Next Stop: Vietnam (Part 1: Noodle Soups)
Although Vietnamese cuisine can be divided in three geological regions (Northern, Central and Southern), one of the unifying dishes is the noodle soup. Vietnamese cuisine boasts a huge variety of noodle soups, each with influences and origins from every corner of the country and each with a distinct and special taste. A common characteristic of many of these soups is a rich yet very clear broth.Arguably the most widely known Vietnamese dish is Pho, a beef noodle soup with a rich, clear broth achieved from hours upon hours of boiling bones and different herbs. Variations featuring tendon, tripe, meatballs, chicken leg, chicken breast, or other chicken organs (heart, liver, etc.) are also available. The dish is garnished with ingredients such as green onions, white onions, coriander leaves, ngo gai ("saw leaf herb"), mint, basil, lemon or lime, bean sprouts, and chile peppers. The last four items are usually provided on a separate plate, which allows customers to adjust the soup's flavor as they like. Some sauces such as hoisin sauce, fish sauce, and the Thai hot sauce Sriracha, are popular additions as well. Pho can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
The broth is generally made by boiling beef (and sometimes also chicken) bones, oxtails, flank steak, and spices, and takes several hours to prepare. Spices include Saigon cinnamon, star anise, and ginger. The noodles, called bánh pho in Vietnamese, are traditionally cut from wide sheets of fresh rice noodles similar to Chinese shahe fen, although dried noodles (also called "rice sticks") may also be used.
Some Vietnamese restaurants have begun catering to non-Vietnamese customers by opening in other areas. Adapting to local tastes and diets, some Vietnamese restaurants in Western countries have also started making chicken-based pho (pho gà) or even vegetarian pho, in addition to the traditional beef noodle soup. Seafood-based pho has also been known to exist, although it is not considered real pho. Another variation of pho involves using egg noodles instead of rice noodles. There are also Korean and Thai variants of pho available.
Other Vietnamese noodle soups:
Bun Bo Hue – Spicy beef noodle soup originated from the Royal Hue City of Central Vietnam. The rice noodle used in this soup is different (much thicker) from the one used in Pho. The broth is from cooking beef bones for a long period of time, as well as a large variety of different spices including lemongrass. Often served with mint leaves, bean sprouts, lime wedges and lettuce. While both Bun Bo Hue and Pho are beef based soups, their broths are vastly different due to different spices (and other ingredients eaten in the soup). Bun Bo Hue is like the extremely spicy and hearty version to what is often a much lighter (and more mild, in comparison) Pho. The broth in Bun Bo Hue, unlike pho - also gives off a reddish tint.
Bun Rieu – Noodle soup made of thin rice noodles and topped with crab and shrimp paste, in a broth that includes tomatoes or (the original variant) chilis. Served with bean sprout, prawn paste, mint leaves, whole-leaf lettuce.
Banh canh – A thick rice noodle soup with a more basic broth. Often includes pork, crab, chicken, shrimp, spring onions and freshly sauteed onions sprinkled on top.
Mi bo vien – Chinese influenced egg noodle soup with beef balls, shrimp, and (sometimes) won tons
Mi quang – A very popular yet extremely complicated egg noodle soup dish. Originating from Quang Nam, Mi Quang varies in its preparation and features very sharply contrasting flavors and textures in (if prepared properly) a shallowly filled bowl of broth, noodles, herbs, vegetables, and chips.
from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_cuisine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phá»
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