Anytime I come to Quy Nhon, Bánh Hỏi Lòng Heo is the food that I never missed. In English, I found that people call the food ‘soft thin vermicelli noodles with boiled pork offal and congee’. Here in this article, I will call its Vietnamese name ‘Bánh Hỏi Lòng Heo’ so you may easily recognize it when visiting the land Quy Nhon for cuisine.
Bánh hỏi or soft thin vermicelli noodles is a popular food in many provinces in Vietnam. We have soft thin vermicelli noodles with roasted pork at Phan Thiet, or people at Phu Yen eat it with rousong (or meat floss). In Quy Nhon, we have soft thin vermicelli noodles with pork offal. If you come to Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh but never tried Bánh Hỏi Lòng Heo, it’s like you haven’t come to the place.
The Name ‘Bánh Hỏi’
I don’t know exactly where the name came from, but some people told me it was named a long time ago. Everyone asked the name of the noodle when they first saw it, and maybe that is where the name come from. To really translate from the word ‘Bánh Hỏi’ to English, it is ‘Asking Cake’ (or ‘Asking Noodle’, I’m not so sure).
How is ‘Bánh Hỏi Lòng Heo’, or Soft Thin Vermicelli Noodles with Pork Offal?
I like foods made from pork offal so I like Bánh Hỏi Lòng Heo. It brings on the feel of the martial land Binh Dinh, rustic and simple. The locals eat this food any time of the day.
Also made from rice flour, Bánh Hỏi is a member of the vermicelli family with different styles of noodles lining up, a little bit of oil, and chopped chives for beautiful color and good taste. When ordered, the sellers will bring you a dish of noodles, a bowl of congee, and a dish of pork offal including heart, liver, kidney, sausage, etc. You then eat the noodles and pork offal with chilly fish sauce, and some vegetables to enjoy the whole taste of this Quy Nhon specialty. You shouldn’t miss the bowl of congee. Congee is made with stewed blood and minced meat for more sweat and spicy. You can eat the congee later or use it with noodles and pork offal.
If you want to try Bánh Hỏi Cháo Lòng at Quy Nhon, you can find some at Tran Phu street or at 41 Nguyen Chanh street. The price may vary from 20,000VND to 30,000VND, as cheap as other local foods.
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