Strange dish that makes diners curious
At noon, a small shop on Ngo Thi Nham street is packed with people coming in and out. Right in front of the door, steam billowing from the steamer, the shop owner quickly flipped through each pho leaf to steam and then mixed it with grilled beef and garlic.
Many passersby see that the restaurant has a strange dish name, so they stop by to ask for information and then try it," Mr. Nghiem Ngoc Anh - the restaurant owner shared.
In fact, the restaurant sells a rare dish in Hanoi, which is steamed pho.
Mr. Ngoc Anh recounted: "I learned about steamed pho from my grandmother. From a young age, my grandmother and I cooked it for our family, so we always cherished the idea of doing business from childhood meals.
When he had the opportunity to get back the premises from an acquaintance, he decided to open a shop. The shop owner said that currently, no place in Hanoi sells similar dishes.
A full steamed pho serving includes pho noodles, burnt beef with garlic, stir-fried bean sprouts, water spinach, dried onions and roasted peanuts.
Every day, Mr. Ngoc Anh wakes up at 6 am to prepare ingredients. The restaurant is open from 8 am to 2 pm and from 5 pm to 9 pm, the most crowded time is from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, mainly office workers.
The restaurant has a fairly small area, less than 20m2. The processing area is located right in front of the restaurant, inside there are about 4 plastic tables to serve diners. In addition to a main staff member, when there are many customers, the restaurant owner has to ask for additional support.
Restaurant owner rents more space because it is crowded
Only after nearly 2 months of operation, Mr. Ngoc Anh's steamed pho restaurant became known to many people through videos and posts on social networks. The number of customers increased beyond initial expectations, surprising even the restaurant owner.
To meet the needs of diners, I have just rented an additional space of about 100m2 adjacent to expand seating space. Before that, during peak hours, many people had to queue or go to the next water stall to wait for their turn," he shared.
Besides the novelty, Mr. Ngoc Anh believes that the quality of the dish is the reason why many diners return.
To make steamed pho, he uses large-sized pho rolls, taking new ones every day. Instead of blanching them like traditional pho, the pho rolls are put in a steamer for about 1-2 minutes to maintain softness and chewiness without being mushy.
For the meat served, Mr. Ngoc Anh chose beef shoulder core (beef leg), the meat has a small tendon line in the middle, so it will be softer and fuller when stir-fried.
Beef is marinated with oyster sauce and spices in small batches, with a special secret to maintain tenderness. I don't marinate too much because if left for a long time, the meat will drain and lose its natural sweetness.
After that, I fried garlic until fragrant, then poured the meat in and stir-fried over high heat, adjusted the heat until cooked, and then put bean sprouts in to stir quickly," Mr. Ngoc Anh revealed.
The sauce is the "soul" that creates the characteristic flavor of the dish. The shop owner meticulously mixed two separate sauces: sweet and sour fish sauce and soy sauce.
In which, fish sauce is made in a sweet direction, blended with familiar spices such as sugar, MSG, pepper, garlic and vinegar.
Soy sauce is a more complex mixture, from 4 different types of soy sauce, mixed with onions, garlic and 2 secret family spices.
Each steamed pho serving is served with a sauce according to the recipe of 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, combined with 1/3 tablespoon of specialized soy sauce. However, depending on personal preferences, customers can still request to adjust it to suit their taste," said Mr. Ngoc Anh.
The restaurant owner will sprinkle more fragrant fried dried shallots, roasted peanuts and water spinach on top. Diners can eat it with raw vegetables, squeezed kumquats and a little chili sauce.
After mixing well, the soft and smooth steamed pho noodles blend with the rich sweetness of the just-cooked beef. The sweet and sour sauce is harmonious, interspersed with the buttery and fatty taste of roasted peanuts and the characteristic aroma of Kinh Gioi vegetables, creating a light but still rich flavor, easy to eat even on hot summer days.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Loan (68 years old, Van Mieu ward - Quoc Tu Giam) said that although she is not nearby, she still often returns to the restaurant to enjoy steamed pho.
The seasoning is seasoned just right, the beef is soft and flavorful. I am most impressed with the broth and pho noodles. The accompanying vegetables are clean, and the ingredients also give me a sense of peace of mind," Ms. Loan shared.
Currently, each steamed pho serving costs about 50,000 VND. The number of customers on weekends is usually more crowded than on normal days.
Because the restaurant area is quite small and the processing area is located right in front, the space is sometimes a bit hot during peak hours, but many diners are still willing to wait to enjoy the dish.
