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Embracing diverse regional flavors, Chinese cuisine adds a unique touch to Saigon's vibrant culinary scene.
1. Fish Noodle Soup
Fish noodle soup, a famous Chinese dish, features fresh snakehead fish deboned, sliced, and marinated with salt and seasoning. The broth, made from pork bones, offers a rich, savory taste with a special seasoning called tăng xại. Served with lettuce, bean sprouts, chili, lime, and essential soy sauce.
2. Braised Duck Egg Noodles
This Chinese dish, adapting to Vietnamese taste buds, maintains its original essence. The broth is sweet, not greasy, and the duck meat is crispy and tender. The dish also boasts visually appealing egg noodles made from eggs, providing a vibrant yellow color. Enjoy the delightful texture of soft, chewy noodles alongside fresh, crunchy vegetables.
3. Saigon-style Seafood Noodle Soup
This dish belongs to the Teochew community in districts 5, 6, and 11. The distinctive flavor comes from a broth crafted with nearly 20 types of herbs and spices. A bowl of Saigon-style seafood noodle soup includes the broth, rice noodles, beef or beef balls, and a variety of accompanying greens such as shredded cucumber, bean sprouts, sour star fruit, coriander, and culantro. These ingredients not only enhance the taste but also contribute to the unique flavor profile of this dish.
4. Teochew Congee
Teochew congee is similar to Vietnamese offal porridge, featuring ingredients like heart, liver, intestines, tripe, along with fresh squid. Notably, it is generously garnished with lots of green onions and shredded ginger. This dish is perfect for chilly days or for those feeling under the weather.
5. Bread with Beef Offal Stew (Pha Lau)
For the street food enthusiasts in Saigon, the beef offal dish known as 'pha lau' is an irresistible, humble delicacy. Made from cow stomach, intestines, lungs, liver, heart, and other organs, the preparation is simple, seasoned with a blend of spices, and fried to a golden brown before being boiled for tenderness. The coconut milk-based broth adds sweetness and richness to the stew. The key to excellent pha lau lies in careful fire control and adding water to ensure the tenderness of the offal. When the broth is rich and slightly thickened, it's ready to be enjoyed. Pha lau is often served with a side of bread.
6. Special Dumplings
These dumplings, known as 'sủi cảo,' are prepared similar to wontons but are larger and more filling. The filling is typically made from shrimp, pork, various greens finely minced, and seasoned to perfection. After the preparation of the filling, it is placed on a thin layer of wheat dough, shaped into a crescent, and then steamed. Sủi cảo can be prepared in various ways, including in soup, steamed, or fried. Chinese dishes often have a rich and oily profile, so additional sweet greens are added to balance the flavors and reduce greasiness.
7. Cadé Sticky Rice
A common yet essential dish in Chinese cuisine is 'xôi cadé.' This dish combines sticky rice with a rich duck egg yolk and a hint of durian fragrance, creating an enticing aroma for the diners. The key ingredient is cadé, mixed with elements like eggs, sugar, coconut milk, and durian, following a unique recipe to produce a slightly sticky mixture with a yellow hue and a captivating aroma. Alongside cadé, grated coconut and crushed peanuts complete the package, offering a steamy, delicious treat.
8. Spirit Reviving Soup
Known as 'quy phục linh' or 'cao quy linh,' this is a distinctive dish from the Guangzhou region of China. It is typically divided into two basic components: earth-reviving herbs and a mixture of turtle shell powder, licorice, and other herbs such as cinnamon, dried tangerine peel, betel nut skin, dried bitter melon, licorice, white and yellow chrysanthemum, and more. When consumed with a touch of honey, you'll experience the refreshing taste of various herbs and the sweet, aromatic blend of honey melting in your mouth.
Apart from the mentioned dishes, the Chinese cuisine in Saigon offers a plethora of delightful options such as Dương Châu fried rice, Peking duck, Hồ noodle soup, shrimp dumplings, fish-only noodles, and tea-infused sesame seed sweet soup.
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Source: Travel Guide Mytour – As per VnExpress
MytourSeptember 16, 2013
