An owner of a restaurant that sells mi Quang, a noodle specialty of the central province of Quang Nam, has found fame not only at home, but also in the capital city of Hanoi, thanks to her age-old recipe for the delicacy.

Ngo Thi Tu, 54, is the owner of Mi Quang Tieng Quy, one of the most famous mi Quang restaurants in Quang Nam.

Tu began her career as a mi Quang chef after marrying a husband whose family had been cooking the special noodle soup for three generations.

Her mother-in-law used to own a famous mi Quang restaurant at Hoa Khanh market in the nearby city of Da Nang, before moving to Quang Nam and opening Mi Quang Tieng Quy in 1975.

Tu soon took over the family business from her mother-in-law, becoming the owner of Mi Quang Tieng Quy until now.

Mi Quang in Hanoi

One of the proudest moments of Tu’s life is when she was invited to Hanoi to cook for National Assembly representatives in Ba Dinh District.

On October 25, 2014, Tu, along with her daughter and her son-in-law, flew to Hanoi on state-sponsored tickets, with 30 boxes of noodles urgently transported on another flight from Da Nang to the capital city.

“The dining hall was large and elegant. There were around 50 attendants, with male servers wearing suits and the females wearingao dai. We only had to cook, while the attendants took care of the serving,” Tu recalled.

The mi Quang chef added that once the lunch was done, she “was so relieved.”

“[Former Vice President of Vietnam] Nguyen Thi Binh even went down there to compliment us, which made us very happy,” Tu said.

In 2015 Tu was once again invited to cook mi Quang for the National Assembly, perhaps thanks to the unforgettable deliciousness of her noodle.

Tu has gained many customers in Hanoi after cooking at the legislative body, with several orders coming from the capital every week.

Carrying on the legacy

There are many factors that one needs to consider in order to cook a decent bowl of mi Quang.

One of them, Tu revealed, is the noodle itself, which needs to be made from a special type of rice named 13/2.

According to Tu, 13/2 rice produces noodle that is both softer and more flavorful than noodle produced from any other type of rice.

Also of importance is the broth, which can be cooked from many types of meat, but the most delicious broth, in Tu’s opinion, is cooked from chicken.

Tu is very selective with her chicken, only choosing free-range chickens weighing more than 1.7 to 2 kilograms, believing that only these chickens produce meat that is firm and delicious.

After being cooked on a small fire for several hours before serving, the broth is ready to be served.

One crucial difference between mi Quang and pho (beef noodle soup) is the way broth is served. Broth fills a bowl of pho almost to the brim, but only fills half a bowl for mi Quang. 

Finally, mi Quang cannot be complete without herbs, which often consist of salad, basil, and green banana, green chili, peanuts, andbanh da nuong, or grilled rice paper wrapper.

Tu proudly revealed that ‘Mi Quang Tieng Quy’ has been registered as a trademark at the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam

Continuing the legacy of Tu, her eldest son, Nguyen Canh, is the owner of Tieng Quy restaurant in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

On the reason why a small, understated restaurant in Quang Nam attracted so many customers, Tu speculated, “Perhaps those who are new to mi Quang eat it out of curiosity, while those who are familiar to the noodle, especially those from Quang Nam, eat it for the memory and the sentiment.”