There is a popular saying in Đà Nẵng, “Don’t marry a Đà Nẵng girl if you don’t like to eat Mì Quảng, and you are not a true Đà Nẵng girl if you can’t cook Mì Quảng”. The noodle dish (pronounced “Me Wang”) is a Central Vietnam specialty, and is often regarded as the quintessential Đà Nẵng soul food dish.
Mì Quảng comprised of thick, rice noodles (at least 3 times the thickness of pho noodles) drenched in a hearty broth made from pork, chicken or beef, or even a combination of the meats, flavoured with turmeric, garlic, black pepper and shallots, plus fish sauce. The dish will be topped off with chopped scallions and toasted peanuts, and served with a side of rice crackers, and a platter of finely-chopped banana flower, fresh basil, mint and lettuce leaves. Crumble the rice crackers into the noodle dish, for a truly sensational taste experience.
We chose the frog-meat version of Mì Quảng over at Bà Mua, a popular chain offering Mì Quảng.
Another popular item at Bà Mua is Thịt heo nạc hai đầu da - a DIY spring roll dish incorporating thick, sticky noodle squares folded inside rice paper wrappers, with thinly-sliced pork belly, green mango, cucumber, beansprouts and a selection of fresh, aromatic leafy greens and herbs like basil, sawtooth mint, etc.
Vietnamese spring roll wrapper has a drier, but more elastic texture compared to Chinese spring roll wrappers. Dip the spring roll into the mam tom (fermented shrimp paste) with chilis.
Wash the food down with iced cóc (ambarella) juice - the small, green fruit yields a sourish juice which tasted like green mango juice. The Chinese-Singaporeans called this fruit “buah long long”, whereas the Malays called it “buah kedondong”. It’s also a popular drink in Penang, where it’s called “umbra”.
Really enjoyed our meal here at Bà Mua - the Mì Quảng noodle dish was particularly tasty.
Address
Quan Mi Quang Ba Mua
19-21 Tran Binh Trong, Hai Chau
Da Nang, Vietnam
Tel: +84 98 500 00 75
