Noodle with beef meat balls (hủ tiếu bò viên)

Today I continue my very fresh blog about another noodle, also very popular in Vietnam and you also can find similar noodles in Thailand, Malaysia...I'm talking about Noodle with beef meat balls (Hủ tiếu bò viên)

Beef meat balls at Pho Le in Nguyen Trai

Noodle is very popular in Vietnam, wherever you go you can find noodle shops: from beef noodle (Phở Bò) to many different Chinese noodles or well-known Nam Vang noodle (Hu tieu Nam Vang - Nam Vang means Phnom Penh). I will talk about these noodles in another coming soon post! Just a curious fact that Beef Noodle (Phở Bò) can be served with Bò viên (beef balls), but Noodle with beef meat balls (Hủ tiếu bò viên) usually is selling not together with Beef noodle, because the soup base is pork not beef. 

Noodle with beef balls at Quoc Ky 

To be honest I have no idea where Noodle with beef balls (Hủ tiếu bò viên) comes from! China? Hong Kong? and why not pork, or fish? just beef! Noodle with beef meat ball is popular in the South, esp. in Saigon, but you may never find it in the North.

White & Yellow Noodle with beef balls at Quoc Ky 

Just beef balls (beef meat with tendon)

Most important for this noodle (of course besides noodle) is beef meat balls. So to have good ones these days is quite difficult! I know few places, I quite like one place near to Nguyen Hue St. (Quoc Ky at Ngo Duc Ke, I've been there last week, taste is same but price is up to nearly 3 USD/ bowl!) , or at Phở Lệ (Nguyễn Trải st.) but actually we can buy beef balls from the market, already cooked ones, we prepare the soup at home, put it into the soup and it's ready to eat! From time to time I buy from Chợ Cũ in Sài gòn center, quite good one! By the way, the noodle for Hủ tiếu bò viên is also different from noodle for Phở! As said we always can try beef balls at beef noodle shops, not everywhere they sell, but at least at Phở Lệ - they do! You also can order just a bowl of beef balls without noodle, if you like it!

Quoc Ky at Ngo Duc Ke, nowadays quite expensive! 

To eat meat balls, we always deep it into black soya sauce mixed with chili sauce, or sate sauce. I like chewy meat balls, esp. bò viên gân (beef meat with tendon)!