Buzz
If pho is known as Hanoi's iconic dish, then in Ho Chi Minh City, the spotlight undoubtedly shines on banh mi thit, as asserted by Robyn Eckhardt, a female writer specializing in Asian cuisine and travel for numerous reputable newspapers and magazines.
An article titled 'Finding Saigon’s best banh mi' penned by her was recently featured on the EatingAsia website.
According to Robyn Eckhardt, the sandwich with its French influence originated in Northern Vietnam but matured and thrived in the South after 1954, as many bread-makers migrated southward amidst the country's temporary division and the formal end of French colonial rule. With the assistance of Andrea Nguyen, a banh mi expert and author of 'The Banh Mi Handbook,' Robyn Eckhardt embarked on a survey trip to Ho Chi Minh City to pinpoint the best spots selling delectable banh mi (thit).
Three Saigon banh mi spots
Their first stop was a banh mi cart nestled in an alley on Truong Dinh Street, between Ngô Thời Nhiệm and Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Streets. The proprietor of this banh mi cart is Ms. Hoàng Thanh Mai, a newcomer to the trade of selling banh mi thit for only about two to three years. Andrea Nguyen wrote in her 'Banh Mi Handbook': 'When Ms. Mai's banh mi cart commences a day of vending, and when one observes eggs being cooked on the charcoal stove... my 'banh mi radar' springs into action.' On that cart, alongside banh mi thit, there is also banh mi op la, but what distinguishes Ms. Mai's banh mi cart, according to Andrea Nguyen, is the steamed pork loaf. Bearing resemblance to the renowned Italian mortadella sausage, the steamed pork loaf is one of the trio of meats comprising Ms. Mai's 'special' banh mi: Chinese sausage, grilled meat, and steamed pork loaf. All stuffed into the bread along with pate and, naturally, indispensable condiments like mayonnaise, pickles, soy sauce, onions... And to preserve quality, hot crispy bread fresh out of the oven is regularly brought to Ms. Mai's banh mi cart every few hours during the three to four-hour selling window, sufficient for her to vend about a hundred loaves a day.
Andrea Nguyen describes Ms. Mai's handling of customers as 'skilled,' as they eagerly savor each bite of crispy hot bread filled with savory meat, creamy pate, and mayonnaise sauce, or simply with hot sunny-side-up eggs, cooked to perfection with runny yolks intact.
The second destination is Hoa Ma Bakery on Cao Thang Street, known for its signature dish, pan-fried sunny-side-up egg bread. Each serving consists of a loaf of bread and a small skillet brought straight from the kitchen, containing sunny-side-up eggs, Chinese sausage, cold cuts, and still sizzling pate, emitting an enticing aroma. Many Saigon residents, before April 30, 1975, believe that Hoa Ma Bakery was the first to sell Saigon-style meat sandwiches. In the 1960s and a few years prior, the city only had French baguette-style bakeries, serving small, dense loaves filled with cold cuts and pate but not sandwiched together. The owners of Hoa Ma Bakery (then located on Phan Dinh Phung Street, now Nguyen Dinh Chieu) came up with the idea of making meat-filled bread, pate... adding a few pickles, carrots, coriander, and chili... very convenient for those who need a quick breakfast; thus, the 'Saigon-style' meat sandwich was born, thriving until today, and following the footsteps of Vietnamese people abroad after 1975, becoming a Vietnamese dish as well-known as pho, even the word 'banh mi' has been written in Vietnamese style for many years abroad.
The 'successor' is also the third-generation managing Hoa Ma Bakery, Mrs. Le Thi Hanh. According to Mrs. Hanh, her grandfather 'sold bread to finish by morning and spent the afternoon writing poetry.' The bread at Hoa Ma Bakery is of medium size but stuffed with meat, Chinese sausage, pate, because according to Mrs. Hanh: 'Unless you go far, you only need to buy a long loaf of bread, while our customers prefer less bread but more meat.' Another special feature of Hoa Ma Bakery is the thicker slices of carrots, pickled white radish, and cucumbers served as accompaniments; and the pate here is as smooth as silk when put into the mouth!
The third destination for Robyn Eckhardt and Andrea Nguyen is Bakery Number 1 on Nguyen Thuong Hien Street (corner of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street), where not only meat sandwiches are sold but also lunch dishes. The owner, Mr. Tran Linh Son, has over a decade of experience as a restaurant chef before opening the bakery in 2008. The shop's 'unique trick' is the trio of condiments served with grilled meat sandwiches: spring onions in vinegar, fish sauce, and crushed peanuts as a substitute for typical condiments like mayonnaise, ketchup, or chili sauce. Eating grilled meat sandwiches at Bakery Number 1 is a way to enjoy 'pure' bread with grilled meat over charcoal fire and 'pure Vietnamese' fish sauce.
Andrea Nguyen's Banh Mi Handbook
To create this culinary masterpiece, Andrea Nguyen spent three months personally baking bread and making various types of sandwiches, thereby developing Saigon-style meat sandwich recipes for readers in the United States.
Various types of sandwiches, each with different recipes, are beautifully illustrated by photographer Paige Green. According to the author, 'My goal is to help readers achieve success when preparing sandwiches. A cookbook should provide readers with a balance of practical techniques and artistic inspiration from images.'
According to Doanhnhansaigon.vn
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Reference: Travel Handbook Mytour
MytourJune 18, 2014
