Guys, I cannot tell you how excited I am to fascinate you with the diversity of the Vietnamese cuisine in this week’s post. You guys all know me, I am a Hanoian at heart and always love me some Phở, Bún Chả, Bánh Cuốn, and other Hanoi’s delicacies. As much as I love the Northern cuisine, isn’t it time for a change? The cuisine of Central Vietnam always hold a special place in my heart because it reminds me of all the fun times I had with my family in Da Nang. My uncle lives in Da Nang so our family visit him very often (which I am not mad about!). Taken full advantage of my uncle’s local knowledge, I have tried so many street side comfort food of Central Vietnamese cooking and happened to fall in love with the cuisine. Cherishing back those wonderful memories, it makes me feel kinda sad because it’s been a very long time since I last reunited with my family. I truly hope to see my family soon and travel with them after everything goes back to normal!
The cuisine of Central Vietnam is very distinct from the cuisines of both the Northern and Southern regions due to the region’s extreme climate and barren. Dishes from Central Vietnam are usually spicier, saltier, and stronger in flavor as compared to dishes from the North. Da Nang’s signature dishes include the infamous Bún Bò Huế, Bánh Bèo, Cơm Hến,Cao Lầu and so many more. But if I were to name my favorite dish from the region, no bias, I would have to give a big shout-out to a very complex Vietnamese noodle dish: Mi Quang. As soon as I took my first bite, I knew to myself that I have to recreate this dish at home. And that’s when you know that the dish was G-O-O-D.
The Mi Quang dish is a complex mixture of flavors and textures. What sets Mi Quang apart from other Vietnamese noodle soups is its flavorful yet delicate broth. The vibrant yellow color from turmeric noodles, combined with a variety of toppings like sesame rice crackers, roasted peanuts, fresh green herbs not only makes the dish aesthetically pleasing, but also harmonizes all the flavors and its satisfying textures. Unlike any other noodle soups like phở, bún bò Huế, etc.,mi quang is served with very little broth and an assortment of fresh vegetables and Vietnamese herbs, which makes this part soup, part salad dish perfect to be enjoyed during the spring and summer months when it’s too hot to enjoy a traditional bowl of noodle soup. Nonetheless, it is the ultimate comfort food that shouldn’t be missed when traveling to Central Vietnam.
After talking to the local people in Da Nang, I noticed something very interesting. Surprisingly, there is no such thing as “the right way” to cook Mi Quang because everyone has their own ‘recipe’ and even the locals find it hard to determine the correct way to cook this Da Nang’s delicacy. However, to Quang people, the best bowl of Mi Quang has to be made with love, passion and appreciation for the cuisine. How cool is that? Without saying, I am more than excited to be sharing with you “my way” to cooking this beloved noodle dish from Central Vietnam.
Let’s get to cooking, shall we? We shall!
Ingredients:
For our broth:
Pork bones (spare-ribs or neck bones)
Water
1 white onion
Shallots
Fish sauce, chicken stock powder
Rock sugar
For our protein:
Pork belly (sliced into bite-sized pieces)
Shrimps (deshelled)
Shallots (thinly sliced)
Vegetable oil
Annatto seeds (can be found at any Asian grocery stores)
Fish sauce
Oyster sauce
Sugar
Pepper
For the toppings:
Turmeric dried noodles (can be found at any Asian grocery stores)
Green onions
Lettuce and fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, perilla, sorrel)
Sesame rice crackers (can be found at any Asian grocery stores)
Roasted peanuts
Let’s get to cooking!
Step 1:
In a large pot, add water to the pork bones. Bring it to a boil for 10 minutes and discard the water to remove any gunk coming out from the bones. Thoroughly rinse the bones under running water. This step is crucial if you want our broth to be clean and clear looking.
Place the cleaned bones, onion, and shallot into the pot, cover the bones with water and bring to a simmer for about 2-3 hours. After 2-3 hours, season the broth to fish sauce, chicken bouillon, and rock sugar to taste.
Step 2:
Heat up 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil and add 1 tablespoon of annatto seeds into a pan. Lower the pan to medium heat and let the vibrant red color from the seeds slowly seep out. Strain and discard seeds.
In two separate mixing bowls, add our sliced pork belly and shrimps. Marinate both mixtures with fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, annatto seeds oil, and ground black pepper to taster. Cover and set aside.
Step 3:
Heat our annatto oil in a medium pan on high heat. Add thinly sliced shallots and fry until fragrant. Then add our marinated pork belly and stir fry until fully cooked and caramelized. Transfer it to a bowl and set aside. Repeat this step with our marinated shrimp.
Step 4:
Prepare the toppings: Cook up the dried turmeric noodles until Al dente. Thoroughly wash and drain the vegetables and fresh herbs. Thinly sliced the green onions. Roast the peanut until fragrant. Microwave the sesame rice crackers for about 1-2 minutes until it pops.
Step 5:
The moment we have been waiting for, let’s assemble the dish! Place the noodles into a serving bowl. Add the pork and shrimp. Top it off with some spring onions. Pour the broth on top (to about 1/3 of the bowl). Top it off with all the toppings to your liking! And voila, breakfast/lunch/dinner is served.
Bon Appetite, everyone!
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