The sour taste of a different pho

Delicious pho chua from Ban Co Street comes with the chicken broth on the side - Photo: Thanh Hang

The rain was falling when I saw the “pho chua” (sour noodle) street stall was still open. I was so happy that I decided to have two bowls. The stall was normally shut when I went past at 6 p.m., but the owner had decided to close late, so I could get out of the traffic jam and try this new soup that I’d been eyeing off for weeks.

I had been introduced to the stall out of sheer curiosity. My friend promised me a strange taste that I would not be able to find anywhere else in Saigon. He said it originated from Lang Son, on the border. But when I asked him to describe in detail, he only scratched his head. “It’s quite difficult to describe it exactly. It’s kind of a mixture of many familiar ingredients, yet it tastes different from any food I have ever tried,” he said. That was all I could dig out of him, so he said I would have to try it myself.

When the bowl of pho chua was placed in front of me, it was just like he said. I recognized all the ingredients but it was an odd mix.

At the base of the small bowl, there was a thick layer of thin strips of fresh swamp cabbage and shredded cucumber, a combination not found in any other dishes of South Vietnam especially not pho. Pho is usually served with special veggies and herbs, such as culantro leaves, basil leaves and bean sprouts. And instead of the traditional beef or chicken meat, I found boiled pork and chicken offal, some shredded chicken, roasted peanuts, fried onion and spicy crackling on the top.

In fact, apart from the pho (noodle) itself, the bowl of pho chua bore no resemblance to traditional pho. I suppose the secret of this dish is the thick tamarind sauce that is the sour part of the dish’s name. I don’t doubt it’s the smell of the sauce that seduces so many passers-by to become regular customers.

So there I was, ensconced in the cozy house while it rained outside, I scooped up a mouthful of pho together with a small slice of chicken liver, took a slurp from a spoon of hot chicken soup. Then I texted the friend who had taken me there, “Well, finally I understand why you do not hesitate to swim through the flooded streets of Saigon to get here for a bowl of pho chua. It’s so yummy, and I’m so warm and happy now.”

The pho chua stall is at the 242 alley, Ban Co Street, District 3, HCMC. The stall opens from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

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