The unique corn pho dish of the Mong people in Quan Ba, Ha Giang is being introduced at the Pho Festival 2025, taking place from April 18 to 20 at Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Hanoi . With its rich flavor and unique yellow color, corn pho makes many diners want to enjoy it.
Corn is the staple food of the Mong people in the Ha Giang rocky plateau. From corn kernels, local people process many typical dishes, including men men (corn rice). Once when going to Ha Giang to enjoy men men, Mr. Lai Duc Tinh, later the owner of H'mong Village resort, Trang Kim area, Dong Ha commune, Quan Ba, found it very difficult to eat because it did not suit his taste. However, this was a new idea for him and his friends to create a new dish: corn pho.
"Ngo pho was originally just a dish created by chefs to serve breakfast guests at H'mong Village. After receiving feedback from many tourists, from 2020 to 2022, Mr. Tinh and our team researched, created and perfected the corn pho recipe to widely introduce Ha Giang corn products in a new flavor. This is a dish that combines the typical culinary features of the Mong people and the broth and pho cooking method of the Kinh people," said Mr. Vuong Duc Bang, who directly introduced corn pho at the 2025 Pho Festival.
Participating in the 2025 Pho Festival, Mr. Bang hopes that visitors from Hanoi and other regions will be able to observe the direct preparation process and enjoy this new and unique dish.
The process of making corn pho begins with the preliminary processing. After the corn kernels are removed from the cob, they are dried, roughly ground, the husks are removed, and then soaked in water for about 8 hours. The corn kernels are then ground into a fine powder, mixed with water to form the mixture for making the noodles.
The cook uses a ladle to scoop the flour onto the surface of the steamer covered with a thin layer of cloth, similar to the way Kinh people make rice rolls. In just 2-3 minutes, the corn flour is evenly cooked.
Corn Pho uses local ingredients combined with the recipe for lowland pho broth but with some changes to create harmony. Corn grown on the Dong Van rocky plateau is small, short, starchy, sweet and aromatic.
Mr. Bang said he tried making corn noodles with other types of corn such as hybrid corn and sticky corn, but the noodles did not have a beautiful yellow color and the flavor was not distinctive.
Corn noodles are hand-made like traditional noodles, but corn is less sticky than rice, so it requires a more difficult technique. When cooked, the noodles turn a deep yellow color. The cook uses a wooden stick to lift the cooked round noodles off the steamer and dry them on a bamboo pole for 5-7 minutes, waiting for them to cool. The cooled noodles are then carefully sliced so that the noodles do not break or break. Corn noodles are only suitable to be eaten with beef.
The beef used is Ha Giang yellow beef, which is free-range beef with firm, chewy and sweet meat. The broth is simmered from beef bones and some tubers and fruits of the Ha Giang rocky plateau, with a light, sweet taste, fragrant with cinnamon and star anise, mixed with yellow pho noodles.
Visiting the culinary space of the Pho Festival 2025 on the opening night of April 18, Ms. Hoang Thu Hue (Dong Da, Hanoi) said that out of curiosity because of the different yellow color of the pho, she enjoyed a bowl of pho and found it very interesting. "The pho has clear, rich broth, deep yellow noodles, and the broth smells of corn and vegetables, different from Hanoi pho."
Mr. Bui Cong Thai (Ha Dong, Hanoi) was impressed with the pho noodles, which are bigger and softer than rice noodles, and have a distinctive corn flavor. "I will bring my children to enjoy them on the weekends."
“Because it has less starch than rice, corn pho is good for people who want to lose weight, are obese, or are on a diet. Ha Giang currently does not have an official corn pho establishment. Therefore, customers can enjoy corn pho at H'mong Village, Trang Kim area, a place famous for hand-rolled pho in Dong Ha commune, Quan Ba district,” Mr. Bang introduced.
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/thuong-thuc-pho-ngo-ha-giang-tai-ha-noi-post400476.html
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