Dish of the day: Banh Mi Tom (Chien) - Deep-fried shrimp baguette
Where it’s found: On a small alley off of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai (between
NTMK and Vo Van Tan, on 287 Nguyen Thi Minh Chieu)
Breaking it down: Baguette, shrimp, a mixture of batter and
turmeric, lots of oil for deep-frying
Between teaching at different locations, I decided to wander
into an unknown alley in search of some lunch.
I found some bbq com tam (rice dish), which is a staple/go-to here in
Vietnam, but then I came across a sweet little lady perched on a stool,
surrounded by her cooking pots and a pile of bright orange baguettes with
shrimp on top. I was intrigued, as this
food was completely new to me.
Naturally, being obsessed with trying every variety of Vietnamese food,
I bought a piece. It was served with hoisin and chili sauce for dipping, which
she gave me in a shallow open container, so I had to awkwardly carry it around
with all my bags until I found a bench. Sure, it wasn’t a healthy accompaniment
to my lunch, but its taste makes all that oil well worth it. The shrimp baguette was great balance of
crunchy fried texture, soft interior and savoury turmeric shrimp flavour with a
hint of sweet spiciness from the dip. After much research on Vietnamese blogs and
forums, I have determined that this rare, hard-to-find treat is called “Banh Mi Tom (Chien)”, or in English, Deep-fried Shrimp Baguette/Bread.
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