Also known as Mì Quảng, Quang Noodles, Da Nang Turmeric Noodles.
Wide yellow turmeric rice noodles with just a ladle of rich broth, not a soup, topped with pork, prawns, a quail egg, crushed peanuts and a toasted sesame rice cracker. The signature of Quang Nam and Da Nang, 30,000 to 40,000 dong.
415kcal / 1 bowl
A medium bowl of mi Quang is around 415 calories. Because there is only 100ml of broth, most of the weight is 150g of noodles (190 calories) and about 70g of pork and prawn (110). The peanuts and rice cracker on top are 65 more. A large bowl at a Da Nang quan can reach 680.
Nutrition facts
Per 1 bowl (400g)
Amount
Per 100g
Calories
415 kcal
104 kcal
Protein
22 g
6 g
Carbs
48 g
12 g
Fat
15 g
4 g
Where the calories come from
Turmeric mi Quang noodles (cooked)150g
190 kcal
Pork and prawn topping70g
110 kcal
Concentrated broth with annatto oil100g
40 kcal
Peanuts and sesame rice cracker20g
65 kcal
Herbs and banana blossom60g
10 kcal
The real talk
Mi Quang is a dry-ish noodle bowl, which changes the math compared with pho. The 100ml of broth is concentrated and cooked with annatto oil and pork fat, so it is 40 calories for a small ladle even though there is hardly any of it. The 150g of turmeric noodles is 190. The pork and prawn topping, usually a piece of pork belly or rib and two prawns, is about 110 for 70g. The bowl is 415 in total for a medium portion.
Two toppings are easy to forget. The crushed roasted peanuts are about 30 calories for a tablespoon and the banh trang me, the black sesame rice cracker you crumble into the bowl, is another 35 for one cracker. Some quan give you two crackers. They are the reason a bowl that looks like noodles and broth reaches 415 rather than 350.
The size difference between quan is huge with this dish. A small bowl from a street stall in Hoi An is about 320. A large bowl at a sit-down quan in Da Nang with an extra rib, three prawns and a whole chicken thigh (mi Quang ga) can be 600 to 680. The published range of 300 to 500 covers the common sizes; the big bowls go past it.
How the portions compare
320 kcal
Small street bowl
415 kcal
Medium bowl
680 kcal
Large Da Nang bowl, extra rib and prawns
Mi Quang variants, ranked by calories
Variant
Calories
Notes
Mi Quang ech (frog)
380 kcal
Lean meat
Mi Quang ga (chicken)
400 kcal
Breast or thigh
Mi Quang tom thit (prawn and pork)
415 kcal
The standard
Mi Quang suon (pork rib)
480 kcal
Fattier cut
Mi Quang dac biet
620 kcal
Everything plus quail eggs and extra cracker
How to eat it lighter
Ask for one rice cracker only, or none. Each one is about 35 calories.
Mi Quang ga with breast meat is the leanest topping, about 400 for a medium bowl.
Skip the extra ladle of broth. It is cooked with annatto oil and is 40 calories per 100ml.
Choose prawn over pork belly if given the option. Same weight, half the calories.
The banana blossom, herbs and lettuce underneath are free. Mix them through instead of asking for more noodles.
Common questions
Is mi Quang high in calories?
A medium bowl is about 415 calories, similar to pho, but large bowls with extra rib and prawns can reach 680. Portion size varies more than with other noodle dishes.
Why is mi Quang yellow?
The noodles are made with turmeric and the broth is cooked with annatto seed oil. The turmeric adds nothing to the calories; the annatto oil adds about 40 per ladle of broth.
How many calories in mi Quang ga?
About 400 for a medium bowl with chicken, marginally less than the prawn and pork version because chicken is leaner than pork belly.
Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical street stall or quan serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.
Calorie figure based on FPT Shop health and Long Chau (415 medium, 680 large, range 300 to 500). Macros estimated from the ingredients.