A Saigon banh mi says: get stuffed again
This tasty banh mi is mostly found in District 5 and District 6, areas that have many typical cultural features, including fusion food, owing to the large presence of the ethnic Chinese community.
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The vegetables are split, stuffed with fish cake and deep-fried before being added to the baguette. |
The streets of Ha Ton Quyen, Ba Hom and Hau Giang host hundreds of stalls selling these stuffed vegetable sandwiches for an affordable VND15,000 to VND30,000 ($1.3) each.
Bitter melons, okra and cow-horn chillies are some of the vegetables that are split and stuffed with fish cake.
The stuffed vegetables are then deep-fried, creating a savory, fresh combination - the slight heat of cow-horn chillies, the crunchy texture of fish cake, and the slight bitterness and sweet aftertaste of bitter melons give this dish a very distinctive taste.
The process reportedly takes inspiration from Singapore cuisine.
The sandwich comes with a variety of sauces, like Chinese black-bean sauce, chilli sauce and sate.
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A banh mi stuffed with vegetables stuffed with fish cake. |
Customers can also buy the stuffed vegetables separately for around VND80,000 ($3.4) a kilogram.
Some suggested eateries are Banh My Cha Phuong at 119/4A Ba Hom Street, District 6; Co Muoi Van at 119/12 Ba Hom Street, District 6; and Ty Muoi at 522 Phan Van Tri Street, District 5.
These stalls are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.
Source: VnExpress
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