A unique and delicious dish: broken rice with beef.
Broken rice (com tam) is a popular dish in Ho Chi Minh City. It's easy to find a simple broken rice stall or a restaurant serving it. One of the reasons broken rice attracts diners is the fragrant and delicious grilled pork ribs.
However, I recently discovered a broken rice restaurant that doesn't include pork ribs but still captivates diners with its chicken and beef accompaniments. It's a broken rice restaurant run by a Muslim family, located on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street (District 1).
Chicken and beef are marinated and grilled when customers arrive at the restaurant.
At 6 PM, many people were coming and going in front of Rahim Mosque to attend Mass. The rice restaurant there was also crowded with people eating. I took the opportunity to chat with people at the restaurant. Ms. Dang Thi Tuyet Mai (53 years old), who directly runs the stall, shared some interesting things about this rice restaurant.
Ms. Mai stated that she is a Muslim. Her grandmother was Malaysian, and her mother was Vietnamese, so she followed her father's religion. The broken rice restaurant, which opened five months ago, cooks and prepares dishes according to Muslim tastes.
The broken rice restaurant doesn't have pork.
"My family's broken rice restaurant only sells beef and chicken, no pork. There are many broken rice restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, but few sell it this way, so my family opened one. At first, I only thought of selling it to Muslims, but unexpectedly, many customers came to enjoy our grilled beef broken rice," Ms. Mai shared.
According to Ms. Mai, in the beginning, customers would order pork rib rice at the restaurant. After the owner and staff explained the recipe, instead of leaving, they would stay to try it. Many found it unique and delicious, so they returned to eat regularly. The restaurant is open from 4 PM to midnight.
The dish called "Bì" is made from rice noodles and chicken.
Mrs. Mai's broken rice dishes include grilled beef, char siu chicken, braised chicken, and fried chicken. She also sells the Muslim-style beef sausage, which she buys from Chau Doc ( An Giang province), as an accompaniment to her meals, and many people find it a unique and delicious option.
"In the beginning, there were few customers because not many people knew about it. Gradually, more and more people visited the restaurant, found the food delicious, and recommended it to others. Some people even posted videos online, so now we have a huge number of customers. Now, many non-Muslims eat here, and even customers from Phan Rang ( Ninh Thuan ) who come here for business try it," Ms. Mai shared.
The owner and staff are Muslim.
Ms. Mai said that the broken rice is carefully selected, a mix of fragrant and premium varieties, to ensure it's neither too sticky nor too dry. The beef is marinated the night before and refrigerated to absorb the flavors. The char siu chicken is marinated for over 8 hours before being grilled directly at the restaurant.
Ms. Mai shared her experience about the broken rice restaurant.
"From childhood to adulthood, I've never eaten pork, so I don't know if it's delicious or not. I sell it every day, and I'm happy when customers come to support me," she confided.
Searching for a broken rice restaurant.
Mai Tran Binh Nguyen (29 years old, an employee of the restaurant) said that although he is not Muslim, he still comes to help out at the restaurant. The soft, chewy rice, flavorful beef, and perfectly cooked fried eggs are the comments of many customers who visit the restaurant.
Onions are sprinkled on broken rice.
Each serving of broken rice costs between 35,000 and 40,000 VND. Beef sausage is sold separately for 20,000 VND per piece. Mr. Binh said that while few people are unfamiliar with the sausage, many praise its delicious taste, eating 2-3 pieces at a time.
Mr. Nguyen grills meat continuously when the restaurant opens for business.
"Beef is a popular choice among customers. Besides that, egg rolls, fried eggs, and char siu chicken are served as alternatives to pork ribs. Many people think the 'bi' dish is made from pork skin, but it's actually made from vermicelli, shredded chicken, and topped with roasted rice powder. Eating 'bi' feels lighter, and you can eat a lot without worrying about gaining weight," Mr. Nguyen added.
Egg patties are made from eggs, rice noodles, wood ear mushrooms, etc.
Do Ngoc Tuyet Nhi (20 years old, residing in District 8) learned about a broken rice restaurant run by Muslims on social media and decided to try it. "The broken rice doesn't have pork ribs, but it does have beef and chicken. I found it to my liking; I liked the rice grains here – they're small and soft. Even though I live quite far away, I will definitely come back here many more times," Tuyet Nhi commented.
The dipping sauce is made with a rich flavor.
A small broken rice restaurant in front of the Muslim mosque on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street.
Source link
Comment (0)