Top 5 must-try Vietnamese noodle dishes

Vietnamese cuisine is known for its healthy and delicate flavors. Not as spicy and sweet as its neighbourhoods Thai foods, Vietnamese cooks respect the natural taste of good ingredients. Vegetable and fish are usually the main ingredients, rice and noodle soup are the centerpiece of everyday's meals. With simple ingredients that one can easily find in the field, the sea and from farm to table, the dish are just feel good on your stomach ( thanks to its healthiness of course :-)) )

My all time favorite is Vietnamese noodles. All they come in such a great variety in the way of serving, styles, ingredients, mostly based on the 3 main regions of Vietnamese cuisine: Northern - mostly Hanoi style, Central - Hue style, Southern - Saigon & Mekong Delta style.

So here is my top pick of 5 different kinds of noodles across these regions.

My favorite are all kinds of noodle soup: field crab noodle soup with lots of morning glory ( bánh đa cua ), chicken noodle soup ( phở gà ), beef and pork leg noodle in Hue style ( Bún bò Huế ), BBQ pork noodle in Hanoi style ( bún chả Hà Nội ) and Seafood noodle soup with vegetables ( bún mắm miền Tây )

And this hearty chicken noodle soup is a perfect run for morning as the juicy broth wakes you up to the aroma of herbs ( corianders, spring onions,...). You can squeeze a dash of lemon and a small spoon of Vietnamese chilli sauce to make it more tasty.

One of the must-eat when you come to Hanoi, Vietnam is Bún Chả - grilled pork noodle with an assortment of herbs and salads. There are two kinds of grilled pork for you to choose: the mini hamburger ( minced pork ) or pieces of juicy meat marinated in Vietnamese seasoning: shallot, fish sauce, pepper, caramelized coconut juice, garlic. The meats are usually wrapped by betel leaves and clipped into bamboo sticks then grilled at charcoal stove in local design. The smoke of the grilling station is the killing teaser for any gourmands who ever walk by these street restaurants. They serve you with a refresh assortment of Asia herbs and salad, fresh rice vermicelli to dip in a mouthwatering bowl of delicious sauce with freshly grilled meat straight from the charcoal stove.

When you go down South, please don't forget to try Bún Bò Huế ( pork leg and beef noodle soup in Hue style ). This dish is a perfect balance of hearty comfort and refreshing flavor coming from the side dish: fresh bean spouts and salad with herbs. The beef and pork legs are well selected by the chef, then slow cooked with herbs and salt for hours so the meat will be tender while the broth becomes so delicious that you want to have more after the last drop.

Last but not least, Bún Mắm Miền Tây - Seafood noodle soup with vegetables is my all time favorite.

The taste is quite strong and hearty as it's the combination of seafood and fish paste. But it's surely an addictive flavor if you are adventurous and up to it. The origin of this dish is from the Mekong Delta where mighty rivers meet abundant rice fields and vegetable gardens offering generous sources of foods for the local people. They have a saying that: Living in Mekong Delta, you don't have to go to the market, because you get everything you need for the meals within a close reach: fish and prawns from the river, vegetables and fruits from the garden. The fresh catch of the day from the father will bring to mother's kitchen some healthy dishes like Bun Mam. And the noodle soup is served with a bunch of garlic cloves, spring onions, and fried garlic topping plus a abundant array of special vegetables from Mekong Delta like this:

Give it a try when you go to Saigon ( Ho Chi Minh City ) and let me know how you like it in the comment box.

Have fun and adventurous eating!

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