The exquisite cuisine of Pho Hien

During the spring season, tourists flock back to Hung Yen city, not only to admire ancient relics and immerse themselves in the cultural atmosphere of spiritual tourist destinations, but also to enjoy the famous dishes, imbued with the flavors of Pho Hien. Pho Hien cuisine is not simply about delicious food, but also a story about the sophistication and skill of the local people, preserved through generations.

Food and specialty stalls of Pho Hien at the Pho Hien Folk Culture Festival.

I vividly remember a foreign tourist receiving a bowl of lotus seed and longan sweet soup, savoring each bite with delight. The lotus seeds were nutty and fragrant, carefully selected, and combined with plump, translucent longan fruits, like dewdrops. The longan was peeled, the seeds removed, and then a softened lotus seed was skillfully placed inside. When cooked with rock sugar syrup, the delicate aroma of the lotus blended with the gentle sweetness of the longan, creating a dish that was both refreshing and nutritious. Whether made with fresh longan in summer or dried longan in winter, the flavor remained the same.

Visitors to the Hung Yen City Women's Union's food stall at the Pho Hien Folk Culture Festival often can't resist the allure of a bowl of lotus seed and longan sweet soup. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, a visitor from Hanoi, couldn't hide her delight: "I've tried many different kinds of sweet soup, but Pho Hien's lotus seed and longan sweet soup offers a completely different experience. The sweetness is gentle, not too overpowering, combined with the refreshing aroma of lotus, it's very pleasant."

Besides lotus seed and longan sweet soup, tapioca starch sweet soup with sticky rice is also a simple yet beloved snack. From pristine white tapioca roots, the people of Pho Hien have processed them into a smooth, pure powder. When cooking the sweet soup, the tapioca starch is stirred continuously over a low heat, creating a smooth, clear broth. Tapioca starch sweet soup is usually served with sticky rice – a type of sticky rice made from fragrant, chewy glutinous rice, mixed with mashed mung beans and a little chicken fat for a glossy, rich, and appealing texture.

Enjoying a bowl of tapioca pudding with sticky rice, diners experience the harmonious blend of the refreshing sweetness of the tea, the soft and chewy texture of the sticky rice, and the slightly nutty flavor of the mung beans. Not overly elaborate or ostentatious, this rustic dish encapsulates the flavors of home, evoking childhood memories of sunny summer days when grandmother and mother meticulously prepared the pudding in their small kitchen...

While Hanoi is famous for its chicken bun thang, Pho Hien offers a more unique variation – eel bun thang. This dish requires meticulous preparation, from selecting the ingredients to the cooking method. Freshwater eels must be cleaned, singed over straw, then boiled until cooked, the meat separated, marinated with turmeric and spices, and then fried until golden brown and crispy. Other ingredients such as thinly sliced fried eggs, pork sausage, pork belly, fried onions, and coriander are harmoniously arranged on a base of pristine white rice noodles.

Tourists choose to buy and enjoy the specialties of Pho Hien.

What sets Pho Hien's bun thang apart is its broth. The broth is clear and rich with a natural sweetness from the simmered bones. When eating, diners can add a little shrimp paste to enhance the distinctive flavor. A steaming bowl of bun thang, fragrant and delicious, offers a bite followed by a spoonful of broth, revealing a sweet yet rich taste, truly embodying the essence of a dish from the Northern Delta region.

Besides the dishes mentioned above, the festival also showcases many other specialties such as: fragrant and chewy rice cakes, rich and creamy peanut rice cakes, Dong Tao chicken pho… All are made from familiar ingredients of the Hung Yen countryside, but thanks to the skillful hands of the locals, they have become delicious dishes that diners will remember forever after just one bite.

The Pho Hien Folk Culture Festival is not only a place to honor traditional cultural values, but also an opportunity to promote the cuisine of Hung Yen to visitors from all over the world. It's so pleasant and relaxing to stroll along the Crescent Lake in the afternoon, admiring the clear blue sky and water, then resting under a fragrant street vendor's stall run by a woman with eyes as black as lychee seeds... Anyone who has visited Pho Hien during the festival season will surely carry with them the lingering taste of these exquisite dishes, and whenever Hung Yen is mentioned, their hearts will fill with nostalgia, promising to return for the next festival...

Source: https://baohungyen.vn/tinh-te-am-thuc-pho-hien-3179286.html