Street foods in Sai Gon are very tasty and abundant. There are more hundreds of kinds of street foods but here are the best signature dishes you cannot miss when traveling to Sai Gon and you can be addicted to those dishes.
One of the densest populations cities in Vietnam, Sai Gon is not only a financial center but also a place gathered most of the unique street food both tasty and reasonable. Most street food stalls usually serve foods with simple recipes. You just simply sit in a plastic chair, hold a pair of chopsticks and enjoy the street foods.
Com tam (Broken rice)
Com tam is literally translated to ‘broken rice’ in Vietnamese and is traditionally served with diced green onions and a variety of toppings. Toppings options include barbecued pork chop, shredded pork skin, fried eggs, and steamed pork and an egg patty. Com tam also comes with a side of pickled vegetables, cucumber slices, and specially prepared Vietnamese fish sauce. While it’s a popular choice for breakfast or lunch, it can be enjoyed any time of the day as it is relatively inexpensive.
Pha lau (Offal stew)
Pha lau, an exotic street food commonly found in Sai Gon, is an offal stew filled with pig or cow innards and cooked with herbs and seasoning in a way similar to curry, although not as spicy. What makes this dish unique is the chewy pieces which are yet soft enough to melt in your mouth.
If you are wondering, “Would the taste or smell of the organs is too strong for me?” Then do not worry since the long cooking process had eliminated any unpleasant taste and odor. Each vendor will have its unique way of flavoring the broth. You can also order some bread to eat along with this rich broth. Locals also dip the organs into a fish sauce with minced chilies to enhance the flavor.
Banh cuon
Bánh cuốn is a type of Vietnamese steamed fermented rice batter dish, filled with a mixture of cooked seasoned ground pork, minced wood ear mushroom, and minced shallots. It's usually eaten with a dipping sauce which is a specially made fish sauce or you can add some chả (Vietnamese sausage) or bánh tôm (Vietnamese shrimp tempura) as a side dish.
Goi cuon (Vietnamese spring rolls)
A Vietnamese traditional dish consists of pork, prawn, vegetables, bún (rice vermicelli), and other ingredients wrapped in rice paper. Contrary to popular belief that they are from China, the fresh spring roll's origin is from Vietnam since the ingredients are different. Due to its subtle flavor, goi cuon is usually dipped into ground chilies and a hoisin-based dipping sauce topped with crushed peanuts. These rolls are considered to be a very popular appetizer in Vietnamese restaurants.
Another popular variant is the summer rolls (known as Chả Giò), which is a deep-fried egg roll made with a combination of mung bean noodles, minced pork, and various spices.
Sup cua (crab soup)
Fresh stripped crab meat is the star of this delicious dish. Crab soup is a perfect comfort food that many Vietnamese are familiar with. The soup has crab, tapioca starch, shitake mushrooms, snow mushrooms, and quail eggs.
One must-try location would be the stall on the Nguyen Du Street corner near the Notre-Dame Cathedral. But you can also easily find this soup at big wet markets such as Thiec, Ho Thi Ky and Pham The Hien.
Source Internet
