Located in the Kim Lien apartment complex (lane 43 Pham Ngoc Thach, Dong Da district), the first Lieu Chau snail noodle shop in Hanoi has a name that is quite difficult to pronounce for those who hear this dish for the first time: Hao Chi Luo Si Fen. "Hao chi" originally means "delicious", and "Luo Si Fen" is Luosifen - the Latin pronunciation of the Chinese word Lieu Chau snail noodle.
Liuzhou Snail Noodles is one of the specialties that carries the traditional culinary culture of Liuzhou people (Guangxi province, China). Liuzhou people love to eat snails, so they have prepared many delicious dishes from this ingredient. Therefore, Liuzhou Snail Noodles was born and became a unique dish of this fertile land.
A full bowl of vermicelli includes many ingredients such as tofu skin, peanuts, wood ear mushrooms, salted bean sprouts, pickled bamboo shoots, stewed eggs, Chinese sausage, soy-marinated eggs, stewed pig's feet, duck feet, seafood, seasonal vegetables...
The best rice noodles are handmade. The noodles can be made from old rice for a firmer, chewier texture than new rice.
In particular, although it is called bun oc, the original version of the dish does not contain snail meat. River snails are usually stewed with other ingredients to make broth. The broth is stewed for many hours with ingredients such as snails, pork bones, beef bones, and pickled bamboo shoots.
Ms. Ngoc Trang, owner of Lieu Chau snail noodle shop, shared: “When I went to China, I was very impressed with this dish. The first thing that excited me was that it was called snail noodle but there were no snails. Moreover, the taste of the dish was very unique, so I decided to open a shop to introduce the dish to a wide range of diners.”
Every day, the owner wakes up early in the morning to prepare the ingredients. “Some can be bought ready-made, but braised pork leg or braised chicken feet must be marinated and cooked according to a special recipe, so it takes more time,” the owner said.
Cooking her own version of Liuzhou snail noodle soup for Vietnamese diners, Ms. Trang serves a full bowl including: sour beans, sour bamboo shoots, bean curd, wood ear mushrooms, peanuts, Chinese sausage, stewed eggs, fried eggs, minced snail filling, stewed chicken feet, stewed pig's feet and fried eggs.
What makes the Liuzhou snail noodle soup special is the sour bamboo shoot juice. However, customers who are not used to this smell will find the snail noodle soup very difficult to eat. The restaurant owner often suggests diners sprinkle sesame oil and chili oil on top of the noodle bowl to enhance the dish's special flavor.
Hoang Diep, Tay Ho district, shared: “When I first heard the name of the dish, I came here out of curiosity. The aroma and taste were quite strange, but after eating it, it was addictive. I give it a score of 9/10. The sour taste of the pickled bamboo shoots with the spicy taste typical of Chinese dishes combined with many ingredients creates a very delicious taste.”
Compared to Vietnamese vermicelli with snails, Liuzhou vermicelli with snails has its own unique flavor. The two dishes are different from the broth to the ingredients and preparation methods. The biggest difference is that vermicelli with snails in Vietnam always has snail meat. Diners can order small snails, stuffed snails, or snail patties to eat with it.
Liuzhou Snail Noodles is famous throughout China thanks to the wave of mukbang videos of bloggers on social networks and culinary programs. One of the most viewed videos about Liuzhou Snail Noodles is by Li Ziqi - one of the most famous vloggers in China. This is a familiar face to Vietnamese audiences who love to learn about international culture and cuisine.
