Diners are 'crazy' about the taste of vermicelli bread in Hai Duong

The combination seems strange and unrelated, but Hai Duong's vermicelli bread is a delicious and unique breakfast dish.

Hai Duong vermicelli bread has a golden, crispy crust on the outside and a fragrant stir-fried vermicelli filling, mixed with a bit of freshness from cucumber and herbs. When eating, diners can feel the crispy bread crust and the soft, flavorful stir-fried vermicelli. (Photo: Ninh Tito)

In Hai Duong, in addition to the well-known specialties such as green bean cake, gai cake, and crab cake, there is also a popular but equally famous dish that attracts many diners from near and far. That is vermicelli bread.

Vermicelli bread (also known as fried bread) is different from traditional bread in that, instead of being served with grilled meat, pate, sausage, etc., people change the filling with fried vermicelli, adding a little egg and wood ear mushrooms.

This seemingly strange and unrelated combination (because vermicelli is usually made into a soup), but it creates a delicious and unique breakfast dish, loved by both adults and children.

Ms. Ha - owner of a long-standing banh mi shop on Le Hong Phong Street, Hai Duong City said that from her hobby of eating fried bread more than 20 years ago, she came up with the idea of ​​combining different ingredients to make the dish more attractive.

Over time, diners got used to it and spread the word, so more and more people became aware of and came to enjoy the noodle sandwich.

According to Ms. Ha, to have delicious vermicelli bread, the process of preparing the filling and making the crust crispy requires skill.

For the filling, ingredients such as vermicelli, chopped wood ear mushrooms, eggs, and bean sprouts will be mixed in the right proportions and then stir-fried so that the vermicelli does not dry out or break.

Before stir-frying, the vermicelli must be separated and cut into small pieces, soaked in cold water for about 5-10 minutes to soften, then blanched in boiling water, removed, and soaked in cold water again. This method helps the vermicelli strands not stick together. When stir-frying, add a little cooking oil to make the vermicelli strands more loose, not clumping or clumping.

In addition to the unique filling, the crust of the vermicelli sandwich is also varied in its own way. Instead of being baked as usual, the bread is dipped in diluted sugar water, then fried in hot oil to create a crispy texture.

When the bread is golden brown on both sides, it will be taken out immediately.

This cooking method helps the crust have a beautiful golden color, when eaten you can feel the richness, light sweetness and aroma.

Not only locals, diners from neighboring areas or people working far away who occasionally have the opportunity to return to their hometown also look to buy vermicelli bread to enjoy.

Thu Ha (a student in Hanoi) said that at first when her friend from Hai Duong introduced her to banh mi mien, she found the dish quite greasy. However, when she tasted it, the female student was fascinated by this strange flavor.

“People think that vermicelli is usually only used to cook dishes with broth, but when combined with bread, it creates a strange and delicious dish. The bread has a crispy crust, the vermicelli is soft, full of spices, and very appealing. If you eat one, it feels like it is not enough, but eating two will make you full,” Thu Ha revealed.

In addition to the main filling of fried vermicelli, this sandwich is also served with shredded meat, cucumbers, and herbs to prevent boredom. (Photo: Ninh Tito)

Hong Anh (a tourist from Hai Phong) commented that the noodle sandwich is so “hot” that every time she visits Hai Duong, she has to wait in line for half an hour to buy and enjoy it. Although it takes a lot of time, she is still happy and satisfied because the quality of the sandwich is worth the wait.

“Because I was impressed with this unique sandwich, I searched and tried it in other provinces and cities such as Quang Ninh and Hanoi. But there is really no place that is as delicious and authentic as the sandwich in Hai Duong,” said the 9X.

If you have the opportunity to visit Hai Duong City, you can visit Ms. Ha's family's sandwich shop on Le Hong Phong Street (the turn from Pham Ngu Lao, near Ly Tu Trong Primary School) to buy and enjoy. This is also a long-standing address selling vermicelli sandwiches, loved by many locals and tourists.

The shop only opens in the morning, from 6am, but is usually sold out by 10am. During peak hours, dozens of customers line up waiting their turn to buy. Each vermicelli sandwich costs 15,000 VND, and fried bread without filling costs 7,000 VND.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thuc-khach-sot-xinh-xich-vi-huong-vi-banh-mi-mien-o-hai-duong-274892.html