Fish Noodle soup

Inside the walled citadel in Hue, to the east of the citadel there is a special street – Duong Le Thanh Thon. It is special because in the late afternoon it starts to fill up with small roadside kitchens, they all specialise in the same dish – fish noodle soup, and it is so good you will want two bowls.




A lady sits in front of her open kitchen, a large pot of fish soup is bubbling away, with floured hands she takes a plastic cylinder in which she moulds some dough. Knife in one hand, she deftly slices thin dollops of noodles into a pot of salted boiling water.




A few minutes later, the fresh noodles are cooked and drained, tossed into a bowl. A spoonful of whitebait-sized fish fillets already cooked, marinating in a chilli, turmeric and spiced oil, and are added along with a ladle full of the most delicous fish broth and a handful of herbs.






It's rich, warming yet light, completely satisfying. I would choose this simple home-cooked meal over an Imperial feast anyday.