What is Hu Tieu?
Hu Tieu (derived from the Chaozhou language “粿條” guê2diou5, Sino-Vietnamese pronunciation: fruit cashew), also written as noodle soup (in the Southern Vietnamese dialect, Tieu is homophones with tiu), is a dish used in the preparation, fibrous rice of the Chaozhou and Minnan people, similar to the Cantonese sahachai and the Hakka people, was introduced to many regions inside and outside of China, becoming a popular dish.
It is commonly eaten in South China and Southeast Asia such as in Southern Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Singapore, etc.
Hu Tieu developed very strongly in the South of Vietnam since the 50s, especially in Saigon, it is easy to find noodle shops on the street or push noodle carts at the beginning of the alley. It can be said that Hu Tieu is a typical dish here, similar to Pho in Hanoi or beef vermicelli in Hue. Hu Tieu is usually a breakfast or dinner dish, Southerners rarely have noodles for lunch.
The main ingredient of the noodle dish is noodle soup, the main broth is minced meat, and pork intestines cooked together. Then lightly coat the noodles with the broth, then add the extra ingredients such as bean sprouts, shallots, and minced meat. It can be eaten with beef balls and chili sauce, black sauce.
Type of Hu Tieu
Hu Tieu is popular in the South, and there are many types of noodles:
- Hu Tieu Nam Vang: there are 2 main types: dry noodle soup and water noodle soup
- Hu Tieu satay: originated from the Tieu people
- Hu Tieu My Tho: with more shrimp, squid, seafood, snails, and specialties of My Tho
- Hu Tieu Chinese: flavored with soy sauce[citation needed]
- Hu Tieu Sa Dec: Made from fresh Sa Dec flour, it has the typical aroma of Sa Dec rice flour village, the only place with a water source with a pH of 7, so the noodles are chewy and delicious. Famous production facilities: Hu Tieu Lanh Nam Sa Dec, Ba Nam Sa Dec, Hoa Hung, Bich Chi,…
- Hu Tieu “Gõ”: Popular street food stall, including beef noodle soup, lean noodle soup (pork), and spring rolls. The name originates from the trolleys selling noodles, which have a set of two wooden or metal slats that knock together to emit a distinctive, recognizable sound instead of a shout.
- Hu Tieu Squid
All of the above types of noodles can be found in Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces in Vietnam
History of Hu Tieu
Hu Tieu is a dish of the Trieu Chau and Fujian people brought to My Tho by the Vuong Ngan Dich group in the second half of the 17th century and quickly spread to the Southern provinces.
The Southern people from ancient times have transformed the original soft noodles of Chinese-Vietnamese people into the typical chewy noodles. It is interesting that most people in the South only like to eat chewy noodles despite hundreds of years of living in harmony with Vietnamese people of Chinese origin.
In the South in general and in Saigon – Cho Lon in particular, Chinese noodle soup is a typical dish thanks to famous noodle shops passed down through generations.
Hu Tieu (Hu Tieu) Saigon is a multi-style dish, prepared in many different ways, from water noodles, dry noodles, and deep-fried noodles to stir-fried noodles, soup noodles… Each has its own distinct taste.
Hu Tieu Nam Vang also uses tough noodles
Most Vietnamese people used to eat noodles, but many young people in Saigon today pay little attention to the types of noodles as well as distinguishing between Chinese and Vietnamese noodles. and the story of Vietnamese people in which region and province.
The noodle soup stem was originally made of rice flour; of course, it was originally imported into Vietnam by Chinese immigrants and exiles. The original Chinese noodle soup that has survived today is a soft noodle soup. In the past, when you went to a Chinese noodle shop, you would be invited by the popular uncles to eat soft noodles.
Vietnamese people of Chinese origin whether they are Quang, Tieu, or Ha… whether they eat dry noodles or water, they don’t eat anything other than soft noodles, stir-fried noodles also stir-fried soft noodles, even Even if they get tired of soft noodles, they switch to rice vermicelli.
Southerners from time immemorial have transformed the original soft noodles into characteristic chewy noodles. It is interesting to recall that most people in the South only like to eat chewy noodles despite hundreds of years of living in harmony with the Chinese-Vietnamese people.
The noodle soup “invented” by Vietnamese people is still associated with Vietnamese culinary life
In the past, Vietnamese people who went to Chinese noodle shops didn’t have chewy noodles, so they had to eat soft noodles, but some people definitely didn’t eat soft noodles, just ordered a bowl of noodles or at best, ordered rice noodles.
The taste of choosing to eat this tough noodle is very special and perhaps it is because of this “independent” taste that the noodle shops of My Tho, Dong Thap, Sa Dec, and Go Cong… were born and famous.. Normal tough noodles are made from rice flour, and depending on the type of rice good or bad, the quality and price of the noodles are determined; But especially My Tho, Go Cong, and Dong Thap noodles are made from filtered rice flour, so the chewy noodles are really an interesting creation of the ancients.
Of course, the way to cook broth, seasonings, and by-products… in Vietnamese noodle shops compared to Chinese noodles is quite different; and it is the chewy noodles named after the southern regions that make a difference to help diversify the taste of Vietnamese delicacies.
The tough noodles from the past to the present are not only the main ingredients for noodle shops from popular to luxurious, but it is the Southern family chefs who often cook fried noodles when having a party. Pork intestines, poultry intestines, seafood or vegetarian stir-fry… If anyone is a Southerner who often goes to a party in the southern province of Nam Ky, they will know that this delicious dish has never been criticized or neglected.
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