Jun 032012
 

SAIGON STREET FOOD REUNION

Last week I began with “the Pulleys”!

Saigon Sreet Food Reunion - "The Pulleys"

Saigon Street Food Reunion – “The Pulleys”

Mmmnnn?” you wonder.  What’s Joe gotten into now?”  Some new kinetic physics experiment?  Hoisting a piano from the street up to his apartment’s fourth-floor balcony?  Or, God save us, some unmentionable new Asian erotic device?

Well, NO.  It’s just the same old song – rotator cuff surgery.  I’m now 9 weeks post-op and the physical therapy schedule says it’s time to begin my arm extension pulley exercises. (I hope I didn’t disappoint anyone :-))

I’ve been back in Saigon for 14 days now.  It’s been a challenging re-entry.  My first impulse was to jump on the back of Hai’s motorbike, race down the main thorough fares of Saigon waving my arm in the air and shouting, “I’m back!  Where’s my Saigon Street Food!”  Well, a nice fantasy, BUT …

Trying to raise my left arm above my shoulder (never mind waive it in the air) is still just a life-goal.  Hopefully that will happen in early summer.  And “jumping” on the motorbike has been temporarily replaced with “slowly and strategically (aka  “pathetically”) maneuvering onto the bike, using my good right arm to support myself while my useless left arm (bound in a sling) simply attracts unwanted attention from passers-by.  And have you ever thought about the heat generated under a black arm sling baking under Saigon’s 95 degree sun?  But of course, I never complain.  🙂

It has been a joy to be back – all challenges aside. It was time to start Eating Saigon! again.

I must admit I wasn’t sure what Saigon foods I missed the most during my two months in California.  The obvious answer was simply not to choose, but to go enjoy all my favorites again.  So my first week back in Ho Chi Minh City was simply my Saigon Street Food Reunion.

bún thịt nướng at Chị Thông

My first afternoon was off to enjoy bún thịt nướng at Chị Thông.  The BBQ pork was just as meaty and flavorful as I had dreamed of on the long plane flight back.  A totally delicious lunch.  But I did spot a dish at the next table that I couldn’t identify.  Hai peered over and made the call,

bánh mì hấp Saigon Street Food

Bánh Mì Hấp

“It’s bánh mì hấp“.  Mmmn? A new dish! Should I try it on my first afternoon back? Why not?

A bánh mì  (French baguette roll) steamed to a very moist softness was delivered to our table.  The bánh mì  was buried under a pile of ground pork, sauteed with chopped onions and topped with chopped peanuts.  It was served with a sweet fish sauce, fresh mint and lettuce leaves and chopped cucumbers.  (Somehow an image of an Arby’s beef sandwich flashed through my mind.  Cleary I had been back in the USA for too long.)  Very yummy!  A simple and delicious addition to Chị Thông’s eating options.

Of course, that first week back,I had to bus over to Dong Hoa Xuan – Hai’s place.

The bus fares seem to have risen to 5000 vnd (25 cents usd) while I was out of the country.  But later, I took another bus and the fare was still 4000 vnd ?? So further investigation is called for.

Hai’s food is still amazing.  What a series of taste sensations – sườn (bbq pork ribs), ground-pork-stuffed tofu, and khổ qua (bitter melon) Yes, it’s great to be back!

Dong Hoa Xuan

Lunch at Dong Hoa Xuan

On another evening last week, Hai and I joined scores of locals enjoying the gỏi đu đủ (spicy papaya salad) at Le Van Tam Park .

Gỏi Đu Đủ

That sauce on the papaya salad – sweet, spicy, tangy!  Life is still good here in Saigon!

And my Saigon Street Food Reunion mornings were just as welcoming, including the Bún Mộc at Bún Mộc Thanh Mai 

Bún Mộc at Thanh Mai

 

and phở gà at Phở Hưu

phở gà at Phở Hưu

Phở Gà at Phở Hữu

Hot noodle soups for breakfast.  Complete with potently-flavored herbs, lime juice, chilly peppers, succulent meats and deliciously fermented and sweetened sauces.  YUM!  I was clearly “not in Kansas anymore”.

So, my physical therapist called last week my Post-Op Week #9, featuring introduction to my new pulley exercises.  That’s fine.

But for me it was my wonderful

Saigon Street Food Reunion Week!

 

 June 3, 2012

  2 Responses to “Saigon Street Food Reunion”

  1. Thanks Joe and Hai for another great recommendation! We ate phở gà at Phở Hưu and it was wonderful. Thank you so much for writing down the menu items in Vietnamese. Most of the restaurants have no English translations or pictures so it’s nice for us to point to your pictures and the name of the dishes you’ve provided.

    Question…our apartment agent brought over some great desserts. It’s a layered multi-colored green layer, yellow layer, green, yellow, etc. sticky “cake” that was delicious, also a white one with the same texture. The texture was sort of like a Japanese “mochi” dessert. I’ve been keeping my eye out for those sweets, but can’t seem to find them. I was told it was in the Ben Tahn Market, but didn’t have luck finding it there. Do you or Hai know of a place that sells those? Also, what’s the name of those desserts?

    • Sounds like that sticky cake might be either “banh da lon” or “banh duc” or “rau cau dua” (all can fit your description) – made from rice and coconut and extract from pandan leaves (the green section). They should be available in many markets (in the sweets section) and also from street vendors. ENJOY!

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