According to An Giang people, anyone who comes to That Son area should enjoy the specialty of beef rice soup porridge at least once.
The top recommendation is Ut Gai restaurant (located under Cay Me bridge slope, Tri Ton town, Tri Ton district). This is a popular restaurant recommended by many locals. At first glance, the stall is clean, the food is fresh and attractively presented.
Ms. Ut Gai - the restaurant owner, said that this dish is quite simple but is a combination of many delicious things. The top priority is to choose fresh and delicious meat, without the need for complicated spices.
With a knife and a cutting board in hand, Mrs. Ut Gai said: “The meat should be sliced to a moderate thickness, about 0.5cm. The marinade is also quite easy: a little scallion oil, chopped chili, fish sauce, chopped ginger, chili sauce (for color)... When done, mix well to coat the meat with spices, grill it immediately and serve to customers.”
The owner turned to the glowing charcoal stove and spread the beef pieces on the grill. Her hands quickly turned the pieces of meat over and over to avoid burning, showing her experience and understanding of the “temperament” of charcoal.
"When grilling meat, you have to be very skillful, that is, when you cut it, the inside is still slightly pink, only then will the beef be soft and sweet," said Mrs. Gai.
The grilling time is quite fast, in less than 10 minutes, the owner has a plate of fragrant, hot meat.
“The fragrant white rice blends with the naturally sweet grilled beef, the slightly salty dipping sauce, with a sour, sweet and spicy taste, and a little crunch of pickles is wonderful,” the restaurant owner added.
According to the restaurant owner, grilled beef rice is best served with porridge soup. The beef porridge is cooked similarly to porridge with pig intestines, only the ingredients are replaced with meat, intestines and beef blood. In particular, diners should squeeze some custard apples to make the porridge more fragrant.
“The fruit is often considered the soul of beef porridge. This fruit is only found in the Bay Nui region. It looks like a lemon but has a rough skin, a sour taste, and a very distinctive aroma,” explained Ms. Ut Gai.
Mr. Tran Minh Hieu (Dong Thap province) - a diner who "fell in love" with this dish commented: "Every time I come here, my family and I have to find grilled beef rice. The dish is simple but also sophisticated, affordable, suitable for everyone".
