Go to Thai Binh to eat mixed fish noodle soup.

Despite being just a small eatery with a limited menu, Ms. Oanh's fish noodle soup shop in alley 126 is always bustling with customers from early morning until late at night.

The mixed fish noodle dish leaves a lasting impression on many diners.

Cu Hien

According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Chung (51 years old, the owner), he inherited the business from his parents. He doesn't remember exactly how many years his family has been in the business, but what makes him happy is that the restaurant has maintained its high standards of customer service and its unique flavor. Although his restaurant is old and tucked away in a corner, many customers who have moved far away still remember it fondly.

According to Mr. Chung, the first thing to maintain the authentic flavor of this dish is that all ingredients must be fresh. The carp and snakehead fish must be those that are not raised on industrial feed. After cleaning, the fish are boiled, deboned, and the meat is divided in half, one half for stir-frying and the other half for deep-frying.

Mr. Chung simmers the fish bones along with other bones, then seasons them to make the broth. The unique feature of this mixed fish noodle soup is the golden yellow color of the broth. Therefore, the preparation method to achieve this broth is also quite distinctive.

When frying fish, Mr. Chung doesn't use regular frying oil. Instead, before frying, he caramelizes the oil with cashews to create a colored and fragrant sauce. He then uses this sauce to stir-fry the fish.

“That’s also the symbolic color of Thai Binh fish noodle soup, a color you won’t find anywhere else. A rich broth, with the fragrant aroma of annatto oil and the fatty richness of the fish. For the fried fish, the fish meat is marinated with pepper and fresh turmeric juice, then grilled over charcoal. Grilled until cooked through, then deep-fried until crispy and golden brown,” Mr. Chung said.

To make the bowl of fish noodle soup more visually appealing and delicious, the restaurant always includes water spinach or mustard greens as a side dish. The types of vegetables vary depending on the season, but before being added to the fish noodle soup, they are stir-fried with garlic until fragrant. When eating, diners can add some herbs, lime, and chili peppers to their liking to enhance the flavor.

A bowl of vermicelli noodles, with its shimmering golden broth and rich flavor, topped with fish and a sprinkle of green vegetables, elicits effusive praise from diners. Because of this, for many years, Ms. Oanh's fish noodle shop has maintained its popularity, attracting over 1,000 customers on busy days and still reaching 800-900 diners on slow days.

Here, two types of fish are served for customers to choose from: fried fish or braised fish, or diners can also order a mix to add more appeal and novelty to the dish.

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