The unique and famous Pho dish of Quang Nam, with many variations, makes diners full for a long time

Not only does it have a unique appearance, pho made from a common tuber in Quang Nam also helps diners stay full for a long time.

Cassava noodle soup is a famous specialty of Dong Phu (Que Son district, Quang Nam province), impressive for its appearance and ingredients unlike any other type of noodle soup commonly found in Vietnam.

Pho, when not processed, has a net-like shape and is made entirely from cassava. This is a familiar root vegetable, found in many provinces from North to South.

Dong Phu cassava noodle soup is recognized as one of the 100 Vietnamese specialties (2020-2021)

Ms. Le Thi Kim Anh - owner of a business specializing in the production and distribution of cassava pho in Que Son said that the reason this type of pho has an eye-catching appearance is because the texture of cassava flour is more special than rice flour.

“Because the tapioca flour is sticky like glue but not flexible, easily broken and difficult to separate from the grill after drying, the locals have to pull the noodles into a mesh shape. When taking the tapioca noodles out of the grill, just hold one end and pull gently.

The pho is not only not crumbly but also looks attractive,” said Ms. Anh.

Cassava noodle soup is considered one of the most beautiful types of noodle soup in Vietnam.

To have such an eye-catching appearance, Dong Phu cassava pho requires a meticulous preparation process with main steps including: grinding flour, soaking flour, cooking, beating flour, and pressing pho.

First, the locals must choose good cassava, process it within 2 days after harvesting by peeling it, soaking it, and then drying it.

After that, the cassava is peeled a second time to make it really white and then dried. The dried cassava is ground into a fine powder, soaked and filtered for 3-5 days and nights (changing the water and stirring the powder 4-5 times each day) before being cooked and pressed into pho noodles.

“To make delicious cassava noodles is a process that lasts several days, depending on the place and the secret recipe of each person. During the time of soaking and filtering the flour, people have to keep an eye on the time to change the water regularly. The cooking stage is probably the most difficult.

The pot of flour is cooked for 40 minutes and must be stirred frequently to avoid burning. In the past, people had to stir it by hand, which was very laborious because the flour was sticky and heavy when it was almost done.

With the support of today's machines, this step has become easier but still requires the worker to have experience to recognize whether the dough is cooked to the right standard and has the right consistency," Ms. Anh added.

To have good quality cassava noodles, it depends a lot on the weather. Original cassava noodles are ivory white in color, and when not processed, they are crispy and dry.

After pressing and shaping the noodles, to make the dish more delicious and of guaranteed quality, the locals also have to “watch” the weather. Usually, cassava noodles are dried on sunny days. After drying, the noodles are dry, crispy, clear, and ivory-white in color.

In Que Son, cassava pho can be made into many attractive dishes, but the most delicious and popular is cassava pho with snakehead fish, eaten with banana tree leaves (young banana tree stems).

The interesting thing is that tapioca noodles only need to be soaked in cold water (or warm water) for about 5 minutes, then taken out and drained to become soft and chewy noodles that can be transformed into different dishes without having to be boiled or blanched.

“Savanna noodles, whether prepared in liquid or dry form, are both delicious and go well with mixed dishes like salads.

Depending on the location and individual preferences, cassava pho can also be created into diverse dishes such as: vegetarian cassava pho, cassava pho with passion fruit sauce, fried cassava pho, cassava pho spring rolls, Thai-style sweet and sour cassava pho, etc.," Ms. Anh suggested.

Cassava noodles (packaged dry form) are currently priced from 30,000 - 120,000 VND/kg.

Not only can it be made into many delicious dishes, cassava pho is also rich in fiber, helping you feel full for a long time. It is also said to contain resistant starch (a type of starch that the body cannot break down for use as energy), so it is less likely to cause obesity.

Source