Strange taste of beef broken rice

Broken rice is a popular dish in Ho Chi Minh City. People can easily find a cheap broken rice shop or in restaurants. One of the reasons why broken rice attracts diners is the fragrant, delicious grilled ribs.

However, recently I have known a broken rice restaurant that does not have pork ribs but still makes diners fascinated by the chicken and beef served with it. That is a Muslim broken rice restaurant sold on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street (District 1).

At 6 p.m., in front of the Rahim Mosque, many people were coming in and out to attend the mass. The broken rice restaurant there was also crowded. I took the opportunity to chat with everyone at the restaurant. Ms. Dang Thi Tuyet Mai (53 years old) was the one who directly sold and shared interesting things about this broken rice restaurant.

Ms. Mai said she is a Muslim. Her grandmother is Malaysian and her mother is Vietnamese, so she follows her father's religion. The broken rice restaurant, which opened 5 months ago, is cooked and prepared according to Muslim tastes.

"My broken rice restaurant only sells beef and chicken, no pork. In Ho Chi Minh City, there are many broken rice restaurants but few sell this way, so my family opened it. At first, I only thought of selling it to Muslims, but unexpectedly, many customers came to enjoy the grilled beef broken rice dish," Ms. Mai shared.

According to Ms. Mai, at first, customers came to the restaurant and ordered broken rice with pork ribs. When the owner and staff explained, instead of leaving, they stayed to try it. Many people found the dish strange and delicious, so they came back regularly. The restaurant is open from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m.

The broken rice dish that Mrs. Mai sells includes grilled beef, char siu chicken, braised chicken, and fried chicken. The Muslim beef sausage that she bought in Chau Doc (An Giang) and brought to sell with it, many people found it strange.

"At first, there were few customers because not many people knew about it. Gradually, many people visited the restaurant and found it delicious, so they gradually recommended it. Some people filmed and posted it online, so now there are a lot of customers. Now, many non-Muslims eat here, and customers from Phan Rang (Ninh Thuan) who come for business also come to try it," Ms. Mai shared.

Ms. Mai said that the broken rice is mixed with Nang Huong broken rice and Tai Nguyen broken rice to make it not too sticky or too dry. The beef is marinated the night before and put in the refrigerator to absorb the flavor. The char siu chicken is marinated for over 8 hours and then grilled directly when customers arrive at the restaurant.

"I have never eaten pork since I was little, so I don't know if it's delicious or not. I sell it every day, and I'm happy to have many customers coming to support me," she confided.

Searching for a broken rice restaurant

Mr. Mai Tran Binh Nguyen (29 years old, employee of the restaurant) said that he is not Muslim but still comes to help at the restaurant. The soft and sticky broken rice, flavorful beef, perfectly cooked fried eggs, etc. are comments of many diners when visiting the restaurant to enjoy.

Each portion of broken rice costs from 35,000 to 40,000 VND. Beef sausage alone is sold for 20,000 VND/stick. Mr. Binh said that few people are not used to eating sausage, but many people praise it as delicious, eating 2-3 sticks at a time.

"Beef is the dish that many diners order. In addition, egg rolls, fried eggs, and char siu chicken are eaten instead of pork ribs. Many people think that pork skin is made from pork skin, but it is actually made from vermicelli, shredded chicken, and sprinkled with rice powder. Eating pork skin feels lighter, and you can eat a lot without fear of gaining weight," Mr. Nguyen added.

Do Ngoc Tuyet Nhi (20 years old, living in District 8) learned about the Muslim broken rice restaurant on social media so she decided to try it. "The broken rice doesn't have pork ribs but has beef and chicken to eat with it. I found the taste to be to my liking, I like the rice grains here, they are small and soft. Even though my house is quite far away, I will definitely come back here many more times," Tuyet Nhi commented.