The Ky noodle soup

When visiting the native land, Hung Yen expatriates like eating Thang noodle soup at The Ky (Century) stall in Goc Sanh Street.

Although there is no advertising sign in her stall, regular customers get used to calling the stall after the name of its owner - The Ky (Century) and want this dish to maintain for a long time. The previous stall was spacious and airy and in front of it, there were big trees and door shades. All the ingredients including the sliced meat of eels, chickens, lean pork paste and omelet were prepared and already put in the plates. A Thang noodle soup bowl is said to be a colorful work of art. White Van Tieu noodles in the bottom of the bowl are the background and the yellow color of eel meat and chicken fillet is prominent with the fresh green color of fragrant khotweed added with shrimp paste and bouillon, which is really appetizing.

It is not difficult to make Thang noodle soup but it is not easy to make a delicious one. In the past when monosodium glutamate was not available, people used stew water extracted from pig bones, chicken bones, field crabs, prawns or sa sung (a kind of fish). After the scum was taken away, the remaining was pure and fatty. The secret of the restaurant is that all the ingredients must be processed within a proper time and with a bare volume.

Thang noodle soup with eels which requires more care is better, and has more typical characters of Thang noodle soup than that with chicken. The eels should be barbecued before slaughtered to prevent blood loss and this technique makes eels more delicious.

Thang noodle soup is protein-rich food and suitable for people at the prime of life. It is also nostalgia for Hung Yen.