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The Heavenly Harbor Spring Roll is a renowned dish from Hai Phong. Almost every visitor to the port city indulges in this delicacy. It's not just delicious but also visually appealing. At first sight, you'd want to devour it immediately. The harmonious blend of ingredients creates a dish that's both rustic and colorful. Let's delve into the essence of the Heavenly Harbor Spring Roll!
First-time viewers of the Heavenly Harbor Spring Roll can't help but marvel (Image Source: Compiled)
A Glimpse into the Heavenly Harbor Spring Roll
In Vietnamese cuisine, most rolls are easy to eat and widely popular. With simple, rustic ingredients, remarkable dishes are created. Accompanied by a bowl of perfectly seasoned broth, the meal becomes even more delectable. And among them shines the specialty of Hai Phong, Thuy Nguyen steamed rolls.
Thuy Nguyen Steamed Rolls, also known as naked spring rolls or shrimp noodle rolls, originate from Trinh Xa, Thuy Nguyen district, Hai Phong. This dish is named to distinguish it from other types of rolled cakes.
Thuy Nguyen Steamed Rolls presented in an impressive manner (Image Source: Compiled)
Thuy Nguyen Steamed Rolls leave a lasting impression on diners with their beautifully arranged presentation. Although made from humble ingredients, meticulous preparation is required, from ingredient selection to roll assembly and plating. Every step demonstrates the skillfulness and quintessence of Vietnamese cuisine.
Ingredients for Thuy Nguyen Steamed Rolls
To make Thuy Nguyen Steamed Rolls, you'll need to prepare up to 10 ingredients. These include lettuce, Vietnamese coriander, cilantro, vermicelli noodles, scallions, pork belly, eggs, shrimp, fried tofu, and Vietnamese pork sausage. Achieving quality requires thorough and careful preparation.
The ingredients for Thuy Nguyen Steamed Rolls after being prepared (Image Source: Compiled)
Among them, scallions should be fresh, large, but not too old or too long. The vermicelli noodles for rolling should be long and smooth. Baby lettuce should be of medium size, not too large or crushed. Shrimp should be evenly sized freshwater shrimp. This is truly a dish you can't miss on your Hai Phong travel tour.
Preparation Method for Thuy Nguyen Steamed Rolls
The process of preparing Thuy Nguyen Steamed Rolls is far from simple. This dish demands patience as it takes quite some time. All ingredients must be prepared to the correct standard and with extreme care. The rolling step is crucial as it determines the visual appeal of the dish.
First, cut the vermicelli noodles into bite-sized pieces. Blanch the scallions in boiling water after washing them thoroughly. Beat the eggs evenly and fry them into thin layers. Peel and devein the shrimp, wash them, and then fry until crispy. Boil the pork belly until cooked. Fry the tofu until golden brown, then cut into thin, long strips. Wash and drain the greens.
The dipping sauce also plays a significant role in enhancing the dish's flavor (Image Source: Compiled)
When starting to roll, fold a lettuce leaf neatly. Then layer in the following order: Vietnamese coriander, cilantro, fresh vermicelli noodles, Vietnamese pork sausage, tofu, fried egg, shrimp. Finally, use another lettuce leaf to roll and tie a knot to secure. Ingredients must be evenly arranged to ensure visual appeal. The lettuce leaf should not wrap tightly but leave an empty space in the middle to see the colors inside.
Dipping sauce is considered an integral part of Thuy Nguyen Steamed Rolls. Authentic dipping sauce is made from pure fish sauce. When tasted, you will perceive sour, spicy, salty, and sweet flavors.
Locals often add sliced shallots, carrots, and thinly sliced cucumbers to the fish sauce. This enhances the allure of the dipping sauce.
Some other delicious dishes in Hai Phong you should try
In addition to Thuy Nguyen Steamed Rolls, Hai Phong offers countless other delicious dishes. Through its cuisine, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the taste preferences of the port city's residents. Here are some notable dishes that Mytour wants to introduce to you.
1. Crab Noodle Soup
Crab Noodle Soup is not unfamiliar, but when prepared in Hai Phong, it has a very distinctive flavor. To be considered a specialty, you can imagine the deliciousness of this dish. It would be a shame if you visit Hai Phong without tasting this delicious dish.
Hai Phong's Crab Noodle Soup boasts a very distinctive flavor (Image Source: Compiled)
The broth of the crab noodle soup carries a rich and delicious flavor. You'll experience the creamy taste of crab meat along with the chewiness of the noodles. This is truly a unique flavor that you can't find elsewhere. You can enjoy it with spare ribs, tofu, crab roe... All blending together to create a wonderful combination.
2. Crab Cake
One of the famous specialties of Hai Phong is crab cake. Alongside Thuy Nguyen Steamed Rolls, don't miss out on this dish! While this dish is quite popular in northern provinces, it has its own unique charm in Hai Phong.
Crab Cake is a beloved dish in Hai Phong by many (Image Source: Compiled)
Crab cake is often wrapped in a distinctive square shape. The outer layer of rice paper is fried to crispy perfection. The filling is made from crab meat, wood ear mushrooms, shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, ground pork fat, lean pork... When eaten, it's served with fresh vermicelli and raw vegetables. The sweet and sour dipping sauce enhances the flavor of the dish.
3. Hạ Lũng Sausage
Hạ Lũng Sausage is one of the delectable dishes in Hai Phong, rivaling Thuy Nguyen Steamed Rolls. It's a perfect combination of pork and sun-dried squid. The sausage is tightly wrapped around sugar cane. When grilled, the sweet juice from the sugar cane seeps into the sausage.
Hạ Lũng Sausage with its delicious aroma will leave a lasting impression (Image Source: Compiled)
This enticing dish impresses with its unique shape and delicious flavor. The sausage has a golden brown outer layer. When eaten, you'll experience the perfect crunchiness. The ingredients are sourced directly from Cat Ba Island, ensuring freshness and quality. It would be a shame to visit the port city without indulging in this delicacy.
4. Sea Grapes
Sea grapes, also known as seaweed leaves, are quite unfamiliar to tourists but familiar to Hai Phong locals. Sea grapes are the living organisms buried under the sand layer on the beach. When eaten, you'll experience a characteristic sweet, tender taste. Preparation requires meticulous attention. You can try sea grapes stir-fried or in a salad. The dish becomes even more delicious when served with soy sauce or traditional dipping sauce.
A rather unusual dish worth trying when visiting Hai Phong (Image Source: Compiled)
5. An Tho Sour Sausage
If you're a fan of sour sausage, don't miss out on An Tho Sour Sausage when in Hai Phong. This is a locally famous dish that Mytour wants to introduce to you. Alongside Thuy Nguyen Steamed Rolls, this dish is also highly favored by tourists.
The list of delicious dishes in Hai Phong wouldn't be complete without An Tho Sour Sausage (Image Source: Compiled)
To make sour sausage, the pork meat and skin must be freshly prepared. Then thinly sliced and mixed with spices. After a period of fermentation, the sausage turns into a beautiful pink color. When eaten, you'll taste a certain sourness. Enjoying it in Hai Phong, you'll have it with various pickled vegetables such as pickled cucumbers, pickled starfruit... along with fresh herbs and traditional dipping sauce.
Hai Phong offers a wide range of delicious dishes for you to enjoy. Their delicious and unique flavors will make you yearn for more. Among them, Thuy Nguyen Steamed Rolls stands out. It's not only delicious but also visually appealing. If you ever visit Hai Phong, don't forget about this dish! To book a tour to Hai Phong, contact Mytour via hotline Mytour today.
