Dry pho – not just a dish!

[Tin Kon Tum] – She misses Kon Tum, misses dry pho so much. She just wants to have the opportunity to return to visit Kon Tum, to feel the changes of her second homeland that have permeated her like flesh and blood and also to enjoy the fatty, chewy taste of dry pho noodles, the gentle sweetness. The elegance of the broth… The confession of someone who has been attached to Kon Tum for decades and is now retiring to live in his hometown made me suddenly think, Kon Tum dry pho – is not just a dish…

1. Having been attached to Kon Tum for decades, after retiring, she returned to her hometown to live. Yet the love and nostalgia for Kon Tum comes from this dry pho. Hearing that there was a new Kon Tum bus route going straight to her hometown, she was anxious, the bus runs every afternoon, how could she send some dried pho to me to cook for her child? She misses dry pho so much!

She just wants to have the opportunity to return to Kon Tum to enjoy the fatty, chewy taste of the pho noodles, the gentle sweetness, and the delicate taste of the broth. Just mentioning it makes her remember and crave it.

She remembers the difficult days, when Kon Tum first re-established the province, for her family, eating a bowl of dry pho was something noble and difficult to reach. Only when it’s an occasion, whether it’s a holiday, or a reward for her children for doing well in school or a birthday, does she take the whole family out to eat dry pho. Even now, she still vividly remembers the scene of the children greedily eating dry pho, hehe… but why does she miss it so much?

She remembers the times her whole family visited Pho 54 restaurant on Phan Chu Trinh street. In the chilly highland morning at the end of the year, a bowl of dry pho and a bowl of steaming broth radiate a sweet aroma, everyone in her family felt so warm and cozy together…

She remembers the day her youngest son went to study abroad in England. Every time she called home, she would whine, Mom, I wish I could eat a bowl of dry pho right now, mom…

Hearing her say that, I suddenly thought, Kon Tum dry pho – not only a dish but also a pride, a unique feature of the highland region. After solving the problem of hunger and fullness, the dish also creates a unique national and local flavor. Dried pho therefore becomes love, nostalgia and a geographical indication of this mountain town.

2. I remember the day I first got my feet wet in Kon Tum, looking along the roads, a series of signs: Dry Pho 54, Dry Pho Huong, Dry Pho Nga… I found it strange.

Always curious and wondering, why is pho dry? When I sat at the dining table, I took a quick glance and wondered again, do people call noodles pho?

After eating it, I realized that the name dry pho comes from the way pho is prepared. Pho is divided into two bowls (so some people also call pho two bowls), one bowl containing dry pho noodles and one bowl containing broth. The chewy taste of pho noodles dipped in boiling water is mixed well with minced pork, fried onions, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, a little chili sauce with broth simmered from beef bones and accompanying vegetables: coriander, herbs. Cinnamon, coriander, lettuce and bean sprouts… stimulate the taste, smell, and hearing of the eater, creating a very unique feature of Kon Tum dry pho.

Unlike northern pho, dry pho is associated with soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Black bean sauce is not purchased ready-made from the market, but is meticulously processed by the shops. This salty, sweet and salty spice is not at all fussy, eye-catching but extremely delicate, making dry pho more attractive (and thanks to that, some people who eat dry pho for the first time can compare it to Korean black noodles. ).

Dry pho also pays attention to the steps of choosing pho noodles, braising pho, stir-frying meat and filling with pho. Pho is made from rice flour but is not as soft and flat as northern pho, but is small and thin like vermicelli but not as chewy. Once blanched in boiling water, the pho still retains its softness, softness and chewiness when eaten. After being lightly scalded with dried pho and bean sprouts in boiling water, the chef also cleverly spread stir-fried pork on the surface along with fried onions, making the bowl of pho more eye-catching.

To have a delicious bowl of pho, you must also include a bowl of broth. Each restaurant has different secrets, but in general, everyone pays attention to choosing beef bones, pre-processing, stewing time, etc. to ensure the broth is both clear and sweet, with the deep sweetness of bones simmered with spices.

Early in the morning, everything is ready, just need customers to call, the owner is quick in each step: dipping pho, adding fried onions, minced meat, dipping beef, scooping water…

And, after just a few minutes, in pure white porcelain bowls, pho and steaming, fragrant broth were solemnly placed in front of…

3. Dry pho in Kon Tum is available on almost every route. On major roads such as Phan Dinh Phung, Phan Chu Trinh, Le Hong Phong, Tran Phu… there are dry pho restaurants with relatively spacious and spacious premises, and neatly arranged tables and chairs. But there are also shops on small streets and alleys that only need a pot of broth, a pot of boiling water to boil pho noodles, a few plastic tables, and a few small plastic chairs to create a very rustic, enchanting space. many diners.

There are rare dry pho, dry bone pho, dry pho balls, dry chicken pho… And whether chicken or beef, bone or rare…, dry pho noodles and broth, although two very separate bowls, when eaten blend together to create So the flavor is very unique and very attractive.

Then, there are shops that specialize in dry pho, there are shops that sell both dry pho and northern pho, there are shops that sell from dry pho, northern pho to vermicelli, Quang noodles, banh canh… So it depends on your preference and taste. Convenient, you can eat it at any time, morning, noon, afternoon, and night, there is dry pho to serve guests.

When you come to Kon Tum, you must eat dry pho. Far away from Kon Tum, I miss dry pho. Missing dry pho is like missing the land and people of Kon Tum. Remembering dry pho is like remembering the aftertaste, the sweet and beautiful memories of this place…

Dry pho – not just a dish!