Food in Ho Chi Minh City surprises American chef: "The most interesting I've ever seen"

(Dan Tri) - During a culinary exploration trip in Ho Chi Minh City, American chef Nick DiGiovanni was attracted by unique dishes with impressive preparation methods such as oil-poached chicken and fried sticky rice.

Nick DiGiovanni is a familiar name to the global food enthusiast community. He is an American chef and the owner of a YouTube channel with over 28.5 million subscribers - one of the most influential food channels in the world .

Last June, the video "I Tried the World's Best Street Food" posted by Nick quickly created a fever with more than 23 million views. Notably, one of the destinations he chose to explore was Ho Chi Minh City - a paradise of attractive street food.

The oil-poached chicken dish is processed by machine (Photo: Screenshot).

Here, one of the experiences that left a deep impression on Nick was the oil-dried chicken dish at Xu Xu Fat-Fried Chicken restaurant (Cong Quynh street, Cau Ong Lanh ward).

Unlike the usual deep-frying method, the chicken here is prepared using a continuous oil-battering technique. Thanks to that, the chicken skin is golden and crispy, while the meat inside remains tender and juicy.

Witnessing the method firsthand, Nick repeatedly expressed surprise and admiration, admitting that this method rarely appears in Western cuisine .

Familiar dishes in Ho Chi Minh City attract foreign men (Photo: Screenshot).

He also said that only in Ho Chi Minh City can people find this unique dish - true to its name, oil-waterfall chicken.

Nick also said that when he saw the machines used to process chicken in the restaurant, he was very surprised. Besides, he also expressed his admiration for the chicken processors, because he only stood next to the machine for a moment and felt very hot, while the workers had to process chicken all day.

"The chicken is served with fried rice. The dish seems simple, but I was extremely excited to try it. The chicken is juicy and has a rich flavor thanks to being marinated for many hours before cooking. This is my most unique chicken experience," he said.

The second dish he tried in Ho Chi Minh City was fried sticky rice at Hai Lua restaurant (Nguyen Trai street, Cho Lon ward). Under the skillful hands of the chef, the simple sticky rice was transformed into a golden, round and perfectly crispy ball.

The fried sticky rice dish has a beautiful texture (Photo: Screenshot).

"It's unbelievable. At first it was just a piece of dough, but the chef just put it in a pan full of oil and stirred it constantly, and it puffed up evenly, round and plump, very beautiful. I still don't understand the principle of making this cake," Nick said.

The round, golden-yellow cake was placed in front of him. The restaurant staff helped Nick cut the cake into small pieces. When he took the first bite, Nick was even more surprised by the combination of textures: the outer layer was crispy, the inside was chewy, and had an elasticity that reminded him of cheese melting in bread.

Nick commented that fried sticky rice was the most amazing looking dish he had ever seen (Photo: Screenshot).

"Visually, it's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. The texture is so special," he said.

Nick did not hesitate to affirm that this was one of the most interesting dishes he had ever experienced, not only in the flavor but also in the chef's skillful "performance" right on the pan and the spectacular transformation of the simple dough.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/mon-an-o-tphcm-khien-dau-bep-my-ngo-ngang-thu-vi-nhat-toi-tung-thay-20250902003214737.htm