Phở Chiên Phồng: Fried Phở Noodles in Hanoi

Phở chiên phồng is fried phở, and it’s a popular dish in Hanoi. The phở noodles are fried in hot oil, then served with fried beef, broccoli and a sauce.

Two kinds of fried phở

You may already know the fried phở where the noodles are cut into squares. There is another kind, where the noodles are cut in long pieces, closer to the noodles in an ordinary bowl of phở. The restaurant below makes the long kind.

A restaurant at 48 Trần Nhân Tông

The original writer ate it at a restaurant at 48 Trần Nhân Tông. It isn’t big or pretty: a small sign and a few tables set out on the street. Even so, it was always crowded, with regulars coming until the last plate was sold. Fried phở was the most popular dish on the menu.

The cooks cut the noodles into small, long pieces and put them all into a pan of hot oil.

For the writer, the sound of the noodles frying was part of the appeal. It sounded like rain falling outside the door, and it was one of the reasons they and their friends kept going back.

Once fried, the noodles turn a deep yellow. The cooks then add fried beef on top, along with fried broccoli and a sauce.

How it tastes

Frying doesn’t change the taste of the noodles much. What sets this dish apart from other kinds of phở is the combination: crunchy noodles, crisp and sweet broccoli, the beef, and the sauce.

Price

When this was written, a bowl cost around 40,000 VND (about US$2). That isn’t cheap next to everyday street dishes like a bowl of phở or bún bò Huế, but the writer thought it worth trying if you get the chance, and worth adding to the list if you’re working your way through the different kinds of phở on a trip to Vietnam.