Hu tieu, a type of noodle soup, is a popular dish in My Tho City of Tien Giang Province. Tourists to the city can easily enjoy hu tieu as the dish can be found almost everywhere, from streets to small stalls, alleys and restaurants.
Hu tieu is the name of the dish and also the name of the main ingredient. Hu tieu noodle is made from rice. Rice is ground in water to make flour before it is spread into wet rice paper cakes. Those cakes will be dried and then cut into fibers to become noodles. Normally, the rice paper cake will be dried from morning to 2 p.m.
The hu tieu making village in Hoi Gia Hamlet, My Phong Commune in My Tho is a major production area which provides the noodle for not only My Tho but HCMC and several other nearby localities.
What makes hu tieu My Tho special is the noodle which is cooked from rice grown in Go Cat, an area that encompasses the current My Phong Commune and parts of several nearby communes.
Apart from the noodle, the broth is also a crucial part which decides the quality of a bowl of hu tieu. The broth is cooked from pig bones, dried squids and dried shrimps.
For a traditional bowl of hu tieu, after the noodle is dipped in boiling water, it is put into a bowl which already contains bean sprouts. Then, the cook will put some slices of boiled pork, pork liver, shrimp and quail eggs on the noodle and pour the hot broth over.
However, diners can also order dry hu tieu, which does not contain broth and is added with sauce. The ingredients of hu tieu can also be replaced by seafood, beef, or vegetables and bulbs for vegetarians.
In addition, many restaurants serve hu tieu with bo kho (stewed beef cubes) or fry hu tieu.