Visiting the Quang land (the former name of Quang Nam - Da Nang) without eating ‘Mi quang’ (Quang -style flat rice noodles), its signature food, is really a pity. This comment was made by a man who walked past the fragrant pot of broth at a Quang noodle shop. Although the Quang land shows off many dishes, every Quang person has memories of Quang noodles whenever this simple specialty of their hometown comes to their mind.

Quang noodle artisan Le Minh Canh tells the story of Phu Chiem noodles to tourists. Photo: B.V

A bowl of Quang noodles from home

In the culinary map of Quang, Quang noodles soup automatically has a top position, ans especially, this dish that made in Phu Chiem Village can rank highest. People are addicted to Phu Chiem noodles because of the two-colour noodles (white and saffron yellow) coated with peanut oil, crushed tubers, sweet water with the taste of pounded shrimp and crab paste, pineapple, tomatoes, and maybe chicken egg or quail egg depending on customers’ demand, then adding a few slices of country pork belly. In addition, a piece of crispy rice paper, green chilies, fresh green vegetables make this delicious rustic dish more attractive with a wonderful taste.

“We want the cuisine to tell the story of local culture”, Mr. Le Minh Canh, the founder of a ‘Mi Quang’ brand in Hoi An, shared with a group of foreign tourists surrounding the company's signature noodle oven. After steam pure white noodle sheets from the smoking stove, the visitors were able to witness Phu Chiem noodles served in a clay pot from the Quang region.

After being steamed, noodle sheets are chopped into long, thin strips by hand, which is always better tasteful than cutting them by machine. That noodle is "genuine" Phu Chiem from the noodle making facility from artisan Quang Tam Thi in Phu Chiem Village, Dien Phuong Commune, Dien Ban Town, Quang Nam Province. The rest ingredients are typical products of Hoi An such as fresh shrimp caught from Cam Thanh nipa coconut area, fresh vegetables from Tra Que vegetable growing village, clay pots containing noodles from the Thanh Ha pottery village, wooden chopsticks crafted by Kim Bong carpentry village, sweet and spicy soy sauce from Hoi An, dessert leaf juice from Cu Lao Cham (Cham Islands).

Quang noodle bowls are accordingly shared with tourists from near and far, not only prevailing in Hoi An but also spreading to the capital city of Ha Noi, Nha Trang, confidently standing shoulder to shoulder with Hue beef vermicelli in cultural - tourism events and become into the taste of memories.

'Mi Quang' on the flower plateau

“When I was a student in Ho Chi Minh City, whenever I passed by any street with an eatery with a Quang noodle signboard, I always looked to see if they sold Quang noodles like in my hometown, if there were many customers and if there was a motorbike with a license plates registered in the Quang land or not, it will become a habit. Whether the cooking there is good or not, I still give special favour to the original dishes of my hometown.

At a famous Quang noodle shop on Tran Nhat Duat Street. The bowl of Quang-style noodle soup made by Da Lat residents look tasteful, rich in flavour, tender ribs, but looking at the small, bright yellow noodles or the broth filling the bowl of noodles, every Quang person would understand that this is not the traditional flavour of Quang noodles in my hometown. In fact, Mi Quang’ features thick noodles and uses much less broth than other types of Vietnamese noodle soup.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Dong, 34, an agricultural engineer, began the story of his Quang noodle shop in Da Lat with memories of the first days he left his hometown to start a business in in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

Turning to the Quang cuisine business 4 years ago, he said, in the convergence of many different local specialties such as Phan Rang ‘banh can’, Phu Yen ‘chicken hotpot’ or Hue beef noodle soup, Quang noodles soup still has a special position in Da Lat. However, the cooking method, flavour, and appearance are almost completely different from Quang Nam.

Mr. Dong said that variations according to the cultural conditions and ingredients of each locality are obvious. He can only choose a few elements that he thinks are the most common and important in the flavour of a bowl of Quang noodles, which are standard Quang noodles, less broth, diverse side dishes, compressed turmeric, peanut oil, raw vegetables.

In particular, for the noodles, Mr. Dong and his wife had to buy them at the Quang Nam village in Duc Trong District, about 35km from Da Lat. Gradually, his Quang noodle shop also became more crowded with most of the customers were Quang Nam people from other localities who came to rediscover the flavors of home.

Mr. Dong said, cuisine is a part of culture, the story of Quang noodles to him is not simply a dish but a journey of discovery, finding one's roots and returning to childhood. “The bowl of Quang noodles I've ever had is a bowl of noodles of memories, with no secrets, not fastidious, not fussy... but full of love for Quang land. My wish when opening the restaurant is to revive those memories to make a bowl of Quang-style noodles.”, he emphasised. This is similar to what artist Le Minh Canh often says to tourists: “You know, Quang people eat Quang noodles with memory”.

Previously, Hoi An held a festival in Cam Chau Ward at the beginning of the Year of the Dragon, many foreign tourists couldn’t help but enjoy eating Quang noodles and ‘banh xeo’(crispy Vietnamese pancakes) in the rain. Some tourists asked about the ingredients that make up the specialties and the farmers in the kitchen did not hesitate to point to the rice paddy fields in front of them. There is rice, a product that forms many delicious dishes.

Reporting by BACH VIET - Translating by A.THU