Western tourists try noodles in Hanoi with dark broth and 'never-before-seen' eggs

Two tourists from Canada were surprised to see a noodle dish in Hanoi with a dark black broth, served with black chicken and a soft-boiled egg. Not only was the appearance strange, the taste of this dish was also different from anything they had ever eaten.

Chris and Steph are a couple of tourists from Canada, on a journey around the world . They own a YouTube channel with more than 250,000 followers, recording unique culinary experiences in different countries.

The couple loves Hanoi and considers it a "street food paradise". Recently, they shared a video exploring 6 unique and attractive noodle dishes in the capital.

" Hanoi has more than just pho. Noodle dishes in Hanoi are really diverse in types, cooking techniques, flavors, and ingredients. When you come to Hanoi, try pho but don't miss out on other noodle dishes," the couple commented.

The couple enjoyed 6 different noodle dishes in Hanoi. Photo: Hungry Two Travel

During their culinary journey, Chris and Steph tried 6 typical Hanoi noodle dishes including crab and snail vermicelli soup, stir-fried eel vermicelli, vermicelli soup, duck vermicelli, mixed rice paper and stewed chicken noodles. Among them, stewed chicken noodles made them most curious and impressed.

Coming to a sidewalk restaurant on Hang Bo Street (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi), the couple was surprised to see that the restaurant used instant noodles instead of vermicelli, glass noodles or rice paper. Another special feature was the dark black broth, served with black chicken and young eggs - ingredients that neither of them had ever experienced before.

The chicken noodle dish has many strange ingredients for two foreign tourists. Photo: Hungry Two Travel

The chicken noodle shop that Chris and Steph visited was a famous place, always crowded even though it only had a few small tables and chairs on the narrow sidewalk. The broth was simmered from chicken bones with many herbs and traditional Chinese medicine such as mugwort, jujube, lotus seeds, wolfberries, etc., creating a sweet taste mixed with a slight bitterness, dark black in color, always hot and steaming.

Diners can choose between regular chicken or black chicken. The difference is that the instant noodles are not blanched first, but are put directly into the bowl with chicken, mugwort, bean sprouts, then the boiling broth is poured directly on top, helping the noodles retain the right amount of crunchiness.

At first glance, the bowl of stewed chicken noodles is not very eye-catching and is quite picky about the eater, because not everyone is compatible with the strong flavor of traditional Chinese medicine.

A curious couple of tourists enjoy the chicken noodle soup. Photo: Hungry Two Travel

Chris and Steph chose to enjoy black chicken noodles with soft-boiled eggs. As soon as the bowl of noodles was served, they were immediately attracted by the herbal aroma emanating from the broth. When they tasted it, they were surprised by the slightly bitter but harmonious taste, "a strange combination with instant noodles".

The couple was impressed by the chicken meat because of its softness, richness and a hint of sweetness. The first time they experienced the young egg cluster, they compared the feeling to holding a bunch of grapes; when they ate it, it reminded them of egg yolks but much chewier and tastier.

“Thanks to the combination of many traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, this dish is both delicious and nutritious, good for your health,” they emphasized.

A bowl of chicken noodle soup costs 70,000 VND. Photo: Hungry Two Travel

During their journey to discover noodle dishes in Hanoi, the couple was also impressed with stir-fried eel vermicelli at Nguyen Tu Gian and mixed rice noodles at Ly Thuong Kiet. This was the first time they had rice noodles - a type of rice noodle that is large, flat, brown, and soft when cooked.

"I love dry noodle dishes in Vietnam because the owner will serve them with a bowl of broth, the flavor is very delicious. The chef uses diverse and skillful ingredients. The soft noodles are combined with bean sprouts, fried onions, and crunchy peanuts, creating harmony," Steph commented.

Stir-fried eel vermicelli and mixed rice paper are also two dishes that the couple loves. Photo: Hungry Two Travel

Specialties 'black gold, mountain snails' on the feast tray in a special village in Thai Nguyen Located about 70km from Hanoi, Thai Hai village in Thai Nguyen attracts domestic and foreign tourists with its unique culture and cuisine. The feast tray in the village has many delicious and unique specialties, prepared from ingredients grown and raised by the locals.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/khach-tay-thu-mon-mi-o-ha-noi-co-nuoc-dung-den-sam-loai-trung-chua-tung-thay-2443792.html