Korean tourists sitting on the sidewalk in Ho Chi Minh City eat a strange dish made from raw eggs, praising it as delicious.

Visiting a dessert shop that has been around for over 80 years and has never changed its menu or location, a Korean customer tried the tea and tapioca pearls dessert and was surprised by the delicious flavor that was far from what he had imagined.

Choi Jongrak is a Korean content creator who has lived in Ho Chi Minh City for more than 5 years. Jongrak, his brother Sungrak and his brother's friend Dongrin co-own a YouTube channel with more than 1 million followers, regularly sharing about the culture and cuisine of two countries, Korea and Vietnam.

Jongrak said that in addition to familiar dishes with prices ranging from cheap to expensive, he also does not hesitate to try unique dishes that not all foreign guests dare to eat in Vietnam, such as blood pudding, balut, shrimp paste, etc.

Jongrak (circled in red) takes a photo with locals at an 80-year-old chè shop in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City.

In a recent video exploring old restaurants in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, Jongrak stopped by a chè shop on Tran Hung Dao B Street to enjoy chè gà gà tea (also known as egg tea) and chè tapioca with gà eggs.

These are the restaurant's two best-selling dishes, loved by both adults and children.

The tea and tapioca pearls and egg dessert that the Korean guest enjoyed

The first dish Jongrak tried was tea egg pudding. The eggs were boiled, peeled, and simmered in tea water for about 2 hours, until the egg whites were firm on the outside but soft on the inside.

This dish is served with ice so it is popular with many diners because of its cooling effect.

The Korean guest was delighted by the impressive color of this strange dessert. The chicken eggs are blackish in color, slightly shiny, slightly sweet and have a fragrant aroma of tea.

The first time he tasted the tea egg tea, Jongrak felt the taste was a bit strange.

Taking a taste, Jongrak commented that the egg was still warm even though it was a cold dessert. “I’ve never tried eggs with tea before. It feels a bit strange but delicious.

I also like to eat eggs because they have a lot of protein. Normally, eating eggs alone can easily cause choking, but this dish has tea so it's easy to eat," he said.

Korean YouTuber commented that tapioca pearls and egg dessert has a thick consistency, slightly sweet taste and is not fishy.

Unlike the tea egg dessert served with ice, the tapioca flour egg dessert is enjoyed hot.

Accordingly, raw chicken eggs are cracked into a bowl of hot tapioca flour. When eating, diners stir the eggs to gradually cook them.

Some diners who are not used to or do not like eating raw eggs will feel hesitant and a bit wary of the combination of this dessert.

Jongrak admitted to being quite surprised by the strange taste of the tapioca starch and egg dessert, far from his imagination.

“The egg tea has a slight fishy smell but this one has no smell at all. It feels very soft and really delicious. I really like this one,” the Korean customer said.

The young man shares his personal feelings about two strange desserts in Ho Chi Minh City

It is known that the sweet soup shop that Jongrak visited has been open for more than 80 years and has never changed its menu or location. The current owner is Ms. Ly Thanh Ha (47 years old) - the 4th generation to take over this establishment.

Sharing with VietNamNet reporter, Ms. Thanh Ha said that in 1938, her grandmother from Guangdong (China) came to Cho Lon area to do business and opened a sidewalk stall selling mung bean sweet soup.

At first, the restaurant was called Chau Giang. Later, the restaurant was known to many customers by different names such as "electric pole sweet soup" and "ghost sweet soup".

Because the shop used to be located next to a large electric pole, customers often jokingly called it “electric pole” sweet soup. Over time, that name became the shop’s “brand” even though the electric pole had been moved.

“The name “ma chè” is probably because in the past, the shop opened until almost midnight, and the later it got, the more customers it got, so many people half-jokingly called it that, and it gradually became a habit,” Ms. Ha humorously said.

Tapioca flour and egg dish is loved by many diners.

The shop currently sells about 20 different types of sweet soup such as lotus seed, green bean, red bean, black sesame, longan, ginkgo, water chestnut, ginseng,... served hot or cold depending on demand, priced from 20,000-30,000 VND.

The shop is open from 3pm to almost midnight.

The shop's desserts are served in small bowls, with moderate portions, so many diners here often order 3-4 types at once to experience a variety of flavors and "eat to satisfy their cravings".

Photo: HanQuocBros

A Western tourist wanted to eat one dish right away when he arrived in Hanoi, and drank coffee 4-5 times a day . As soon as he arrived in Hanoi, the Western tourist immediately stopped by a local restaurant to enjoy rare beef pho with green onions. This was also the dish he ate in his last meal before leaving the capital.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/khach-han-ngoi-via-he-o-tphcm-an-mon-la-tu-trung-song-nuc-no-khen-ngon-2355371.html