Finding the taste of Nha Trang chicken rice in Ho Chi Minh City

Although it looks simple, each element that makes up an authentic and delicious Nha Trang chicken rice dish requires cooking skills to maintain its quality - Photo: To Cuong

While chicken rice in Ho Chi Minh City is known for its rich garlic fish sauce and crispy chicken skin, Nha Trang's chicken rice boasts a unique sauce that harmonizes perfectly with the side dishes, creating a distinctive flavor that keeps diners coming back for more.

Tuổi Trẻ Online searched for the flavors of this dish in Ho Chi Minh City, specifically at two Nha Trang-style chicken rice restaurants: 313 Bui Dinh Tuy and the Hai Chi Em chicken rice chain.

Criteria for a Nha Trang-style chicken rice dish

Many people believe that authentic Nha Trang chicken rice should meet certain criteria:

First, you must choose free-range chicken, boil it until just cooked, retaining its firmness and the chicken pieces should have the sweet, delicate flavor of the chicken broth.

If you choose factory-farmed chicken, the meat will be mushy and dry, and the pieces of meat won't retain their sweetness when torn apart.

The main ingredients of Nha Trang chicken rice include egg butter sauce, fried onions, coriander, pickles, ginger fish sauce, and chicken which can be boiled, fried, or roasted... - Photo: To Cuong

In some restaurants in Nha Trang, chicken is mixed with a few spices, onions, and some herbs (similar to chicken salad), but the absence of these elements doesn't significantly affect the experience.

Next comes the rice, cooked in chicken broth, which has an attractive yellow color. "Perfectly cooked" rice should be fluffy, with a subtle aroma of chicken fat wafting up when served.

Anyone who has ever tasted Nha Trang chicken rice will surely know that the soul of this dish is the butter sauce, which is also its most unique feature.

The sauce has a rich, creamy flavor that blends harmoniously with the taste of ginger fish sauce, pickled vegetables, coriander, and fried onions.

The sauce's ingredients consist of egg yolks mixed with butter, seasoned, and whisked together.

The method is simple, yet it evokes a longing in diners from near and far; they feel a sense of emptiness whenever it's unavailable.

The soup, served with poached quail eggs or young chicken eggs, with its characteristic chicken fat color, along with onions and pepper, is also an important element in this culinary experience - Photo: To Cuong

Finally, there's the broth, which, although just the chicken stock, is an indispensable part of Nha Trang chicken rice dishes.

Inside the soup bowl are onions, pepper, and a young chicken egg (some restaurants substitute it with a poached quail egg). When tasted, the spicy, rich flavor of the pepper blends perfectly with the delicate sweetness of the chicken fat.

Every restaurant is 'almost' perfect.

So, what does the Hai Chị Em chicken rice restaurant (branch number 9 Thích Minh Nguyệt, Tân Bình district) offer when considering the criteria for a delicious Nha Trang-style chicken rice dish?

This is arguably the largest brand specializing in this dish in Ho Chi Minh City. Just search for the keyword on Facebook, and Hai Chi Em will be the first name that appears, with a network of branches spread throughout Ho Chi Minh City.

The large portion of shredded chicken rice at Hai Chi Em restaurant is a bit small for the price of 59,000 VND - Photo: To Cuong

Does the food live up to the brand's reputation for quality?

My first impression upon arriving at the restaurant was the price. In Nha Trang, except for restaurants catering specifically to tourists , chicken rice is a common, affordable dish, costing only between 35,000 and 45,000 VND.

However, the cheapest item at   The "Two Sisters" dish is boiled and shredded free-range chicken rice, priced at 42,000 VND, and the portion is quite small.

Putting aside the price for now, I have to praise the rice, the butter sauce, and the side dishes at this restaurant. The chicken rice has a distinctive rich color, the rice grains are firm and fluffy, and it's served hot with a subtle chicken broth aroma.

The restaurant is very generous with the butter; mixing it evenly over the plate of rice makes it rich and creamy, with the flavors of coriander, fried onions, and pickles blending perfectly.

The soup at Hai Chi Em lacks the characteristic rich chicken color and has a rather bland taste - Photo: To Cuong

However, Hai Chi Em chicken rice   It has three significant drawbacks. Firstly, the ginger fish sauce, while having a suitable level of saltiness, lacks the characteristic spiciness of ginger and chili, which is also an important element in enhancing the flavor of the rice dish.

Next up is the shredded chicken. Although it's indeed free-range chicken with its characteristic chewiness, the pre-shredded chicken at this restaurant feels like it's been sitting around for a while, and it also lacks the sweet, fresh flavor and moisture of freshly cooked chicken.

Finally, the biggest drawback is the broth. This should ideally be the component that leaves a rich, lingering flavor after enjoying a plate of succulent chicken rice; however, the broth in Hai Chi Em is quite bland, lacking both the aroma, the sweet taste of chicken fat, and the various spices.

Next is the Nha Trang chicken rice restaurant at 313 Bui Dinh Tuy (Binh Thanh district). Although it's smaller in scale and only a few years old, many people from Nha Trang come here to enjoy the dish.

A close-up of a plate of Nha Trang chicken rice at 313 Bui Dinh Tuy, accompanied by another specialty of Khanh Hoa : chili lime salt - Photo: To Cuong

At 35,000 VND per plate of shredded chicken rice, the restaurant is quite generous with the portion size; one serving is just enough to fill you up.

My first impression upon tasting it was that the meat was perfectly cooked, both chewy and tender, and when chewed, I could taste the sweet, savory flavor of the chicken broth inside.

In particular, the restaurant provides a small bowl of chili-lime salt, another Nha Trang specialty, which diners can use to dip the boiled chicken, further enhancing its flavor.

People from Nha Trang eat Nha Trang chicken rice in Ho Chi Minh City.

Both the egg sauce and the accompanying vegetables at this restaurant are excellent; however, Bui Dinh Tuy restaurant falls short compared to Hai Chi Em in terms of the rice, possibly due to insufficient roasting of the rice before cooking. Although the chicken rice here is soft and fragrant, it lacks the fluffiness and firmness, making it too moist when mixed with fish sauce and butter sauce.

Instead, the soup at this restaurant is outstanding; with each sip, the chicken fat immediately touches the tip of the tongue, followed by the spicy kick of pepper and the richness of quail eggs. While not perfect, it's almost on par with the best restaurants in Nha Trang.

Overall, both restaurants have their strengths and weaknesses, but anyone who eats here will immediately recognize that it's authentic Nha Trang-style chicken rice.

If they aren't too picky about every criterion, people from Nha Trang currently living in Ho Chi Minh City can absolutely find a chicken rice restaurant that suits their taste, instead of having to wait for a trip back home to enjoy it.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/di-tim-huong-vi-com-ga-nha-trang-tai-tp-hcm-20240804070824016.htm