HAVE A TRY ON 7 GOOD DISHES AT CHO LON- SAI GON (Part 1)

Dim-sum, roasted duck, pha lau (Viscera soup), ca vien ca ri (fish ball curry), che tra trung (tea egg sweet gruel) are the dishes that you can’t not try when you are in district 5-Sai Gon.

Sai Gon has many dishes because it connect with many different cultures. However, in the “culinary city”, District 5’s culinary is always in the list of every tourists. The followings are the most famous dishes at Cho Lon- district 5:

    1.      Pha lau (Viscera soup)

            Pha lau is a very popular dish in Sai Gon. Pha lau is made from pork’s organs such as: ear, nose, tongue,… or the stomach. To complete this dish, people have to wash and deodorize the meat, slice into small pieces and marinate it with herb, spices, white wine, soy sauce, sugar.  The most important is “Pha lau” is always cooked with coconut. Besides, people can add coconut cream or milk to elevate the fat of the dish.

             In Sai Gon, there are many dish made from pha lau: “pha lau” bread, grill “pha lau”, “pha lau” hot pot, “pha lau” instant noodle…

A delicious bowl of “pha lau” is more flavorful with green onion

    2.      Vit quay (Roasted duck)

          In Cho Lon, the area along Bui Huu Nghia street has more than 10 big and small roasted duck stores, from new to old. But the most famous one is at the left corner of Bui Huu Nghia street.

At Cho Lon area, Bui Huu Nghia roasted duck is the most famous one.

    In the old day, roasted duck is used to serve Kings only, because its complication. A standard roasted duck must be crispy skin, with the brown golden outside, the meat is soft, juicy and fresh. Moreover, it has also the aroma of anise, BBQ powder and five spices powder.

      Serving with roasted duck is usually hot crispy bread. But later on, many place replaced it with steam “banh bao” or fry “banh bao”.

   3.      Mi keo – kungfu noodle

        The “mi keo” (pulling noodle) is made right at the store, like we usually see in some movies. This is a dish that you must try when you are at Cho Lon area. Because the noodle is different than the one you buy at the market. It’s much more delicious than any noodle ever.

     Because people have to use their strength a lot to do this noodle, so many people call this is Kung-fu noodle.

   The noodle is made instantly and by hand traditionally and sold in day, so it’s always chewy, soft, and fresh. Beside the taste, people are interested in this because they can see how the noodle’s made. The noodle is used with “vit tiem”(duck) or “xa xiu” (BBQ pork).

Egg noodle is eaten with duck is so “Yummy”

    4.      Ga ac tiem thuoc bac (Black chicken with Northern herb medicine)

More than to be a dish, “ga ac tiem thuoc bac” can be seen as a nutritious medicine. This dish is made of a whole black chicken (this kind of chicken has black skin, white fur), then slow cooked with some kind of herb medicine. 

If you are first time try this dish, it might be weird because the strong aroma and the broth is bitten. But the chicken meat is soft and sweet. According to Oriental physic, this is a nutritious dish.

A part of “ga ac tiem thuoc bac”

Using many type of herb medication make this dish be so good for your health.

*Taro**