Eating Saigon broken rice with a bowl of fish sauce and scallion oil… 'extremely delicious'

The "soul" of Saigon broken rice

Many people tell each other that broken rice originated from poor laborers. Accordingly, this was the daily food of the poor rice workers in Saigon during the French colonial period.

Saigon broken rice is a favorite dish of many people.

During this period, the Binh Dong rice mill on the banks of Tau Hu canal near Cho Lon area (now in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City) was always busy with boats and docks. This was the place to receive rice transported from all the provinces in the West. After each working day, carrying heavy loads, the rice workers swept up the broken rice grains scattered around the milling machine and on the factory floor to cook for eating.

At first, broken rice was only served with fish sauce, scallion oil, or gradually had egg rolls and shredded pork skin added because it was only sold to the poor. Later, many rich people also became addicted to this popular rice dish with scallion oil, so they added grilled ribs and many other attractive ingredients like today.

Nowadays, broken rice has become a familiar dish on the streets and in restaurants, eateries, not only in Ho Chi Minh City but also in all regions of Vietnam. I cannot remember all the broken rice restaurants I have eaten at in Ho Chi Minh City, from the popular ones to the more luxurious ones, from the unknown ones to the famous ones, and I realize that the bowl of fish sauce is the "soul" of a Saigon broken rice dish.

Each restaurant has a different way of making fish sauce to eat with broken rice.

The fish sauce of Saigon broken rice has a different taste in each restaurant. Some places have a thick consistency, some places have a diluted taste, some places have a salty taste, some places have a sweet taste... Talking about this difference, a famous food blogger with a wealth of culinary experience in Ho Chi Minh City thinks that it could be the restaurant owner's intention.

"In many restaurants I've been to, fish sauce plays a decisive role in the Saigon broken rice dish. Many restaurant owners mix the fish sauce to be salty or sweet, thick or thin, all on purpose, so that when poured on the rice dish, together with the broken rice, meat, pork skin, sausage, eggs, pickles, etc., it creates a harmonious, balanced flavor," he commented.

That's why the food blogger said that he had eaten at many restaurants selling broken rice in Saigon. When he separated the bowl of fish sauce to eat, he found the rice dish to be bland, nothing special, but when combined with the rice dish, it created a wonderful flavor.

Mr. Thien Phu, who calls himself a "fan" of Saigon broken rice, said that almost every week, he has 2-3 days to eat broken rice. Especially on weekends, he often looks for new broken rice restaurants to try the flavor, although he has collected quite a few "favorite" restaurants for himself.

The restaurant owner said that when mixing fish sauce to go with broken rice, they have their own intention to highlight the flavors of the other ingredients in the rice dish. Customers can add fresh chili, pickles... to suit each person's taste.

"I don't remember how many restaurants I've eaten at, but they all have one thing in common: the only dipping sauce served with the restaurant is fish sauce. It's rare to see soy sauce, but it's at a vegetarian broken rice restaurant. I think Saigon broken rice is served with fish sauce, adding a little fresh chili, ground chili is the right way. Without fish sauce, it's no longer Saigon broken rice," he said.

Respect customer preferences

Mr. Nguyen Chi Thien, owner of a broken rice restaurant in District 8 (HCMC) famous for selling for just over an hour at noon, said he only puts on the dining table one type of dipping sauce to go with the broken rice dish, which is fish sauce.

Having sold broken rice for decades, I have never seen a customer ask for chili sauce, tomato sauce or soy sauce to put on their rice. About 95% of my customers are Vietnamese, the remaining 5% are foreigners, but they also want to enjoy a plate of authentic Saigon broken rice that suits the local taste. However, if a customer asks for other dipping sauces, such as chili sauce or soy sauce, I respect their taste and serve them, because the restaurant is also a home, so everything is available.

Mr. Chi Thien, owner

Mr. Thien's broken rice restaurant is famous in District 8.

Although he is the owner of a broken rice restaurant, Mr. Thien shared that he really likes to eat broken rice at other restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City. That is how he satisfies his love for food, his love for broken rice, and learns more experiences.

Mr. Thien "revealed" that he really likes to eat fish sauce with broken rice, which is a salty and diluted fish sauce. However, to satisfy the taste of most diners, his restaurant still serves a harmonious fish sauce that is salty, sweet and mixed with just the right amount of thickness and sweetness. He affirmed that this is an important ingredient to highlight the flavor of the broken rice dish at his restaurant, along with other ingredients such as ribs, pork skin or sausage.

"There are many customers who love fish sauce so much that they have to ask for another bowl to fill their plate of rice. Without the bowl of fish sauce, the rice dish will be less delicious," he said. Currently, each plate of rice at Thien's restaurant is sold for 35,000 - 75,000 VND depending on the customer's needs.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bao, a regular customer of the famous broken rice restaurant in Hoc Mon District, said that the reason he has been with the restaurant for the past 5 years is partly because it is close to home, and partly because the broken rice has a bowl of fish sauce that is "extremely delicious".

Saigon broken rice has many variations, but the accompanying fish sauce is indispensable.

According to him, the fish sauce served with it is the "money-maker", when cooked to a thick, sweet taste, a little pickle is added to the bowl of fish sauce to balance the flavor. A plate of steaming hot rice, the meat is crispy and fragrant on the outside, soft and moist on the inside, pouring fish sauce on the plate of rice and enjoying, to him is a wonderful culinary experience.

The owner of this broken rice restaurant also said that the secret to keeping customers coming back for a plate of broken rice is the harmony between the accompanying fish sauce that enhances the deliciousness of the other ingredients. The recipe for making broken rice, including the fish sauce, has been passed down through many generations in the family, and to this day still retains the old flavor.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/an-com-tam-sai-gon-kem-chen-nuoc-mam-mo-hanh-ngon-het-say-185240701121558373.htm