Must Try Before You Die!! Vietnamese Noodles from North to South!!

in this video You're Gonna witness 23 of Vietnam's must try noodles from North to South Vietnam is a country that loves street food and that loves noodles of all shapes and sizes guys have you ever just seen one giant flat noodle like this my buddy Calvin and I are starting in the capital of Hanoi in Northern Vietnam look at this stunning me for the sale both but one of them looks slimy then moving to the central region where we'll explore the cities of hue the Nang and hoi we're in a tiny very local Noodle Factory where they're one of the only places still making this noodle the old-fashioned way onward we traveled to Vietnam's buzzing Southern Metropolis Ho Chi Minh City down [Music] and finally we're going to the Deep South to Vietnam's iconic Mekong Delta where you can find Noodles served from a boat Uh Kevin please translate or Country Wide noodle adventure begins right here the noodle tour has officially begun we're starting right here in Hanoi and I am in the kitchen ready for a noodle eat breakfast the fun most people are most familiar with internationally would be beef but actually here in Hanoi chicken thought is super popular this place specializes in all things chicken pot the amount of ingredients you can get here are insane unlaid chicken eggs chicken butt chicken pancreas but before any of that you have to start with the bonfire that process is actually starting right now beside me rice noodles cornstarch water salt and rendered chicken fat apply the batter to a steamer for a few minutes you get this okay here we go the big moment so she uses a wooden rod to slowly peel that layer of bonfall off and that you can hang it up on the drying rack oh there's not a hole in there oh after this cools down they're gonna bring it to a different station and cut it into those beautiful pho noodles that we're also familiar with I want to complete a childhood dream I've always wanted to just put one of these in my mouth this is a fun foot that's already cooled down do you see how it's not afraid of a man's touch [Music] that went a lot differently in my mind it's very pillowy almost squishy and soft you could use a little bit of broth add the noodles spring onion herbs and chicken meat then level it up with a clump of boiled unlaid eggs chicken pancreas fatty chicken butts and this did you know you could eat that finally top with more veggies and to tie it all together a delicate heartwarming broth [Music] oh it's literally heartwarming it's like if your parents give you a hug I imagine I've read about it in books because it never actually gave you a hug did they yeah one time uh they thought I was someone else join me on this cross country noodle tour my good friend Calvin Bowie and those are something that I grew up with it's probably my favorite dish to eat in the whole entire world I love the texture I love the variety I love the versatility this is one of my favorite kind of unknown but still underrated ingredients in the world like this would have become an egg if you gave the chicken a little bit more time to poop it out and yes I mean poop it out do you guys know where the eggs come from on the chicken there's not a separate egg hole with that sinking it's so creamy I mean it's more creamy than any chicken egg that's boiled the texture is very much like if you mix the egg white and the egg yolk Together made a little omelette but that was still in a spherical shape delicious I'm told this is a pancreas pancreas bone it's very Livery and tasty and texture also very lemongrassy and fatty kind of dark meat oh having that fresh noodle appeal truly is making this bowl a 10 out of 10. when I tried it earlier it had really almost no flavor to it it was just about texture obviously all the flavor here is coming from the broth it gets soaked into the noodle I mean look at how thick these are it's like a scroll did you want to write a story on there yes this is one of my favorites I've never had this in Vietnam would you call this this is from a rooster it's the back part of their Mohawk it's the Cox comb you can't see that I said COD Cub one time you got mad at me my favorite word gelatinous as a little gamey flavor yeah it's fatty although mine was infused with lemongrass too it is a different type of texture and I think that's the point of all these meats As you move through the bowl is to get different tastes and textures of this piece and that piece right here we have a chicken butt oh Gardener oh it's so good I love chicken butt and I used to be afraid because it was you know I had the word butt in it but I've learned to love butts and I cannot lie that's right [Music] this next noodle is a beloved staple of Hanoi even though its main source of protein may be a major turnoff for some I'm here to find out if this is an acquired taste or love at first bite look at this stunning me or the snail both but one of them looks slimy I will not say which one dozens of different snail species are eaten throughout Vietnam from fresh water to Oceanic from very very small wow look at that to shockingly huge this thing is a monster here at this family-owned restaurant they've been serving freshwater snails with noodles for over 70 years lion people love this nail so much calcium it's good for you and it's organic how do you know when it's a good snail I mean I'm looking this nail in the eyeballs they won't even make eye contact with me in the morning at the market she'll put the snails into a bucket and she'll submerge it with water the ones that are alive will sit upright with the shell looking towards the sky but the ones that are dead will go upside down and just show you their booty and she's gonna buy a snail it better be a snail that she can murder herself correct boil and of them are dug out of their shell one by one I understand when you make a beef stock or a chicken stock because they've got bones but how do you do it with a snail she boils the snails she mixes that in with certain herbs and a special rice white vinegar add in tomato chili paste and spring onions to create this earthy broth now the assembly first add the noodles like thaw Boone is also a rice based noodle Boone is such a legacy dish it's come from our ancestors something that you see in everyday life it's an OG o n original noodle top with a batch of snails spring onions and heartwarming steamy tomatoey broth right here we have our super steaming hot bowl a boon and LeBron looks completely different from that chicken broth that we just had this is clear almost like a foulette a French term for a broth made of seafood Somebody went to a French cooking school how much does that cost by the way forty five thousand you make that money back ever it certainly doesn't have like the depth of bone broth but it's still very Savory it is just very light and Airy we should try some of this Boon oh look at that this is just the right moment it's soaked up just enough of the broth bringing and it's light it's such a great vehicle for flavor it's a good point you see it mixed with just about every different creature they have in Vietnam including the snail look at this monster of a sail it looks like a leech almost earlier I was watching her take these nails out and she just Twirls them with the perfect technique to get all the meat and all the poop out of there so so special well that one was brought in intense Seafood flavor somehow it's meaty and crunchy at the same time like a cartilage yeah there's very few things in life that have those two textures together absolutely oh man I'm in love I know like if you get a close-up of this nail it's gonna look weird and bizarre and a little bit funky if you've never tried it before it's like you have to try it and become acquainted with it then you start looking at it and you go oh I know you look kind of ugly but boy you taste good we'll see how this Simon creature has crawled its way into one of this City's creepiest bowl of noodles it's like the scene in Indiana Jones before that this a double dose of noodles for one seriously low price it's called [Music] um tucked deep inside a local market hidden away from the main streets this fool is serving up a recipe she inherited from her mother over 30 years ago in a bowl add some poached veggies then two types of rice noodles a brown one and a white one top it with fish cakes slices of beef tenderloin crab paste then a Savory broth made by boiling pork bones and crab paste for hours and hours I've never had this before I've never even seen it this is it's like bandana ah without all the extra syllables right let's get the broth oh those are the flavors that I love just that really seafood-esque flavor yeah like if you steamed a crab and then you run it out like a towel it would taste like that that's how she did it I think this one is really about getting a little bit of vegetable a little bit of noodle pieces of the tenderloin the fish cake and also a little bit of the crab patty that is a great bite right here why aren't you there with me I'm gonna eat this and then eat more [Music] rough delicious so what's interesting the way this is made there's no way to like have two different noodle experiences as soon as you put your chopsticks down they just start like combining together so it just becomes one big clump of texture completely flavored like crap they're both made of rice powder but the darker what the coloring comes from caramelizing sugar so you don't get much of the flavor it's more of an aesthetic did I say something really quick no okay then let's go for it but I've noticed in Vietnam folks here don't always mind it kind of a soft soggy noodle for me I really love an egg noodle because it's got a lot of texture and kind of bite to it noodle dishes are really about texture right so the vegetables in there kind of play off that softness of the noodle as a lot of vegetable I can see why some people would need that for fiber digestion Crohn's disease I don't know what I love about noodles of Vietnam is the endless variety there's just so much here I've never seen before in my life I gotta say they may have spoken too soon because now I'll be faced with this a type of noodle that isn't for the faint of heart but there's no turning back now recently I went to the USA and I went to many Vietnamese restaurants and see like 98 different Vietnamese foods but they won't have this pounds and pounds of live eels why did you just cheer when it came out I don't know this swamp eel has made a 200 mile Journey all the way here to miss Dean's prep kitchen where'd you even get these eels oh interesting in the rice paddy they put a bamboo pipe into the ground and the eel strides inside of the bamboo oh that's wild this eel is the foundation for her famous noodles noodles she's been selling for the last 36 years here's how it works these smooth-skinned slippery creatures are dumped in their final stainless steel resting place it feels slimy it's like the scene in Indiana Jones when all the snakes are just slithering away through crevices and hands if he rubs that on his face is that good for his skin salt the after a few minutes of riding the spirit of each eel ascends to the eel Paradise in the sky meanwhile on Earth it's time to get cooking the now D signed eels hit the grill roasting over charcoal until they cook through but why eels I really think that it's something that's fun to eat and because they have so many rice fields here in Vietnam this was something that was readily available now one by one she puts them in half to remove their bones and organs Shred the eel meat into smaller strips dredge it in flour then deep fry in hot oil until they're perfectly crispy with our eel transformation complete it's time to bring this all together blanched cellophane noodles and veggies are added to a bowl what a cellophane it's what you stuff into boxes you could eat that no you can't oh jalapenos are made of Arrow Roots it is a underground root and Sushi found in the mountain at MSG soy sauce the fried eel roasted peanuts fried shallots and cucumber but no cucumber for me on the side of our dry noodles a rich pork bone broth time to dig in Calvin this is our fourth and final noodle of the day we saw this just moments ago was so slippery slimy uh Sunny now shake my hand we have been friends for so long this is too intimate so we've gone from that to this right here that is quite a process I'm gonna give it a little bit of a sniffer oh not good nutty Aroma kind of like fried fish skin let's try it out around oh that's good the transformation of the year my gosh is so different it still tastes like fish it has a little bit of earthiness to it you know because it says mud can we get any more sound effects at the moment is this earthy creature it's in the mud it's in the swamp until to maintain some of that Essence but then all the flavors she put on top of it have made it absolutely delicious that is just a topic underneath we have the cellophane noodle also known as a what noodle oven a glass noodle setting and then you've got a sidecar of broth so you can still wipe your whistle wet your noodle oh my God I love it they're not super soft they have a nice bouncy spring to them it's super salty Savory it really absorbs all that schwash right do you know what sauces in there soy sauce shallow oil and a little bit of magic powder ah yes we're gonna have an MSG heart attack later the other thing I love about this noodle is that it's not clumped together oh yeah oh look at that amazing separation every time you pick it up they're completely separate from one another this is a pretty ultimate bite right here some eel some noodles let's do it yeah even with the eel the start of the show still is that glass noodle the eel is just creating a nice crunchy little Crouton adding texture to the Noodle but there's no real strong flavor to it a little bit of a sip oh the brother's real clean refreshing kind of Herby this is one of my favorite noodles today this is what I mean by like realigning your taste buds before trying this I thought I'm gonna take about two bites it's gonna taste like a swamp it's not gonna be good yeah and it's stunning I'm a new man I'm born again and I've been baptized in eel broth amen amen [Music] this is the city of where it used to be Vietnam's capital for over 150 years I say it's still the capital of bang and Central Vietnamese street food yeah oh my God today we're doing it all from creative noodle making using tools you could find at Home Depot she's literally carving it off of a PVC pipe all the way to impossibly small Seafood this is literally thousands and thousands of clams all right here that delivers a big bite move it move it move it at our first location a noodle made with the skill of a ninja and the tools of a plumber that is not a PVC type that they use for plumbing is it I think that's what it is traveled from the north to the central region of Vietnam where there is a completely different noodle scene you can see right here the way she's making these noodles is stunning Miss Wong and her family have been chopping these noodles into existence for the last 10 years oh my God she's picking eye contact with us while she's doing it I've got two trial and error they discovered a PVC pipe could work as a rolling pin and a cutting board at the same time how long did it take you to get good at this [Music] why you should talk about our dry cleaning right now what did I say to her noodles start with a mix of rice flour tapioca flour and hot water add a lot of buncon places they'll just order the noodles from somewhere else boil it and then send them out what is the advantage of making her own Van Gogh need the batter to make a dough you cannot guarantee the quality of noodles when you're buying from the outside but here you can make them clean fresh and delicious flatten that onto the pipe and chop it into boiling water inside the house she has her own grinder which it grinds her own rice flour she adds snake head fish intestines and two fish cheeks she just told me right now there's no one in comparison to her in this city then a rich fish broth I actually believe her I've never seen anybody with the focus Skillet and technique that she has she can do about 20 things at once she's taking separate orders plus she's talking to us finish with chopped and shredded green onions right here it grips the spoon wonderfully it's not super slippery like other bun kind I've had not at all oh before we get into the noodles let's try this Rod it's Savory and sweet the kind of sweetness that you can only get from Seafood that's nice noodles oh my God we're always eating soft noodles but this one has a nice bite to the two by cutting it with a knife you really get something different than a commercial grade noodle chewy texture different than any noodle we've had so far on this journey they have fish intestine this bigger black piece right here we're going to try next oh I love it I love the mineral taste I love this little Bailey Essence that it gives you in the mouth it tastes like it was full of something sticky like a peanut butter it's delicious that is basically fish food I love poop well they've got some other parts that aren't as full of poop can you find that cheek that's a cheek oh that's definitely a cheat let's have at it the best part of any animal is the part that is used the least the fish don't smile that much and so that cheek is gonna be just absolutely tender and succulent satisfaction guaranteed this is an excellent dish most people would associate this next noodle ingredient with danger rather than with food we're here because you have a very unique ingredient in your noodles and that is this right here can you tell me what I'm looking at jellyfish jellyfish yes even though jellyfish is eaten in this part of Vietnam you won't find it at almost any restaurant except this place have you been eating jellyfish from the time you were a kid since she was a little one like this in fact Miss Lund is the only vendor selling this dish in the entire city what do you like about jellyfish this dish starts with an assortment of greens and veggies Matt needs I dare you a double dog dare you I triple dog dare you followed by both a thin vermicelli rice noodles one of the most common types of noodles used in Vietnam she adds sliced fish cakes shrimpies and slices of jellyfish super crunchy watery there's just a lot of sensation there's no flavor at all so why do you like this if it has no flavor place on a crushed rice cracker she has her own secret sauce that's gonna transform this into the next big thing and finish with her ultimate secret sauce Calvin right here we have our dish they call it Moon and then the words that come after that which means it means jellyfish here in the central region they're calling it jellyfish noodles but there's so many different ingredients in here let's try the shrimp first mind you it does still have the entire shell on there we grew up eating shrimp with the shells on we've always known that it brought extra calcium to our bones and that was super important to you as a five-year-old yes all right let's try it out hmm I can feel it it's a little should be whiskers in my mouth it's crunchy the shrimp is Juicy it's got a nice savory sauce but she doesn't put a lot of sauce on there we should just mix this whole thing up right now I've got some of the greens Vietnamese sausage and then [Music] whoa wow it's indeed so it has a very fermented quality to it it's a bit of a light flavor not super intense and then some seafood Essence what Seafood exactly does it taste not is it the crab where in the crab the ankles no it has a flavor of crab rope that sauce really makes it I like it huh I really do but study don't forget what we're here for the jellyfish the jellyfish has now been caked with that sauce once flavorless now flavorful let's try it out still crunchy it's like pigs here as a softness on the outside but the inside super Crispy Crunchy and then with a little bit more flavor now I gotta say I'm coming around on the texture of this particular jellyfish jellyfish I've had in the past has been almost sandpapery I like this more than any other jellyfish I've had no cap people say that okay I shouldn't say that all right the city of hue served as a capital for generations of Vietnamese Kings so many foods here originated in the Royal Court including our next Bowl International the noodle people know most from Vietnam is fun but I would say the noodle that Vietnamese people love the most is and it comes from the city of Hoyt where we are right now that's what makes it really special I've never had here in a play this is like Elizabeth virginity this is a big moment let's break it down what does a broth consist of mist tweet the queen from the fork throttle to the pork belly but the main part is the entire leg of the pig I think it's a gelatinous creamy flavor and then the beef bones come in so you get a really nice balance between Pork and Beef there's pork there's beef but there's one other element that's very unique very special the blood cake congealed blood cake is an ingredient commonly paired with many soups in Vietnam it's a cheap and easy way to add more vitamins protein and a unique texture to your meal is this this is not just love from any animal this is coagulated duck blood oh really yes I did not expect that yeah you haven't you know what we have to do now right take it home and sell a Bitcoin no we have to eat pure blood what they usually do is they add it through the broth and then they get the flavor in there but here this is unseasoned all right let's see wow wow indeed I gotta say without the broth that is an intense flavor man it looks like pudding feels like jello but then it's just this minerly flavor it has a little bit of a library texture so as you bite it sticks to your teeth as you're chewing through it there's no other texture like this ma'am I can't wait to try this out with the broth and maybe a few other ingredients thank you so much starts with their special thicker version of boon huge cut of pork leg beef tendon beef flank and Blanche beef then a pork ball a crab ball and a few cubes of duck blood cake a Sprinkle of chopped scallion and finally she sinks it with her Heavenly bra I love that yeah oh oh my God the sweetness the porkiness that aromatic flavor hearing from the lemongrass so flavorful you taste it like from the top of your nose to the bottom of your stomach that's real good let's get to some of this meat on top everyone gets two balls unlike the human population these are two different balls one is ground pork huh that is this pure Porky goodness there's no fillers I like my balls I like my women no filler no Botox just full of meat okay I lost the analogy somewhere the next ball is made out of crap that's where the golden hue comes from [Music] similar types of seasoning but with some of that beautiful crab flavor are you ready for the pick Trotter so soft and tender delicious pork I love it let's take a look at these noodles this is the Boon we already had Boone but this looks different to me this moon is a little thicker what we used to get is vermicelli that's used for something that's more lighter you don't find this moon in any other dish try it out yeah boy that is life-changing it's strong it withstands this intense bra it's got plenty of texture but it's absorbed some broth too so it's full of flavor we tried blood already but we had just a straight up version no broth so now we've got some broth [Music] much better the irony flavors are gone that mineral in this is now sweet that broth really absorbed well into that blood cake it transformed it 100 last thing this is beef [Music] secretly the favorite noodles of Vietnamese people I understand why [Music] soon we'll be trying the cheapest bowl of seafood noodles you can find in Vietnam this dish is gonna be the cheapest dish we have in this series but to truly appreciate this dish you must see the work that goes into sourcing its main ingredient Kevin out here this is Mr bite here's a very interesting job that pertains to our next noodle Uncle Bai is a seasoned clam Hunter this is one of the most painstaking foods that can be made anywhere because the amount of work that has to go into it is unimaginable his main prey is the wild basket clamp the protein source for a final bowl of noodles the food source is so tiny but somehow everybody in this area is eating it every day he Dives down this River scooping up around 20 pounds of these microscopic mollusks he's gonna pull those up soon and we're going to see how he processes them for our next dish clams in hand he must now extract the meat using his outdoor kitchen thousands of clams descend into his fiery walk [Music] when it's full he adds water so the meat can cook [Music] so we have the clams that have been boiled they're being brought here to the processing area he takes them Portion by portion into the Wicker Basket puts it into the water that induces where the magic happens [Music] when I first heard about this food I thought he was gonna have to pick them out one by one with a freaking toothpick but no he puts it all in the water he stirs it around and then the meat just kind of floats out and then sinks right down to the bottom so right now there's a bunch of meat on the bottom of this giant Bowl meanwhile the shells are staying inside the basket this is called water displacement there's nothing High tick about this now this is just good old-fashioned smarts [Music] the moment has come he's done taking out all the meat from the clams he's going to show us the final result from all the meat on the bottom look at that I mean that is entire River in this basket go this is literally thousands and thousands of clams all right here this is wild are you ready to try it out oh yeah all right here we go oh Briny salty super tender and it still has some of that fresh water minerality to it I taste amoebas oh really yeah I've always wanted to lose some weight on this trip this is the way to do it from here the cooked clams head straight to a nearby restaurant where they'll be turned into an impressive 44 Cent meal the clams are mixed with chili oil seasoning powder and black pepper now the build a bed of shredded greens then blanched instant noodles bean sprouts coriander leaves a spoon of fermented shrimp paste crushed peanuts their homemade chili garlic dipping sauce more chili oil whole peanuts fried pork skin and then the clams and on the side a warm clammy broth this is our fourth and final noodle here in Hawaii and this is a beauty this dish is going to be the cheapest dish we have in this series 44 45 cents that is wild what do you think our approach should be I say we need to mix it up really get all the textures of the sauces together and then sorry I'm eating the pork skin already and then you want to take keep going we'll stop you and then you want to take a big mound of the noodles and the clams and the horse kit and the herbs and you don't want to just even you want to slurp everything down get one big mound in your mouth I'm down to sore do it Guys open yummy she added some fermented shrimp sauce in there alone it'll be very overpowering but in this noodle mixture with the herbs and the clams it really brings that dryiness to this dish it hits a lot different than like a boon bohoi there's nothing that compares to it when you get that first taste of broth it like heals your soul it erases the memory of all your exes it's like therapy in a spoon this is more like a fun snack than something that's going to give you a transcendental experience that's not to say it's not to be appreciated can you taste the clam no you can't there's so many Textures in there and it's tough because you can be crunching your way into a tough teach your own but then you're not going to notice that chewy little clam underneath it it is not a powerful force it's something you got to really like feel for if you can't taste a clam outright in the noodle you can always have some broth [Music] yeah I taste that that is this pure shell yeah that is a show rock wow that's really unique yeah is this water and the brightness from the plant itself it kind of cleanses your palette [Music] [Applause] it is such a mix of very affordable ingredients and that is what Vietnamese street food is all about Innovation and creativity I love it we've done it four noodles from jellyfish to blunt noodles made by hand all the way to clamming in the river this has been an epic noodle tour here in Hawaii next we're taking on Noodle Factory in Hoi An a small countryside beach Paradise located in Vietnam central region the city is famous for its well-preserved ancient town the Aged canals running through it and cow Lao noodles flavors and Sensations arranged harmoniously to create an elegant and inviting aesthetic promising nothing for Pure Pleasure incredible being the regional staple kalau can be found everywhere in this city and here at gaolo ballet restaurant you'll find it in its finest form this is my favorite element inside of here you know pigs can take criticism really well they have a thick skin oh it all starts with a strong Foundation a noodle made from scratch just a few blocks away in a series of Alleyways in a residential area you'll find this Noodle's place of origin we're in a tiny local Noodle Factory where they're one of the only places still making this gaolo noodle the old-fashioned way it starts like this we've got rice flour tapioca starch and lye water all mixed together it comes in as a liquid and he mixes it and mixes it until it becomes a thick paste the thickened paste is brought here seal it out then steam 30 minutes later and it's ready to continue its journey toward noodle hope this steaming hot glob of dough is beat down in an industrial sized mixer creating the perfect even consistency Calvin I saw the batter being made but this is the actual noodle forming process this is a professional this is a preschooler see I'm more like a professional eater he's rolling it out with the pin he gets the width just perfect cuts it and then it goes through the noodle what do you call that like the Play-Doh machine uh it's called a noodler I love his technique because as he flattens it out you see the tiny indentations into every time the piece of wood rotates if it's just one completely long sheet it'll rip in the food how far back does this Noodle Factory go four generations great grandfather grandfather father on noodle Master Lao preserving tradition he is one of the rare local producers who's still making these noodles the old-fashioned way despite the competitive popularity of machine production adopted by almost everyone else how can you compete with big noodle making factories even if there are factories nothing beats doing by hand there's no machine that can counteract Love One More Steam session and we finally have it kowlo noodles now it's the chef's turn ship the noodles to the restaurant Fresh then blanch and add them to a bowl of fresh herbs thick glistening chosu sauce is draped over the noodles chasu pork and natto oil then pork fat for the vegetables as the final touch Sate charam and deep fried pork fat chaolo is a very interesting dish because it's not a brothy dish it's not a dry dish it's a right in the middle where it's kind of swashy do you remember seeing at the factory they have a little tiny squares this cha rum is made from the same dough as the noodles instead of steaming it's cutting the squares and Fries they're not the LSD squares oh yeah these will not melt on your tongue they're much more crunchy but maybe still trippy let's try it out I love that from here as beautiful as this bowl is it is meant to be destroyed and mixed up now they're soaking up that sauce [Music] the sauce it's just so yummy nice back to me ratio it's very moist moist I'm looking for the perfect bite I want a little bit of the statue a little bit of the green like so many Vietnamese tissues it's a flavor sensation as well it's a texture sensation I really like the use of herbs it really livens up this dish we know by now I don't like a soft limp imbish noodle I like a noodle with some body to it I knew it does deadlifts a noodle that does clean a noodle that sits there didn't gym for three hours and says hey you got this to CrossFit Noodle from here we are going to another place in Hoi as well the guy holding my cue cards just dropped them all in the wind usually there's it's all scripted I don't know what to say right now freezing uh push the button go to voiceover go to voiceover go to voiceover most noodles in Vietnam are made from rice but this next one well I had no idea this next food could become a noodle here it's all about the cassava what is this noodle called and how far does it go back it was like a hundred years in this region of Central Vietnam it's really hard to grow a lot of vegetables one vegetable that goes well is the cassava root they create this dish to help combat hunger this noodle is used in a lot of families when rice isn't available the noodles are made of 100 cassava you take the peel off you then dry it in the Sun so you make a powder out of it and that's the powder we use to make the noodles like a cassava batter let's have a batteries they pour cassava batter into a dual functional pot it boils and whisks the batter simultaneously once the batter thickens up it's moved to a kneading machine to smoothen its texture it gets thick and then they put it in this machine which extrudes it like a Play-Doh extruder this machine presses the batter through a filter extruding strands of noodles while the tray beneath Bobs and weeds to and fro creating this unique webbed pattern a pattern crucial to the survival of this noodle what is the purpose of the crisscross pattern they found out to do the crisscross shape allowed them to pull the noodle from one side easily if you kind of have this netted pattern it's just going to be a lot stronger in the olden days before they had machined they had somebody saying hi pushing down the batter it just goes back to reflect on the Innovation that you find everywhere in every corner of Vietnam it's never just this low standard like well just boil cassava in either cassava they're like I need freaking noodles dude the full trays of wet noodles are taken out into the fields to Sun Dry by noontime all of these sheets get dried in the Sun by 4 or 5 PM it's done Calvin that is how Paul sang that is how this particular noodle is made the only thing left to do now is to eat it Jake's plus saying is as versatile as it is innovative and at our next restaurant we'll see them prepared two ways in broth and fried first fried Frost sang saute crushed garlic and peanut oil add shrimp squid and a potent blend of fish sauce vinegar MSG and coconut nectar then some veggies and pineapple some starch to make it thick now those noodles deep fry each fuzz sang sheet until it pots up after creating a foundation of several noodle sheets dump your stir fry on top food number one it looks like a bird's nest It just erupts itself from this dish what if we put some of the seafood on the noodle what if I bet you from over here yeah I mean so many things are possible in life right [Music] the stir fry is great but to have a little bit a little bit a great way to prepare noodles and just make just make fun light crispy crispy texture sensation the noodles here aren't the main star they play more of a company much like a cameo like what I do once in a while in the show oh you do cameos do you consider me a co-host I don't consider you a celebrity so how about a friend Cambio next up our main course snakehead fish noodles saute onion pearls garlic and turmeric then add seasoned fish and pork now for the bra cook a whole snakehead fish for five hours then squeeze out its Essence extracting its delightfully fishy flavors these cassava based noodles take almost no time to soften up toss everything in the bowl and send it out the door this broth was made with turmeric and pearl onions you should be able to get a lot of manhood from the turmeric oh wow is that what turmeric does what do you think is a Viagra oh uh drugs add turmeric they've kept up with the seafood theme Here tons and tons of fish on top that's too bright really Blends in well with his fish it gives it a very nice herbaceous feel to me it tastes like a freshwater fish I can taste that mineralogy this is what I really care about right here when you pick them up they almost break under their own weight because they're so saturated with the broth already they're still satisfying but I gotta say you have to be quick with this one if you let it sit around at all it is going to turn to Mush to eat your own this might be the reason why they like this noodle they like that mushiness that kind of combines everything together to solve it is something that you see in boba tea it's really interesting to see the local Regional area utilize what's grown here and make something out of it I think that's really cool all right on to the next location [Music] just in hours drive south of Hoi An you'll find tamki this is Vietnam's true hidden treasure Serene unspoiled Sands and laid-back Beach Town Vibes however there is one thing they take very very seriously oh another one coming off this noodle is called me Wang it's a noodle you're going to find only in the central region I didn't ask if I could do this this noodle dish is the result of centuries of History that's just such a nice soft cushiony thick lovely texture influenced by Chinese merchants in the 16th century created and developed what is now the infamous me Wang a cultural celebration of central Vietnam this looks really similar to the banfall we had in Hanoi but there's quite a few differences here this is made completely from Rice they actually take the rice they soak it they grind it make their own batter and then steam it whereas the Hanoi would be made with a little bit of tapioca starch so that means this is going to be a much more fragile noodle the only thing left to do is add all the other ingredients and eat poodle sheets are chopped into noodle strands then they head to the bowl next a protein trifecta trimpies quail eggs and chasu pork she adds a special broth made of beef bones a natto oil and spring onion Roots chasu sauce spring onions and peanuts here you have Central Vietnam in a bowl this by frame will blow your freaking mind okay I'm up for that these shirts have been caramelized as a really nice fish sauce and triggered flavor to it all right as you chew the shrimp the sauce bursts out of it it was very flavorful I like that this fish sauce is mixed with chilies and garlic is really strong could you have that back it is very pungent next we have this homemade chili sauce let's mix it all up [Music] great texture that bra really brings that flavor in it's just so chewy it's very similar ingredients and somewhat similar cooking technique but it feels the textures are so different from fat noodle I've got some roasted pork here pork and seafood they belong together especially in a bowl like this let's try this broth it's enough salt and enough flavor for The Whole Bowl yeah no matter what temperature it is outside a bowl of meat wine is always perfect but there's a bowl of pho it's a little too hot it is over 100 degrees midday but people can still manage these noodles because it's not just a big steaming hot bowl of broth one more bite [Music] today you know Russian it's German yeah foreign city is not the capital but it's still Vietnam's biggest city [Music] coming with energy this is perfect right here unnecessary two locals even eat breakfast at home I'm gonna go crazy for the noodles because it's so tasty I know what that is it's delicious they make a simple bowl of noodles look like a symphony and affordable to Chow Down on the streets you can smell Calvin and I are on a mission to show you the best this city has to off each bite is like its own experience and it absolutely starts here many times in this city a completely average looking restaurant exterior paired with a Microsoft Paint level of graphic design and a name as uninspiring as far Vietnam as you need to know there's magic happening inside good morning and welcome to Saigon I came here for the perfect breakfast this is like the queen rice noodles your choice of protein fresh herbs and a complex deep almost philosophical broth this dish transforms whatever mood you brought with you into overwhelming Comfort traditionally you'll find fog with all its ingredients sunk in a Savory broth here it's a completely different story they're doing kind of a deconstructed plot experience they've really elevated this dish to a new level of grade 1 the protein beef Shake beef flank beef brisket beef ribs did I mention yet that this dish costs under ten dollars oh and there's still more beef oxtail a coveted delicacy that you'd never see paired with this dish upgrade to the noodles this restaurant's been open for five years and up until now they're the only fall restaurant in Saigon dishing out their own fresh handmade bonfall steam rice flour batter for a couple minutes and you'll get these thick soft chewy noodles ready for action finally this Dish's most crucial element a steaming sauna of delicious aromatic flavors I smell cumin star anise cloves plus all the bones that we're cooking in there overnight all the flavors Blended together it smells good soon this broth is going to be in a stone pot bubbling boiling away and that's going to come to our table put a stone bowl over a raging flame until it's seriously hot then add oxtail ribs flank brisket and spring onion next the floor is frog blanch the noodles and put them on the side together with thin beef shank slices and herbs try to be careful here if he drops it then I can't have children take a look at this it is insanely hot I think we should start with a little taste on this broth almost like a consummate it is oily aromatic Savory if you could try one cut inside of here oh for me it'd be the oxtail oh it's really about that gelatinous texture just look at how jiggly it is it highly desired it you cannot have a good bowl of pho without a nice fatty soft brisket oh my gosh dude super soft meat I mean it's a little bit more on the drier side compared to that tail but it's cut so thin that's so delicate in your mouth and then the beef what makes beef Shake special beef shakes or any shakes on animals are usually the most toughest part but if you handle it with care and with technique and a quick swoosh in the broth you're gonna get something that's super flavorful and super exciting to eat there's so many combinations here so we'll put some shake meat in first we'll put some noodles in add some green onions and by the time your green onions hit the broth they should be perfectly ready to eat this is fought at its best I want to come here every day now I want to open this restaurant in my living room I want to invite all the staff I want to put that kitchen in my kitchen this experience truly signifies how amazing Vietnamese food is it can be we have peaked early my friend but we have three more noodles we still have to try to manage to eat today somehow most countries have their own version or interpretation of other countries Cuisine Cuba has a lot of Spanish tradition that's why waiting Harry the churros in our culture it's no different when it comes to Vietnam recreating their idea of the perfect Thai noodle dish called simply customers from all over the world come to Vietnam and try her bun Thai they go elsewhere but they always come back here because it's always that good Moon Thai is a flavor-packed soupy surf and turf that Rings up at only about three bucks per Bowl oh this is 60 pounds of books it's a white vermicelli noodle made from rice but the Thai part what is the broth is influenced by Thai is a sweet and sour flavor known in Thailand kelvin's referring to Tom young a Thai Noodle Soup famous for its pleasurably spicy and sour broth it's so satisfying of course in Vietnam we took that recipe and we just did it on the sour and the spicy level the ingredients you'll find here are very local to the Vietnam area you have so many different ingredients in here tons of fresh seafood and then you have this what is this fried fish cake is made with freshwater fish the fillets are then blended with spices and then made into a Patty unnecessary I love doing that a little spongy but great fish flavor and beautiful spices inside it's really good [Applause] first blanch the noodles thin soft rice vermicelli next an onslaught of protein the fish cake fish fish shrimp squid another shrimp and clams plug the bowl with a sweet and sour fish bone broth garnish and serve [Music] super fragrant light sugary a little bit sour and then that really earthiness comes from the galango root which is a Thai root it kind of makes your throat feel good it's like a lost yeah it's like a delicious cough drop type liver we've got some of this beef that's fish sauce with sliced chilies I'll do the fermented chili sauce over here very nice A little shrimpy oh dip in the broth flip that mouth ah sweet meaty Vietnam has some of the best seafood in all of Southeast Asia absolutely this is what these noodles are all about right here it's a local fresh fish caught here in Vietnam you can taste the Mekong on the fish this is delicious this sweet sour broth is perfect for seafood there's no truer Fusion than this it's like the abstract idea of Thailand put into a broth mixed with tons of Seafood and Meat and sold for just a few bucks delicious when it comes to Noodles what's better handmade or machine made our next Chef seems to think the machines can conquer any Nimble finger noodle Handler in the comments section you're gonna see Civil War I've come to Chinatown to find out egg noodles this noodle one of my absolute favorites dates back thousands of years though widely known to be a Chinese creation Italians and Arabs will tell you a very different origin story I can't say for sure so let's see what the chef thinks there you go well there you go as much as folks in Vietnam love noodles egg noodles don't appear often we see that so many noodles here have a rice base what is it that makes this noodle so different these noodles only have two ingredients they have flour and they have eggs like chicken eggs chicken eggs I was leading him like chicken eggs no duck eggs tucked away in a nearby Alleyway you'll find Mr Hans fresh egg noodle laboratory his process for manufacturing machine made noodles starts with wheat flour tuck eggs and lye water why duck eggs and not chicken eggs there's something in the duck egg that makes these noodles extra healthy eye elastic extra elastic after 15 minutes of mixing the dough is ready with this machine they press the dough into sheets [Music] process is repeated several times until they reach the desired thickness and texture consistency the moment has come they are squeezing the dough right now between two cylinders and it's about to go into the noodle press oh it is like raining noodles can I put my finger in here sorry I don't know sometimes I listen to the invasive thoughts I shouldn't here in Saigon's Chinatown you'll find a large Chinese Vietnamese population dishing out Generations old traditional recipes and all it starts to do is create even more variety of food that you can experience when you're in the city when it comes to Noodles traditional means handmade so how do machine made noodles Stack Up Is there a difference between machine made noodles and hand pulled noodles [Music] hand pulled noodles could never be as good as machine made noodles that is the claim of the Century Holy Cow can the machine also put love into the noodles [Music] after pressing boil for a couple of minutes and they're ready for their sidekick the wontons back in the noodle left flat dough sheets are cut down to size and filled with minced pork shrimp crab and fish give them a little bit of a dip and pair them with the noodles add bok choy black pepper a mixture of soy sauce and oyster sauce white pepper green onions dried pork fat and finally a Savory pork bone broth thank you that takes it that good and that's a vegetable just wait till we eat the noodles I'm very curious about this broth and so that's why I want to taste it well I got a great idea let's taste it that logic follows right it's a bit sweet fatty very rich it is simple and straightforward but it's still awesome not every broth to me has to be like a complex Labyrinth of flavor sometimes it can be like oh I know what that is it's delicious look how big that is this wonton is reckless it's out of control it's morbidly obese hey not you your body shaping me not yet it almost slips down your throat like a slide it's like eating a little shoe mine the density of the meat not the same but similar flavors and a similar texture to me right here not a noodle at all they cook these pork bones overnight to achieve peach-like softness the tendons become moist and delicious and you just peel it off and whatever you get is what you get and people love it right you know what it's the look of the draw life is like a bone of chocolate life add broth then top it with green onions and pepper to complete this epic side dish I'm gonna gnaw on it I love nodding on Bones don't give me a joke right now this is not the appropriate time there is nothing funny about that fatty and delicious I flip and love that the meat closest to the Bone always has the most flavor this is the noodle right here super controversial you were asking him what is better between a Handful Noodle and a machine made Noodle and it seemed like he didn't even have to think about it you know instantly this is the superior noodles oh this bowl is perfect for a rainy day in Saigon oh I'm sorry do you have like a different noodle that you eat depending on weather patterns when you eat when it's foggy flat noodle what about when it's sprinkling vermicelli what about when it's raining me why oh I've had handful of noodles I've had machine made noodles I cannot pretend to be expert enough to tell you which is better the obvious go-to is like oh a handmade is better it's made with a human's touch but you know there's advantages to machine made too it's more efficient I like that every noodle is conformed you like Conformity put me in the Box yes Comfort guys who wants to stand out for me blend in or nothing at all our next noodly dish is only known to True Vietnamese food lovers the star of this dish is actually right here this is called [Music] this Baja was made with a generation's old recipe what you taste today is the same as what you would experience decades ago Maha begins with a broth made of beef bones lemongrass Ginger five spice and a natto spice [Music] next add big chunks of beef brisket and tend it and let them stew slowly for hours dissolving every last flavor Crystal into its viscous broth foreign delicious stewed beef inspired by French cooking made with love and Thyme oh and and there's carrots too to pair with Baja our noodle this is what deal a soft fake rice based noodle after blanching the noodles with bean sprouts fill the bowl with this thick Savory beef stew imagine DT Mor stew times 10. would you call it a broth would you call it a stew a sauce I do call it a stew because there's meat in it I don't really call it a broth because there's no bones that are being used to make this dish oh it's surprisingly light the Thai Basil really helps cut a lot of the richness really nice aromatic flavors vegan hot dog here we go reminds me of my mom putting some carrots in a crock pot this looks incredible huge pieces of beef they kept all those parts on there that ordinarily would not be great unless you braise it for hours super tender juicy it's just it's so good I like how they didn't use very expensive cuts those cheaper Cuts tend to have more flavor underneath everything we have [Music] the noodle check out this beautiful Sheen of this Rich beef oil that's too just coats every strand of noodle here the noodle is super super soft it is kind of fun to slurp up when you put the soft noodles what that little kind of chewy Grizzly meat it's a nice combination oh take a look at this [Applause] this is what I'm talking about this is just straight authentic this is the Achilles heel of this cow [Music] be my top bite of the day right there I'm so rich gelatinous gooey I'm gonna hit that with some noodles this stands in contrast to everything else we've had today it just has a completely different personality it doesn't care if you like it it feels like it's very confident in itself it's a little bit arrogant it has like a little body odor but you're like maybe that's what a man's supposed to smell like it's a very nice day today it's an incredible noodle selection that we've experienced today we complete our noodle journey in Vietnam's Mekong Delta Ahoy is that what you're supposed to say are they Pirates the Mika is different from anywhere else in this country who's selling a double-dicking cheeseburger right now a vast network of rivers and streams you should ask her what our website is she didn't say what's Facebook your locals have learned not to fight against mother nature but to work with her new geography needs new ingredients fish literally from a foot away from us yes and noodles like you've never seen before it all starts here [Applause] [Music] Calvin we have just arrived here in one of the most unique markets you'll find anywhere in any country I love this place [Music] welcome to Long swim out here on the Mekong Rivers have turned into highways and spots like this have become produce markets on the water [Music] through its 2 700 mile Journey the mekong's nutrient-rich waters bless all those it passes by meaning Farmers here are able to generate a huge portion of this country's agriculture you see they have these banisters here at the top of it whatever vegetable or fruit they specialize in a pineapple they'll put it up there who's selling a double thickened cheeseburger right now oh oh my God I wish one of them did have a bacon cheeseburger on top wherever you find large collections of people you'll find someone who wants to make a business by feeding them even if it's on the water we're coming up on another boat now I do see coconuts how do you say coconut you hi I think you should just do the ordering wow look at her just chop that there's nothing that that knife cannot cut oh my God that sweetness is amazing Gatorade has nothing on this refreshing Electro life all natural no GMO I mean you're quite the marketer for this woman you should ask what our website is right depending on the day you can spot fenders selling Vietnamese coffee or a variety of noodles oh I see it dude there's a steaming pot of broth on her boat conveniently delivered right to your starboard side for just a buck or two uh Kelvin please translate good job back this is Miss twit she's been gliding up and down this River blessing locals with her flavorful offerings for over 20 years this is an iconic Nikon noodle dish rice vermicelli local fish and plenty of extras piled on top during breakfast and lunch she makes her way from vessel to vessel docks briefly and whips up a bowl when the meal is finished the bowl is returned and she continues on her way but let's back up operation it's impossible without [Music] Miss Do It prepares for food for the day inside her home grilled pork fried fish a rich Savory fish bone broth vermicelli noodles and a load of fragrant veggies foreign is collected and walked down the dock where she carefully descends to her boat with her valuable ingredients consuming nearly all the space on board she gently pushes off and paddles her way into the sunrise or she'll eventually meet me fantastic can we have uh two please our Bowl starts with shredded Morning Glory bean sprouts Egyptian river hemp flowers and vermicelli rice noodles she sinks it in her steaming hot broth not just for a moment the broth doesn't stay when do we get bra chunks of fish pork string beets and veggies join in then she douses the bowl in raw this time for real the Finishing Touch Vietnamese coriander pork fat fish sauce shrimp salt and chilies this bowl is absolutely scorching sizzling there's a lime on here give that a little bit of a squeeze away that brought them so rich when she poured it out oh it's so spicy I hate turmeric I taste spice it's very Savory sweet the fish sauce it's very light these are very simple ingredients and she made something really beautiful out of it and fish fish literally from a foot away from us I like the turmeric on that fish the more and more I dig into this noodles the more and more flavor comes out this to me looks like kind of an odang that you'd find in Korea and then just get that broth into your into your nostrils oops the Fisher cake is good every bite's a little different for 85 cents this is so filling you wouldn't think that you would get this quality on a river you could sell this in a restaurant in LA or New York I'm asking what she's doing later next we're headed to a Countryside Noodle Factory that's cranking out a ton of noodles called uh oh dude this is Kim unfactory and it's CEO Kong here they're making some of this country's most beloved noodles from scratch one of the raw ingredients that go into the noodle itself it starts with an enormous amount of ground rice mixed with water to form a silky white rice batter one ingredient just rice nope a little bit of tapioca foreign belt guides the batter through a steamer transforming it into thick soft elastic sheets after resting for a moment on the rack the rice sheets are sliced into squares it's cutting the noodle down to a foot that's so that she can put that into the machine later on and then make noodles out of it at this stage these noodle sheets are nearly identical to Vietnam's famous bonfar what separates them is the next step they're sent outside and set on racks to dry about two or three hours in total depending on the humidity of the air depending on how hot it is once it's dry enough then they pull it in it does have a really nice mouth feel it feels a little more stickier than it is a little bit more chewy than a fun noodle with a dry in the sun definitely removes the moisture [Music] once the noodles are not all but mostly dry they head to the same place as Hillary Clinton's emails foreign you had to be really careful around here this is my favorite part because you get to see some real action take place earlier on the noodles delicate has to be dried out but now it's dry enough to be put through here this is good deal just a completely different texture than other noodles no flavor it is not dried all the way out it's still a little bit of moisture in there what do I do with it should I give it back I'll give it to my camera guys now complete they head out to nearby vendors who know exactly what to do with them mix it up then toss on a prolific pile of protein pork liver pork heart and more pork and pork intestines and shrimp douse the bowl in more secret meat sauce and garnish with herbs this is a dry noodle so we're still in need of a bone broth sidecar with quality do I love intestines I love chewiness and do me off because it is a room temperature intestine what creamy inside she braised it for a long time that noodle is what I'm really interested in what sauce is on here it's her house sauce she won't tell me exactly what's in there but it's about a soy sauce chili sauce and a few other spices especially MSG yeah my favorite spice there's something about having fresh Whole Food noodles they're more chewier I like it a lot I would say this is like the ketchup noodles of Vietnam oh I like that insulting no not at all this is a bone broth made of pork and also dried squid oh you got Nikon I didn't get a dry squid you got a dry squid super complex different levels of umami there's like jumping in the pool on a hot summer's day it just cleanses you from the inside it's so refreshing it does oh look at that the perfect bite what a combo it's so satisfying the Mekong area is a very agricultural area everything on this dish came locally sourced the circle of life here Hakuna Matata from north to south we've intimately experienced 17 of this country's iconic noodles now our final dish is in a category on its own half noodle half dessert a perplexing combination of sweet coconut cream and savory fish sauce they're called silkworm noodles and here's how they're made [Music] rice flour batter is cooked until it condenses into a thick clob of dough the dough is needed to create a consistent texture with some honey and oil this doughy deity brings the noodles into existence by Rolling Out small portions into strands that resemble soapworms or so they say Steam for 20 minutes and they're ready for what's next my favorite part is that these are the most homemade noodles of any noodles we've seen from north to south so pick it off here it's a little stretchy a little elasticy super hot silky and soft huh oh wow it's a little bit salty but very very soft so I imagine once they mix this with some sauce it's probably going to make it even softer but people here in the Mekong Delta they love it the noodles are combined with bean sprouts pork balls pork meats and pork skin then a generous dose of thick white coconut cream a potent spoonful of chilies and finally the fish sauce I love Savory Foods and I love sweet food so mixing the two I'm about to find out it's like I'm late night I'm feeling creative I maybe have some herbal influences going on and I want to put everything together and pretend I'm Chef Gordon Ramsay that's what this is what's in here round pork some spices black pepper fish sauce [Music] doesn't have that weird texture where you're like that's not how meat should feel a lot of pepper I like it and then there's literally everything else everything else just combines into this one thick mask [Music] it's so confusing I taste the spice I didn't even see herbs but I tasted the herbs and then a little bit of sweetness definitely a ton of super soft texture from these noodles that is a fascinating combination fascinating indeed I tasted everything you have tasted I have to say it's not for me it's the fish sauce and the coconut cream going together that is throwing off my towel a little bit we've said how we feel about it but what do you think it is that people around this reach and love so much about this food you're the mecon coconut is one of the top exporting items they try to use everything that's localized and this is very Regional if you grew up here there is a 99.99 chance you'll be eating this growing up from the rice to the pork to the coconut all that just screams Mekong Delta [Music] all right guys check it out I did not pee my pants this is just sweat it is hot out here that's funny I don't have anything in my pants they're dry I guys that is it for our noodle tour that you've been watching over a series of days weeks or even years I hope you enjoyed our noodle Tour all the way from the North in Hanoi to the South here in the Mekong Delta has been quite an experience and my gosh Calvin we did it so many noodles in fact we had 23 new editions one country we did it we did it we did it a huge thank you to Calvin right here you can follow Calvin at fkn deliciousness on YouTube he's also on Instagram follow his fun food adventures and see what he's up to he's very charismatic off camera I swear to God that is it for this one guys thank you so much for watching we will see you next time all right I have a lot of floral shirts should I start wearing floral underwear no oh yeah wear more floral stuff we need more flowers in this world oh we do don't always there for enough flowers

Channel: Best Ever Food Review Show

Views: 5,580,426

Keywords: befrs team, best ever food review show, sonny side, noodle tour, vietnam noodle, what to eat in vietnam, calvin, Noodles from North to South, must try noodle, south east asia food, asian country, pho, vermicelli noodle, glass noodle, tapioca noodle

Id: CvpXl4J52RU

Length: 71min 0sec (4260 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 14 2022