When mentioning Ho Chi Minh City specialties, people often immediately think of diversity. Cuisine here is a harmony of hundreds of delicious dishes from all over the country that have been selected and transformed into the characteristics of the people of the South.
Below is a list of 7 famous Saigon street foods.
1. Rice sheet
As the most famous and familiar specialty, broken rice is imbued with the cultural life of Saigon people. You can easily find this dish in alleys or bustling street corners.
The characteristic of the dish lies in the small, dry broken rice grains, but when cooked, they are soft and sticky. A plate of traditional broken rice is often served with grilled ribs, pork skin, egg sausage, dotted with a little scallion oil and a little pickled vegetables, a few slices of cucumber, served with garlic chili fish sauce.
Currently, the dish has many diverse versions such as grilled meat broken rice, braised meat broken rice, braised rib broken rice with coconut water... The price of each serving ranges from 50,000 - 100,000 VND/plate.
2. Hu Tieu
If Hanoi is proud of pho, then hu tieu is the culinary soul of Ho Chi Minh City. Initially, this dish was quite simple with pork slices and minced meat. Over time, local people have transformed it to make the bowl of hu tieu richer with fresh shrimp, liver, heart, kidneys, quail eggs, squid...
The broth is simmered from bones, creating a light sweetness, rich flavor, and steaming. When enjoying hu tieu, diners eat it with fresh and refreshing vegetables such as chrysanthemum greens, chives, lettuce, bean sprouts... The price of each full bowl of hu tieu is about 65,000 VND - 80,000 VND.
3. Bread
Saigon banh mi is usually grilled until golden brown, with soft flesh, cut along the body and then placed in layers of butter, pate, cold cuts, sausage, char siu or fried eggs, dotted with herbs, cucumbers and sour dishes. Finally, the rich sauce and spicy chili sauce are sprinkled evenly to help the flavor become more explosive. The price of each banh mi sandwich is from 30,000 - 60,000 VND.
If diners want to sit and enjoy leisurely, pan-fried bread with hot toppings on a cast iron pan is also an extremely popular choice. The price of each pan is from 50,000 - 80,000 VND, depending on the demand.
4. Sidewalk snail dishes
Although it is a popular dish, sidewalk snail restaurants have a strange charm for young people and diners from afar. Saigon snails are prepared in a liberal style with countless ways to change flavors. From boiled snails, greasy coconut stir-fried snails, spicy chili salt grilled fragrant snails, fragrant scallops grilled with scallion oil to lemongrass steamed clams or sour and spicy tamarind stir-fried snails.
Each snail restaurant owns a unique dipping sauce recipe, but rolls are extremely delicious. In the city space, sitting with friends chatting and enjoying flavorful plates of snails is an extremely memorable experience.
5. Pha Lau
Pha lau is a unique dish associated with the life of city youth. This dish uses main ingredients from beef or pork organs such as stomach, small intestine, lungs, liver, heart... After being marinated with five-spice powder thoroughly and fried until golden, all will be stewed soft in coconut milk to create a characteristic light sweetness.
Depending on your preference, you can use pha lau with bread, instant noodles or simply eat it for free. The highlight that seals this dish is the sweet and sour tamarind fish sauce that comes with it. The price of each serving ranges from 25,000 - 50,000 VND.
6. Mixed rice paper
Although it is a popular snack throughout the country, mixed rice paper in Ho Chi Minh City still has a unique flavor that is hard to compare to anywhere else.
The rice paper strands are cut into small pieces, mixed evenly with scallion oil, spicy satay, minced mango or crispy and sour young ambarella, quail eggs, Vietnamese coriander, and a little stir-fried shrimp. The rice paper strands are soft, soaked in spicy chili sauce, making anyone who eats once fascinated. The price of each serving is only about 15,000 - 25,000 VND.
7. Fatty chicken rice
Fatty chicken rice is a popular popular dish thanks to its advantages of serving quickly and filling for a long time. This dish has long been associated with the busy life of office workers and late meals of young people.
The appeal of the dish lies in the thigh or chicken wings being dipped in oil until the outer skin is golden brown, but the inner meat still retains its softness and juicy. The accompanying rice is often stir-fried, combined with a sweet salty sauce, adding a little pickled vegetables, raw vegetables to balance the flavor, reducing greasiness to the maximum.
