Hoàng Lan

Glass noodle made from sweet potato is the new go-to ingredient to take your cooking to the next level.

Made from sweet potato flour, it is proving popular because it is soft but firm and has its own fragrant characteristic flavour.

Phùng Thị Xuân, 50, from Hà Nội’s Cầu Giấy District, bought a kilo of sweet potato glass noodle after learning about the ingredient. She was very surprised that it was so enjoyable and easy to cook or mix with other foods.

Sweet potato noodle mixed with tubers and vegetables is a new culinary trend. Photo suckhoecong.vn

“I use glass noodle made from sweet potato, because it's sweeter and cooler compared with arrowroot noodle, to cook hotpot, stir-fry it with seafood, beef or mix it with chicken salad," she said.

"But particularly I like to mix it with different roots such as carrots, aromatic herbs and mushrooms.”

Her favourite dish to make her own creation, sweet potato noodle with tubers and morning glory.

Ingredients to make the sweet potato noodle dish include carrots, shiitake and wood ear mushrooms, onions and others. Photo 2sao.vn

The ingredients are: sweet potato noodle (200gr), six shiitake mushrooms, ½ carrot cut into threads, ½ bell pepper cut into threads, ½ big onion cut into threads, pure and dark soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, two chicken eggs, spring onion, sesame cooking oil and roasted sesame seeds.

She mixes the soy sauce, sugar and sesame cooking oil together and stirs it well to make the salad dressing.

"Boil the noodle for five to six minutes and soak it in cold water for about 10 seconds so remains firm before mixing it with the dressing sauce," she said.

"Fry the chicken eggs and cut them into threads. After soaking in water, cut the mushrooms then stir-fry with the onion, minced garlic, carrot and bell pepper, stir it well for two minutes before putting the cut morning glory in and continue to cook it until it is done.

High quality sweet potato glass noodle made in Việt Nam can compete with the same item from South Korea. Photo dacsanvungtaybac.org

"The last step is to mix the noodle and fried roots and vegetables then serve with the eggs and roasted sesame and spring onion."

“Due to using just a little cooking it never feels greasy,” Xuân said, adding that the dish is particularly suitable for vegetarians.

Teacher Trịnh Hồng Thúy from Quảng Ninh Province told Việt Nam News that recently she was invited to enjoy vegetarian dishes at Ngon Garden Restaurant in Hà Nội right after the restaurant introduced a new collection of macrobiotic vegetarian dishes that lure a lot of local and foreign guests.

Ngon Garden is one of the Quán Ăn Ngon chain restaurants established by the chain’s CEO Phạm Bích Hạnh more than 18 years ago in the capital city.

The collection includes mixed sweet potato glass noodle, fruit hotpot, mushroom & jungle vegetable rolls and many others.

Gourmets say the mixed sweet potato noodle dish from Quán Ăn Ngon chain restaurants, is more delicious compared to others. Photo of Quán Ăn Ngon Chain.

For the mixed sweet potato noodle, which includes key ingredients and recipes from South Korea, Quán Ăn Ngon chefs have taken the dish to the next level, creating sauces more in tune with Vietnamese taste. Notably, the emphasis on using minimal oil and fat is a crucial element that resonates throughout the collection, Hạnh said.

Thúy said she enjoyed a number of Quán Ăn Ngon’s vegetarian dishes, particularly the sweet flavour from the sweet potato noodle mixed with fresh carrots, bok choy and red bell pepper so much.

“These restaurants are also prestigious addresses for the vegetarian community,” she said. VNS

The veg menu is available at Quán Ăn Ngon chain restaurants:

- Quán Ăn Ngon, 18 Phan Bội Châu St

- Ngon Garden, 70 Nguyễn Du St

- Món Ngon Sài Thành at 8 Dã Tượng St

- Quán Ăn Ngon, First Floor- Building 25T2 Hoàng Đạo Thúy, Cầu Giấy District

- Quán Ăn Ngon, B2 Vincom Royal City, Thanh Xuân District

- Món Ngon Sài Thành: 59A Huỳnh Thúc Kháng, Đống Đa District

- Quán Ăn Ngon and Ngon Garden restaurants were listed by prestigious Michelin Guide on its culinary map last June.