides the water for making the noodles.

At the restaurant, the couple watched as the staff blanched the cao lầu noodles in boiling water, meticulously arranging a bowl of cao lầu to serve customers. They placed the noodles at the bottom, added some blanched bean sprouts and fresh vegetables, then topped with char siu pork, garnished with a few pieces of crispy pork cracklings, fried pork skin, or crispy fried cao lầu noodles. The char siu sauce was then drizzled over everything.

"That bowl of cao lầu looks delicious and smells wonderful," Shayna exclaimed.

The couple enjoyed watching each step of making Cao Lau noodles. Photo: The Dufresnes

Upon tasting it, they couldn't hide their surprise at the rich flavor, the chewy, fragrant noodles, the appealing char siu pork, and the crisp, fresh vegetables. "Oh my god, this is really delicious! The noodles have the perfect chewiness, the sauce is mildly spicy, the pork is tender, and the vegetables are crunchy," Shayna shared in the video.

She also happily praised the dish, saying it was "so amazing I want to come back for another bowl."

Shayna liked the dish. Photo: The Dufresnes

The couple also tried the chili vinegar that the owner warned was "very spicy." Initially, they were confident because they were used to spicy Thai food, but after just a few seconds, Shayna had to stop filming, her eyes reddening, and she burst out laughing, saying, "I'm actually crying. This is the spiciest chili I've ever eaten in my life!"

Chris Dufresne praised it enthusiastically: "If you go to Hoi An, you absolutely must try this dish. And if you're in Da Nang, you should definitely stop by here to enjoy it."

A bowl of Cao Lau noodles, which two tourists tried, cost 35,000 VND. Photo: The Dufresnes

Cao Lau is a signature dish of Hoi An, made from three key ingredients found only in Hoi An: ash from the Cham Islands, water from the Ba Le well, and fresh vegetables from Tra Que.

In 2013, Cao Lau was recognized by the Asian Record Organization as one of the top 10 dishes with significant culinary value in Asia.

Cao Lau noodles are made primarily from rice. The rice grains are soaked in ash before being ground into flour. The secret to delicious Cao Lau is that the ash must be sourced from mangrove wood on Cu Lao Cham island, and the water mixed with the ash must come from the Ba Le well. Only by following this exact recipe can you get noodles with a yellowish hue, as if mixed with turmeric, and a unique chewy and elastic texture.

Cao Lau noodles have a very special preparation method. Photo: stillwild.sam

Rice is ground into flour, drained, and then kneaded until smooth. Cao Lau noodles are not made by steaming the dough; instead, the dough is rolled into sheets 3-4mm thick and then steamed. Next, the dough is cut into strands as thick as regular noodles. To preserve them for longer, they are sun-dried and stored in a cool, dry place.

The broth for cao lầu is prepared in a rather special way, using char siu pork. Each restaurant or family has slightly different seasonings. The pork is marinated for several hours, then fried until golden brown on both sides over low heat. After that, the marinade is added and simmered until the meat is tender and the sauce thickens.

In particular, the Cao Lau dish in Hoi An is incomplete without Tra Que fresh vegetables. The vegetables from Tra Que have small leaves and a very distinctive aroma, making the Cao Lau dish even more appealing.

Tra Que Vegetable Village

Nowadays, the dish is also modified with many flavors for diners to choose from, such as pork cao lau, chicken cao lau, meat cao lau, and seafood cao lau. You can request extra fish sauce or soy sauce according to your preference.

Cao Lau is a popular local specialty enjoyed by tourists visiting Hoi An. Photo: vietnam.foodntravel /3stationbistro

Khanh Linh

A fairytale land in Da Nang captivates hearts, ranking among the top 20 most beautiful villages in the world . Amidst the peaceful waterways, Cam Thanh emerges as a "fairytale land" of Da Nang with its lush green coconut groves, winding canals, and the simple life of its rural inhabitants.

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