Vietnamese Street Food 101 - Fried Rice Cake

I still remember the first day I stepped foot in the U.S. But for the purpose of this blog, Im only gonna talk about what happened that morning. I was lucky enough that my host family loved me so much that they booked a hotel so that I can have some rest before heading back to their house (almost 2hrs drive away). Anyhoo, when we went down for breakfast, I barely ate. Not that I was still tired from the (almost) 35 hours travel (long story), but because I was so dreadful of the breakfast offered at the hotel. Everywhere I looked, I found sugar! Cheerios, cookies, donuts, corn flakes, etc. Sweet sweet sweet! No, not really, I might eat a cookie in the morning now, but at the time, I thought that was almost the end of the world (with some exaggeration) :D.  Well, for most Vietnamese, the best way to start a day is with some thing savory, almost like a big meal, so that you can fuel your day. We dont eat "desert", or even fruit. We eat solid dishes like rice, noodle soups, sandwiches. At least, thats what adults eat. What about kids/teenagers? Oohhh, ask me, Ill tell you.


Since elementary schools, I would be dropped off in front of my school gate, then my dad would give me a few dollars for breakfast. Where did I eat? On the street! Along the sides of my school gate will be various carts of people selling breakfast like cơm sườn (rice and pork chop), bánh mì (French baguette), phở (rice noodle soup), and my favorite dish bột chiên (fried rice cake). I would just pick a seat at tables that were already crowded by my schoolmates, order a specific dish by telling the cook the exact amount of money that I wanted to pay, and food would be brought to me in less than 5 min. After I was full and happy, I would walk right in to my school and start a day of torture. Yeah, sorry, but I never liked school that much. Haha.

This is probably an 'after school' thing. See how their shirts are not tucked in?

(Picture borrowed from the internet)

You can see now, food are sold everywhere on the street in Vietnam. Especially around schools, markets, and on crowded streets. Sometimes, there will be people who walk from one neighborhood to another at a set time in the afternoon with their 'mobile' stove, when people are ready for a mid-day snacks.
People in Vietnam love to eat, and eating has become part of our culture. We are not picky though. We just need a small chair to sit on, and some topics to chat about while we eat, and we'll be happy.

See the guys in the background? Street food is a unisex, uni-age thing :D

(Picture borrowed from the internet)

If you have not got a chance to wander the streets of Saigon (Hochiminh city) and try our street food out, then keep checking my blog. I will eventually introduce some of my favorite street food here. But for today, lets take a look at one of my favorite street food breakfast/snack: Fried Rice Cake.
The dish is exactly whats the name said. Rice cake is made of rice flower and water, sometimes they would add cut taro, too; then people would steam them into big cake. After that they cut the big cake into rectangular pieces and fried them over a hot, flat surface. Most of the time you can ask them to crack an egg or two on top. Finally, they will top it with some green onion and chive, and serve with a slightly sweet and tangy soy sauce and some pickled carrot. Dont forget to add some hot sauce (like Saricha), it will make a total difference. Your tongue will dance!

A typical Fried Rice Cake stand
(Picture borrowed from the internet)

See what was written on the piece of cardboard? It means Fried Rice Cake :)

(Picture borrowed from the internet)

Bot Chien in the making

(Picture borrowed from the internet)

Alright, lets look at the final product. This one is made by yours truly, right after I found the ricipe to make rice cake.

The outside is so crunchy while the center are still soft and warm

A week after, I make it again. This time with extra egg (upon request, hehe) 

If you would be interested in making this yummy dish, please let me know. I will be more than happy to share with you (I already did a post in Vietnamese so if you are bilingual, please check for it).

Last but not least, visit Vietnam please, you will love it!

~

I do not know the original source of the pictures that I found on the internet. If any are belong to you, and you would like me to give proper credit or take them down, please let me know.