A delicious combination of rice noodles and coconut milk, sweet noodle soup in Vinh Long is a typical local specialty
A small bowl of the sweet noodle soup is ready to serve
Sweet noodle soup is a popular snack in several Mekong Delta provinces. The version in Vinh Long is arguably among the best.
The main ingredients needed for this soup are rice flour, sugar, salt and fresh coconut milk. As its name may suggest, what is special about sweet noodle soup is that it is very… sweet.
First, boiling water is added to a mixture of rice flour and salt. All must be mixed well into a dough which is let to rest for about 10 minutes. The rice dough is then shaped into long thin noodles.
Next, the rice noodles are put in a big pot of boiling water. After being boiled, the noodles will soon become crystal. Add sugar, coconut milk and a pinch of salt and stir them gently.
It’s better to enjoy a bowl of sweet soup while it is still hot because diners can feel the fatty taste of coconut milk and the light chewy texture of rice noodles.
Some food stalls choose to keep cooked coconut milk and sugar syrup separate until a bowl of the noodle soup is ordered to maintain the original taste all day long.
Residents of Vinh Long often enjoy the sweet noodle soup as a dessert after their main meals. To increase the flavor of the dish, pandan leaves or sesame seeds are sometimes chosen.