Lao Cai Pho

Lao Cai is not only attractive for its mountains, clouds, and markets, but also for the culinary story unfolding through its bowls of pho. From mixed pho and sour pho from Bac Ha; corn pho from Sa Pa to Chinese-origin con sui, each dish portrays a unique cultural aspect of the highlands.

When pho "breaks free" from the rice grain.

Corn is the main ingredient for making corn pho.

To make hand-made corn pho, fresh, firm corn with round, chewy kernels is selected. The corn flour used for making the pho is a mixture of sweet corn, fresh glutinous corn, and regular corn, soaked until soft, then ground into a fine powder. Afterward, the corn flour is filtered several times before being used to make the pho.

Each layer of noodle sheet must be just right: not too thick to make the strands heavy, and not too thin to tear. From that smooth sheet, the pho maker slices it into strands, preparing for a complete bowl of pho.

Foreign tourists enjoy the experience of making pancakes themselves.

Corn pho still retains the "soul" of Vietnamese pho thanks to its clear broth and natural sweetness from the bones and young corn. Therefore, the bowl of pho isn't heavily seasoned, but rather light, sweet, and fragrant.

Diners can find familiar yet unique ingredients in their bowl of pho: free-range chicken, char siu pork, herbs, and a touch of spicy chili – a way to "catch up" with the taste of tourists while still maintaining the free-spirited character of the mountainous region.

A bowl of corn pho still retains the "soul" of Vietnamese pho.

Sa Pa corn pho is not only appealing because of its delicious and unique flavor. What makes Sa Pa corn pho even more special is that tourists can experience and witness highland women in traditional attire making and drying pho noodles by hand, welcoming guests with gentle smiles.

In Sa Pa, corn pho has become a way of telling a story: from the corn kernels in the fields to the noodles in the city, from culinary labor to a tourism product.

The meaning of pho has broadened, no longer confined to just rice as an ingredient, but understood as a noodle-making technique deeply rooted in local life.

Pink rice noodles and a family-run kitchen preserving the craft for 30 years.

While Sa Pa intrigues with its pho made from corn, Bac Ha captivates with its unique pink-colored pho – traditionally made from red upland rice.

In her family kitchen, Ms. Vang Thi Vui from Bac Ha commune said she has been doing this job for 30 years. The ingredients are cooked rice and paddy rice, which are prepared, mixed together, then ground into flour and directly spread into pancakes.

The pink color of pho is also due to the secret of mixing a specific ratio of red mountain rice with regular rice, so that the finished product, the pho noodles, have a pink hue.

From freshly made rice noodles, the culinary story of Bac Ha unfolds in a way that perfectly caters to guests while maintaining its unique character: visitors can choose from sour pho, hot pho, mixed pho, pho with dipping sauce, and more, according to their personal preferences.

Therefore, Pho Bac Ha is not just a dish, but reflects the rhythm of life, meal habits, and the adaptability of local culinary tastes.

Amidst the local market and well-known specialties like thang co (a traditional stew), corn wine, indigenous black chicken, and khau nhuc (braised pork belly), Bac Ha pho stands in a very unique position. Although it's just an everyday dish for the locals, Bac Ha pho is unique enough to become a draw for tourists whenever they visit this white plateau region.

Cốn sủi - a culinary landmark of border trade tourism.

Lao Cai is a border region, so the pho map doesn't just feature local pho. In Lao Cai ward and Sa Pa, one dish that always attracts many tourists is con sui.

Cốn sủi, originally a Chinese dish, was introduced to the local area through cross-border trade and quickly became a popular breakfast choice for many tourists visiting Lao Cai.

Cốn sủi, also known as "khan" pho, is so named because its noodles are soft like handmade pho noodles. However, instead of a bowl of broth, cốn sủi is served with a thick, savory sauce, char siu pork, herbs, and, of course, spicy pickled mustard greens – a dish with a distinctive Chinese flavor.

The appearance of "con sui" (a type of noodle) in Lao Cai cuisine enriches the flavor of pho in this border region of the country. Pho in Lao Cai not only develops in a localized direction (such as corn pho, red pho), but also blends with the cultural flow of border friendship.

The pho ecosystem is taking shape.

Amidst the vibrant flow of life, pho culture persists as an inherent part of the lifestyle of the people of Lao Cai. From a dish to a traditional occupation, it serves as both a livelihood for the local people and an indispensable characteristic product in the development of Lao Cai's tourism economy. Pho has become a common language: locals tell stories of their homeland through pho noodles; tourists understand the land and people of Lao Cai through this unique and appealing dish.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/pho-lao-cai-post888773.html