Famous Turkish kebab sandwich 'first in Ho Chi Minh City', what is it now?

The most expensive Turkish bread in Ho Chi Minh City?

Every afternoon, the Turkish bread (kebab bread) stall of Mr. Do Van Luong (50 years old) located at the beginning of Nguyen Thuong Hien culinary street (District 3) still has regular customers coming to buy, as it has been for many years. The owner has been with this bread stall for 17 years, and is familiar with all the steps to make a complete kebab bread.

Mr. Luong's kebab shop is located at the beginning of Nguyen Thuong Hien street.

He uses chicken as the main ingredient for the sandwich.

It is fascinating to see customers coming here to buy a loaf of bread with hot meat just cut from a rotating meat stick with the heat from the electric oven. The bread here is truly original Turkish style as it is 1/5 of a large round loaf that the owner puts in the oven, on the outside is covered with a thin layer of sesame. When eating, the bread is put into the hot press and filled with meat, salad and then poured with sauce.

Introducing to me, the owner proudly said that his shop was one of the first places in Ho Chi Minh City to sell authentic Turkish bread, because he spent 10 years living in Berlin (Germany) and worked as a chef in a restaurant selling Turkish dishes, including kebab bread.

While skillfully making bread for customers, the owner described to me how to make a complete kebab. First, he took 1/5 of a large non-circular (i.e. triangular) bread and put it in a hot press to make the bread crispier and more fragrant. Then, he spread chili sauce on the bread and put chicken inside.

Golden grilled chicken, attractive layer of fat.

The chicken here is the skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced ​​to taste.

The chicken here is the chicken breast, boneless and skinless, thinly sliced, the golden grilled chicken with the fat dripping out looks appealing. The soul of the dish lies in one of the four special sauces that the owner pours on top, along with five types of vegetables: purple cabbage, American lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomato. Finally, the cake is carefully wrapped in paper before being delivered to the customer.

“Here, there are 4 types of sauces including garlic sauce, herb sauce, sweet and sour sauce, and mustard sauce, which I prepare according to my own recipe that is unlike anywhere else. This is a fresh sauce, to make this sauce, I have to import 2 types of milk from Australia and New Zealand to get the desired taste. The vegetables served with the kebab are also selected from the freshest vegetables," the owner confided.

The original Turkish bread is 1/5 of a large round loaf, covered with a thin layer of sesame seeds on the outside.

The owner is most proud of his four special homemade sauces.

Here, each portion of Turkish bread costs from 40,000 to 45,000 VND, and the owner can even meet the demand for more expensive loaves, which cost 50,000 to 60,000 VND. Since 2006, each loaf of bread he sells has been 12,000 VND, while meat sandwiches at that time were on average about 6,000 VND.

He smiled and said that his shop may be one of the most expensive kebab shops in Ho Chi Minh City, but when customers eat, they will definitely feel the difference and that is also the reason why the shop has been able to survive for nearly two decades, even though the "kebab sandwich craze" has long since passed.

The "golden" period is over

In early 2004, Mr. Luong returned to Ho Chi Minh City from Germany and worked at various jobs. However, life still brought him back to Turkish bread. In 2006, he opened this shop, but all beginnings were difficult.

Eye-catching, unique kebab sandwich costs 40,000 - 45,000 VND at Mr. Luong's shop.

The boss is happy to make his customers' favorite cakes every day.

“At that time, Turkish bread was still a very strange dish for Saigon people, and there were not many customers. More than a year later, the bakery began to be known by many people and business improved,” he recalled, then said that the golden age of his bakery was in 2008 - 2009, when it was featured in many international and Vietnamese newspapers and magazines. Since then, Vietnamese and Western customers have flocked to buy, many of whom have become “regular customers” for decades.

At that time, with the kebab craze all over the country, there was a peak day when he sold up to 800 kebabs. Now, the craze has passed, but he still holds steady with a steady stream of customers every day. Although he opened more branches many times, in the end, Mr. Luong returned to his only bakery on this street.

Ms. Thuy Loan (33 years old, living in District 3) said that she is a "fan" of kebab and has been eating this dish for many years because it suits her taste. However, this is the first time she has visited Mr. Luong's shop to buy it.

Regular customers buy regularly at the shop.

The restaurant regularly receives reservations by phone...

“I have always eaten pork sandwiches, this is the first time I bought chicken sandwiches. It looks delicious, especially the sauce. It seems that the shop here is famous, but I just found out now. If I have a chance to pass by, I will support the owner," the customer confided.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hoai Nhan (32 years old, living in District 1) has been a regular customer of this bakery for many years. He said that once when introduced by a friend, he tried it and found that the bread here suits his taste the best.

“Although the price is a bit more expensive, I see other places selling it for 20,000 - 30,000 VND, but you get what you pay for. The kebab here is very different. Furthermore, the owner makes it with the right Turkish flavor, because Turkish Muslims eat chicken, not pork, which is exactly what I know about kebab, so I am very impressed," he said.

Ms. Loan first visited Mr. Luong's shop.

For Mr. Luong, this bakery is his foundation, his greatest asset that he has built with all his heart and soul. His daily happiness is to bring the most authentic and carefully prepared loaves of Turkish bread to customers.

The kebab sandwich was recognized as invented by Mr. Kadir Nurman (Türkiye) in 1972, with the "doner kebab" style of grilling meat - meat is skewered and rotated on a grill, only when customers come to order, the staff will cut the meat and stuff it into the bun. And it was not until 2011 that the Turkish Doner Producers Association recognized this unique invention of Mr. Kadir.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/noi-tieng-banh-mi-kebab-tho-nhi-ky-dau-tien-tai-tphcm-gio-ra-sao-185230214161028808.htm