Binh Duong is home to bánh bèo bì (steamed rice cake topped with pork skin), best served at My Lien's restaurant, which is over 100 years old. 

The dish attracts dinners with its tasty flavours from steamed rice, green beans, pork skin, powdered grilled rice, fresh herbs and cucumber threads. However, the dish is more enjoyable with a sweet and sour sauce of dried radish, grated carrots and minced fresh chilli, said a businesswoman named Ho Hong Dao from HCM City.

The dish came into being more than 100 years ago and is attributed to Do Thi Kieng. 

Kieng's grandchild, Thai Thi Tuyet, said the shop is in her house, near the famous Bung Market. When Kieng passed away, her daughter and younger siblings took over.

In the past, the shop, which is now located in Binh Duong Province’s An Thanh Town of Thuan An District, was a favourite destination of famous reformed artists such as Ut Bach Lan, Bach Tuyet and rich men from HCM City and surrounding provinces, said Tuyet.

She said she has to choose soft rice variety to make the cake so that eaters can feel it melt in the mouth. She also chosen back pork skin to boil it and cut it into threads. The lean pork is boiled, also cut into threads then mixed them with minced garlic, powdered grilled rice, quality fish sauce, salt and pepper.

The rice should be soaked in warm water for four hours before grounding. After ground, the wet rice dough should be settled over a night, then pour water on top out before adding a quantity of boiled water and stirring the dough well.

The next step is to peel the water-soaked green beans and steam and grind them into a dough. 

"I often choose unpeeled green beans because they are much more fragrant and soft," Tuyet said.

In the past, Kieng's shop had no proper name until her daughter took over to manage the shop. She named her shop My Lien after her younger sister Nguyen Thi Lien and her daughter Nguyen Thi My.

The shop has had its name My Lien since then, Tuyet said. 

For the dipping sauce, Tuyet orders fish sauce from Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang Province, to make the dipping sauce. Then, she adds sugar, vinegar, minced garlic, chilli, and lemon juice.

Ho Hong Dao from HCM City said that she often brings her family to enjoy bánh bèo bì at My Lien shop every weekend.

"When my mother was alive, she often brought us to Binh Duong to enjoy this dish. Now it is one of the favourite breakfasts in my family. My Lien shop is also a familiar place for me and my friends to meet together, " Dao said.

The dish has been recognised among the top 50 Vietnam specialities since 2013. It has attracted a lot of dinners, including foreign travellers and tourists to Binh Duong, said an official from the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. 

Source: Vietnam News