Saigon broken rice: The intersection of East - West culinary culture

While Hanoi cuisine is famous for traditional pho, Saigon people are proud of a unique culinary symbol: Com Tam. Com Tam has long been a symbol of the culinary cultural interference between the East and the West. Instead of using chopsticks, people often use spoons and forks to enjoy this dish. Com Tam is often combined with French-style grilled ribs, Chinese-style egg rolls, Northern-style mixed pork skin and Southern sweet and sour fish sauce, creating a special, unforgettable flavor.

This dish has appeared since the early 70s of the last century, originating from Thuan Kieu broken rice restaurant in District 11. After 1975, with increased demand for food, broken rice restaurants opened from the morning. to the afternoon. Since then, a series of broken rice restaurants have appeared across the city. Initially, broken rice was often considered a dish of poor workers or students. Called "poor family's rice", people often take advantage of leftover broken grains and broken rice grains to cook rice. Broken rice usually blooms less and is cheap.

When enjoying broken rice, you cannot miss the trio of "ribs - skin - rolls", which are grilled rib meat, mixed skin and boiled egg rolls, the most traditional and attractive dishes. To make the dish more filling, you can add pickles, fatty onion sauce and a cup of rich sweet and sour fish sauce.

In addition to the "main ingredients" of ribs, skin, pork rolls, broken rice can also be combined with fried eggs, braised fish, braised shrimp, grilled chicken, braised pork, stuffed squid... Each side dish is delicious. They have their own unique flavor, but in terms of attractiveness, they are not inferior to each other. more suitable for people's budgets. In particular, broken rice is most delicious when cooked in a cast iron pot or clay pot and heated with wood, although nowadays many restaurants have chosen the steaming method to prepare broken rice. Broken rice is not only a simple dish, but also a symbol of the mix and diversity of culinary culture in Saigon. Made from simple ingredients but created unique and attractive, broken rice has become an indispensable part of the meals of Saigon people as well as tourists visiting this city.

With a delicate combination of grilled ribs, mixed skin, steamed egg rolls and other side dishes, broken rice is not only a delicious dish but also an exciting culinary experience. The variety in preparation and combination of ingredients also creates unique and attractive flavors for each meal.

For Saigon people, broken rice is not only a dish but also a part of memory, a pride in typical time-saving Saigon cuisine.