It can be said that Ho Chi Minh City is one of the destinations for those who love to explore cuisine, the vermicelli soup with crab has many variations that make diners fascinated such as: vermicelli soup with duck, vermicelli soup with duck eggs, vermicelli soup with sea crab, stir-fried snails, vermicelli soup with octopus, vermicelli soup with dried shrimp and pork fat...
Vermicelli soup with duck with golden boiled duck meat is extremely eye-catching combined with blood and herbs in a sweet and fragrant broth made from dried shrimp, tomatoes and duck meat. Vermicelli soup with sea crab and stir-fried snails conquers diners with fatty crab combined with stir-fried snails with satay and sweet and fragrant broth. Vermicelli soup with duck eggs reminds people of the fatty taste of pork rinds combined with crispy fried tofu, the sweetness of meatballs, sausages and duck eggs.
With simpler ingredients than other types of vermicelli, vermicelli with dried shrimp and pork fat with dried shrimp, tomatoes, and pork fat still captivates diners with its fragrant and sweet flavor. Located in a small alley on Nguyen Kim Street, District 10, Mrs. Dao Thi Thanh's vermicelli with dried shrimp and pork fat always attracts customers because of its delicious, unique flavor and affordable price.
Mrs. Thanh's crab noodle shop but "no crab"
Coming to the restaurant on a weekend morning, I quickly ordered a bowl of vermicelli soup with dried shrimp and a portion of pork sausage. In no time, I had a hot bowl of vermicelli, fragrant with tomatoes and dried shrimp. The vermicelli bowl did not have pig's blood, tofu, snails like other restaurants, only simple ingredients such as dried shrimp, tomatoes, vermicelli, but it was especially delicious. Each bowl of vermicelli costs 30,000 VND, customers can order more pork sausage according to their needs. Customers can eat with herbs, banana blossom, water spinach cut into strips. On the table are lemon, chili, shrimp paste and some other spices for customers to adjust according to their taste.
I was impressed by the broth with the light sour taste of tomatoes and the sweet taste of dried shrimp, which was extremely appetizing and did not make me feel full. In the quiet space of the small alley, I slowly enjoyed the bowl of noodles.
Full range of dishes to suit the diner's preferences
Sharing about the history of her family's vermicelli soup, Ms. Dao Thi Thanh said: "My family has been selling this vermicelli dish since the 1970s, which has been more than 50 years. My mother was the one who opened this vermicelli shop and later passed it on to me, the second generation. I have not passed it on to the third generation because my children all have other jobs. At first, the family sold it in front of the alley, but later moved it inside to be closer to home, so customers have more places to sit to avoid the rain and sun."
Ms. Thanh said: “The ingredients are used during the day and not left overnight. The products are sold as soon as they are made. The family makes and sells at the same time, the vendors are outside, the others prepare the ingredients and cook the broth at home.” The broth is cooked entirely with dried shrimp imported from a familiar source at Binh Dien wholesale market, not simmered with bones. Ms. Thanh said the reason the broth is sweet is because it is cooked from a large quantity of dried shrimp.
The broth is cooked entirely with dried shrimp.
Dried shrimp is imported from Binh Dien wholesale market.
Mr. Minh, a long-time customer of the restaurant, shared: "I have been eating at this restaurant for a long time since the old lady was still working. In the past, the owner of the restaurant sold at the beginning of the alley and then moved here. The vermicelli with dried shrimp here is delicious and unique. I have eaten in many places but have not found a flavor like this anywhere. The price of the dish is also reasonable, guaranteed to be hygienic and has little MSG so it does not irritate the throat when eating. Because I am also the owner of the restaurant, I can immediately recognize what kind of spices the restaurant uses, whether the broth is sweet from bones or from MSG."
The restaurant opens from 7am to about 2pm, with 11am to 12pm being the busiest time. Saturday and Sunday are the two busiest days of the week. According to Mr. Minh and his wife, the restaurant is sold out by early afternoon on weekends, or there are no seats available. But with the concept of "satisfying the stomach is enough", he is willing to choose Mrs. Thanh's bowl of vermicelli with dried shrimp soup even though his house is quite far from the restaurant.
Mr. Minh and his wife often take Saturdays and Sundays off to experience culinary delights.
The noodle shop is in a small alley but is always crowded.
