Diners are excited to try Nam Dinh beef pho, finding the difference with Hanoi pho
Báo Dân trí•14/08/2024
(Dan Tri) - The fatty, fishy broth in Nam Dinh beef pho makes many diners who are used to eating light Hanoi pho surprised... by its saltiness.
At 12 noon, arriving at a pho restaurant without a sign in a small alley in Tho Xuong (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi ), Ngoc Mai, a "pho addict", was struggling to find the restaurant. Mai was introduced by her friends as a pho restaurant "originally from Nam Dinh", passed down through many generations, so it has a unique flavor and service. However, at first glance, Mai could not distinguish what was different, until she stepped into the restaurant. "I heard the sound of the knife chopping beef continuously. The owner of the restaurant cut the beef into small pieces, pounded it until it was soft, but still skillfully left the meat intact. I rarely see this action in traditional Hanoi pho restaurants," Ngoc Mai said. The reason the female diner came to this restaurant was because she was curious to try Nam Dinh pho, after hearing that the pho dish in this locality was included in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage, along with Hanoi pho and Quang noodles.
Nam Dinh Pho
Nam Dinh is considered the "cradle" of beef noodle soup. When textile factories sprung up, pho stalls also began to appear. From Thanh Nam, pho stalls have crept into every street and corner of Hanoi. According to a survey by the Nam Dinh Provincial People's Committee, there are about 500 pho shops in the area, but nearly 1,500 households have moved to other big cities to open pho shops. Also starting from a pair of shoulder poles selling pho around Phu Doan street, the original pho restaurant of Ms. Tran Thi Kim Oanh (Tho Xuong, Hanoi) from Nam Dinh, where diner Ngoc Mai experienced, has been around for decades. "My grandfather came from Nam Dinh to sell pho, and my father sold pho for the cooperative. I am the third generation, the pho stall has been in our house for 25 years now," said Ms. Oanh, the owner of the restaurant. According to Ms. Oanh, despite the long time with changes in restaurants and times, she still tries to preserve the unique flavor of Nam Dinh pho passed down by her ancestors. Nam Dinh Pho is characterized by the broth always containing a lot of ginger and fish sauce. Therefore, the broth has a rich sweet taste and has little cinnamon or star anise flavor. The main bone used is the marrow bone, and oxtail can be added to create richness. The owner usually simmers each pot of broth from 2 p.m. the day before until 6 a.m. the next day to complete it. Typical operation of Nam Dinh pho cook: Pounding until soft but still skillfully not breaking the meat. The bowl of pho is served with steam rising. The broth is greasy, rich in fish sauce, beef bones and pepper. Nam Dinh pho noodles have large, flat noodles, usually hand-made, also cut by hand, twice as large as the machine-cut noodles popular in Hanoi. To fully enjoy Nam Dinh pho, diners add ground chili, chili sauce, lime and kumquat and eat with small crispy fried dough sticks.
Pho Hanoi
Unlike Nam Dinh pho, Hanoi pho connoisseurs only recommend that the proper way to eat beef pho is to not squeeze lemon or add chili sauce, but only use garlic vinegar and fresh chili. According to Ms. Le Minh Nguyet (in black), owner of Pho Khoi restaurant (Hang Vai, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi), Hanoi pho broth is usually clear and light, made from marrow bones that are cracked at both ends so that the marrow can easily seep into the broth during the simmering process. The meat and tendons around the bones are not filtered too cleanly. Beef is the essence of every bowl of pho, taken from the tenderloin, flank, brisket or beef core. Hanoi pho often favors thinly sliced meat, along the grain, with a few green onions and a few sprigs of herbs. In the introduction of "Pho Hanoi" by the Hanoi People's Committee, long-standing pho shops in Hanoi are often not large in scale, with the frontage having a pho processing counter and often using the sidewalk or house space in the alley to place dining tables. Most of the famous pho restaurants in Hanoi have secret recipes that only the owners and their spouses know; others cannot know the dosage and some special spices to add to the broth. The recipe is only passed down to family members or clan members through hands-on training.
Experiencing 2 types of pho, diner Ngoc Mai said that for those who eat Hanoi pho for the first time, they will not be impressed right away because the pho broth is clear and not very sweet. But after eating, they will not feel salty, the meat flavor still lingers. Nam Dinh pho is suitable for those who like fatty, flavorful broth, the first time eating it is very enjoyable, but eating it many times will easily get bored. In the photo are two different meat cutting operations of the people preparing Hanoi pho (left) and Nam Dinh pho (right).
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