Everyone’s heard of the Quang-style noodle soup, but a hidden secret is that the best version of this soup comes from Dai Loc District, Quang Nam Province, thanks to the addition of eel meat

Dai Loc District, located in the mountainous area at the foot of the majestic Truong Son Mountain, has rivers, lakes, and streams that boast an abundance of yellow eels. When added to the local cuisine, these eels take the dish to the next level. The Quang-style eel noodle soup is no exception. The local cook often adds live eels to a pot with salt and shuts it with a lid. After ten minutes, once the eels are dead, the cook removes the mucus off their bodies using lemon juice and cleans them once more with water. They are then boiled in water for five minutes to easily remove their bones. The boiled eel flesh is marinated with fresh turmeric, pepper, chilis and fish sauce. The cook fries the marinated eel flesh with minced garlic before boiling it to make the broth. A bowl of Quang-style eel noodle soup is served with herbs, lettuce, and rice paper crackers. To enhance the flavor of the dish, it is topped with scallions and roasted peanuts. This specialty is found across big and small eateries in Dai Loc.