Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Producing rice noodles for more than 50 years, or three generations,
Sau Hoai's hu tieu (rice noodle) factory is perhaps not so well-known in Can Tho.
But, it is a familiar destination among tourists when they visit Can Tho.
It is the efforts of a family living on the bank of Rau Ram Canal
to maintain the manual way of making rice noodles
to introduce it to tourists as a traditional trade,
But also to ensure outputs to supply
for markets in Can Tho and neighboring provinces.
According to wikipedia, the pronunciation of hu tieu originated from Mandarin language
A food made from rice strips, it was invented by Teochew and Min Nan people
and became popular in southern China and the Southeast Asia
Hu tieu is very popular in Vietnam's southern region.
It can be said that it is a typical food in southern urban areas
just like pho in Hanoi.
The main ingredients of hu tieu (rice noodles soup) are rice noodles,
the broth which is called nuoc leo in Vietnamese and made from pig bones,
minced pork, and pig offal.
Hu tieu is cooked differently in each region, depending on local tastes.
We have dishes like hu tieu nam vang,
hu tieu My Tho (My Tho: capital town of Tien Giang Province),
hu tieu Sa Dec (Sa Dec: town of *** Thap Province),
hu tieu sa te (satay), hu tieu bo kho (stewed beef),
and even hu tieu go (tap noodle) - a popular street food.
Can Tho has all the above-mentioned hu tieu dishes.
And, it can be said that hu tieu stalls were present very early here and at every corner of small and big streets.
Hu tieu has become a very popular breakfast staple here.
Coffee and hu tieu is the eldest breakfast menu adopted by most of local citizens,
from state employees and businessmen to manual laborers,
from luxurious restaurants to street pushcarts.
All we want to say is that after com (rice) and bun (rice vermicelli),
hu tieu is another rice food that is very familiar to people in Can Tho in particular,
and the whole southern region of Vietnam in general.
That means it is totally possible to consider making rice noodles as a traditional trade.
However, we have not been able to collected sufficient data
to decide which hu tieu making factory is the eldest in Can Tho.
one of destinations international tourists often visit in Can Tho
is the banh trang (rice paper), bun, and hu tieu making factories in Loi Du Hamlet, Rau Ram,
next to Cai Rang floating market.
It is quite surprising that not many local people know about the area
Many of them only hear about it.
Or, they happen to pass by and see rice sheets being dried in the street,
and guess that there must be some hu tieu making factory here.
Foreign tourists love visiting the factories to see with their own eyes how the noodle is made,
or enjoy a tasty bowl of hu tieu made with the noodle which they have just learned how to make.
Honestly, despite having eaten all dishes of hu tieu everywhere,
we have never known how the alluring noodle is made.
According to the factory's owner
his grandfather, who is of Chinese origin,
settled down here and earned a living by selling hu tieu mem (soft rice noodles),
also known as hu tieu ngang (flat noodles), and similar to the noodle in pho.
It has been more than 50 years since the settlement.
Sau Hoai is now the successor of the traditional trade,
working at the same factory and with the same partners.
The only difference is that he switched to hu tieu bot loc.
Huynh Huu Hoai Owner of Sau Hoai's rice noodle making factory:
I remember that my father once told me the trade was brought from China by my grandfather.
I was not clear about that time.
But I remember he then made hu tieu with soft texture,
He made it for a very long time.
I was young so I could not remember exactly.
When I grew up, I succeeded the trade from my father.
I gradually learned how to make hu tieu bot loc,
because in the southern western region, most people prefer the bot loc kind.
Even though the sweetness and fattiness of starch is partly decreased,
hu tieu bot loc is still favored by people in the western region,
because it does not cloy their appetites, can be kept for long,
and is easy to be transported.
Rice noodle made by Sau Hoai is tough enough
so that it does not enlarge in the broth,
even though the bowl of hu tieu cools down.
When asked about the recipe, Sau Hoai frankly explained it.
He took pride in creating a good product
and has been trusted by his partners over years
First, we have to choose good rice.
It must be dry but contain much starch.
If the rice is translucent, we cannot extract much flour.
So the first step is to choose suitable rice
After milling, we beat the flour for a certain amount of time.
We cannot beat it randomly, 30, 40 or 50 minutes.
The time depends on the kind of rice.
Only with good timing, the residues can be separated from flour.
If we beat it for too long, the flour will distend.
Then we mix the flour with la giang (Aganonerion polymorphum) leaves
We squeeze the leaf to get its sticky extract.
The extract will sweep away residues in the flour,
and keep them at the bottom.
We use the flour, while the residues are food for pigs.
Sau Hoai's hu tieu bot loc making factory produces every day more than 500 kilograms of noodles
consumed in Can Tho and some neighboring provinces.
The factory with 10 workers
has become an attractive destination to tourists,
especially foreigners, for many years.
Hu tieu, soft or tough, is popular in the western region's cuisine.
But, most of eaters, like us, have never seen how the noodle is made.
This tourism business is actually like destiny. We did not plan it.
About 10 years ago, tourists came to visit the area,
and then stopped by to watch the making of hu tieu.
More and more tourists visited,
so we thought about helping tourists learn about the food and its production.
Then we upgraded the factory to create an impression on tourists.
It seems that they love it so travel companies bring them here more and more.
Even though they do not mill rice with stone mortars any more
and now strip rice sheets with machines,
Sau Hoai's factory still keeps most of manual stages of the making process,
to maintain the noodle's quality with the traditional recipe,
to introduce to tourists the entire making process of the traditional product.
My friends said that they earn high profits
by introducing machines into the production, so why didn't I?
I think it is a hereditary trade.
It is falling into oblivion, so I try to preserve it.
Even though the profit is low,
it is something that I can show to foreigners.
That's why I'm maintaining it manual.
It's right that using machines will help me cut down on costs,
thus earning more profits.
But, the tourism business can make up.
Since hu tieu is an ingredient of a famous dish,
visitors should check the dish out.
At first the owner treated his guests hu tieu chien (deep-fried rice noodles)
which was complimented by tourists.
They dubbed it "pizza hu tieu"
Gradually, the factory sells more hu tieu dishes
that have gained favor from most of tourists.
Tourists seem to feel the deliciousness of the dishes fully,
after watching the whole making process.
Nguyen Thi Diem Thuy Owner of Sau Hoai hu tieu making factory
At first we fried hu tieu to treat tourists.
After eating, they said it was delicious.
Then we cooked noodle soup dishes with pig bones and chicken.
We asked tourists about the dishes, and they again said they were delicious,
more delicious than those sold at the floating market and other places.
A tourist said it would be a pity to not eat hu tieu at the hu tieu making factory.
They complimented us.
We stir-fried hu tieu, and it also received praises.
Since then we started selling the dishes.
Every day Sau Hoai's factory welcomes dozens of tourists.
During the peak season, it can be hundreds.
It is a good motivation for the owner to think about tourism business.
They understand more than anyone else
that the traditional noodle not only wins gourmets,
but also attracts people from other places
who want to learn about the traditional trades of this area.
This combined business is the result of the hard work
of a family who is faithful to the trade of making hu tieu for many decades.