Gia Lai Two-Bowl Dry Pho (Pho Hai To Pleiku)

When traveling to the misty mountain city of Pleiku in Gia Lai Province, locals will invariably direct food lovers to savor "Two-Bowl Dry Pho" (Phở Khô Hai Tô)—an ingenious culinary creation officially crowned as an Asian Record culinary delicacy. The signature charm of the dish lies in its two-bowl service: one bowl presents seasoned dry noodles garnished with savory minced pork and crispy shallots, while the second bowl serves a steaming, crystalline bone broth laden with tender rare beef, brisket, tendon, or shredded hill chicken. The noodles of Pleiku dry pho are distinctly unique from both broad Hanoi flat pho ribbons and Southern rice noodles. Crafted from indigenous highland rice grown in basalt soils, these slender round noodles are flash-blanched to achieve a resilient, springy al-dente texture that never turns soggy or clumps together. In the dry bowl, the noodles are tossed with golden pork cracklings, fried shallots, savory minced pork, and a generous dollop of house-brewed fermented black soybean paste (tương đen)—the soulful condiment that imparts an addictive sweet, nutty, and savory depth. The accompanying second bowl houses a pristine, shimmering consommé simmered for over ten hours from prime beef marrow bones infused with star anise, cinnamon quills, and black cardamom, yielding an intensely clean, naturally sweet finish. The authentic ritual of enjoying Pleiku dry pho involves lifting a savory mouthful of the sauced noodles, chewing slowly to savor the umami-rich crunch, followed immediately by a spoonful of the piping-hot aromatic broth perfumed with fresh sawtooth coriander and purple basil, bringing sublime warmth to crisp highland mornings.