My Lien restaurant has many excellent dishes on the menu, such as “Bánh bèo bì”, rice pancake served with pork skin and vegetable; “bì cuốn”- a kind of raw spring roll with pork skin, meat and vegetables; “bún thịt nướng”, fresh rice noodle with grilled pork and the most popular of all “Bánh bèo bì” which is strongly connected with Bung market in Binh Duong province
Mrs
Cu Kieng’s yoke gets heavy on her shoulder every morning when she carries the Bánh bèo around Thuan An town in Binh
Duongl. Her Bánh bèo tastes very good
smell beautiful, causing business to be brisk. There are regularly many people
waiting for her to come by. People talk about her dish greatly, causing her to
run out within just a few small streets. Many people told her to open a shop at
her home so she could sell all day long.
Mrs
Kieng has been selling “Bánh bèo”
since long before she got married. After her marriage she transferred the
business to her daughter Ms Nguyen Thi Sau, mother of Mrs Nguyen Thi Ba and
Nguyen Thi A, the owner of the two My Lien “Bánh
bèo” shops that are famous in Bung market.
Mrs
Nguyen Thi Ba and her sister Mrs Nguyen Thi A are now over 70 years old but are
still able to plate rice pancake quickly and always with a smile. Mrs Ba told
us that the reason behind the name My Lien. Her husband chose the name because
it not only honors the beautiful lotus but also describes a close family
relationship. Lien is the name of her 6th sister and “My” the name
of her elder sister’s daughter.
“Bánh bèo Mỹ Liên” is popular that appears in a song “I come to Bung Market and I remember you/ Remember to bring durian and mangosteen with you. If you have “ô kê”, “bánh bèo” and “bì cuốn” then you’re my number one.
“Bánh
bèo” sounds like a simple dish but making it requires a lot of difficult
skills and different techniques. You have to select the best quality of rice,
clean it thoroughly and grind it on a millstone. Next leave the powder in water
for 6 hours adding a little bit salt. Drain and discard the powder. Boil water
and add the drained powder. Over heat, pour water onto the powder whilst
stirring to prevent the mixture clotting. There needs to be a good balance of
water and powder to get the right cake mix, neither too dry nor too watery.
Pour it to a mold and steam it.
“Bánh bèo” Mỹ Liên has a pure white color and a good aroma of rice. It should be soft and smooth in your mouth.
The cakes are covered in a mixture of mashed peeled green beans and has a beautiful yellow color with very pleasant aroma
This
is just part of the process. To have a really good “Bánh bèo” there are still other complicated steps. “Bánh bèo bì” has to have the B. This is made
from a mixture of pork skin and pork meat. The skin is fried with coconut juice
and mixed with “thính” which is ground fried rice. Pork and pig skin have to be
cut into a very small, thin slices which requires a very sharp knife.
The
vegetables that are normally served with “Bánh
bèo” include juliette cucumber, herbs chopped randomly and a mixture of
sour carrot and turnip. The sauce is made of good concentrated fish sauce mixed
with warm water, sugar and sour chinese onion, sour carrot, chili sauce and MSG
(the quantity depends on the chef). Put a little bit fried purple onion on the
top of the cake alongside fried peanut and a little fresh chili and you will
have the perfect Bánh bèo.
“Bánh
bèo” is not only found in Bung market but many people believe that to get a
dish of really great My Lien “Bánh bèo”
then those bought from the market will show you what a truly authentic dish of
“Bánh bèo” is. It is of paramount
importance that a dish with a hundred year history is treated with respect. It
was born when the Bung market was a crowded bustling affair, however now it has
become small even the dish is still well-known here. For 4th
generations Mr Nguyen Thanh Danh and her family have guarded the secrets behind
the cooking process of this dish that have remained the same as how they
started.
Southern people selling
food normally take into account the trust and goodwill of diners as well as the
passion of the chef when they cook the food. They don’t need certificates in
golden frames to show off to the world. Simple good compliments offered from
one person to others have become their sustainable brand for over a hundred
years.
Perhaps
being one of the biggest markets in the South means that it has remained in the
memory for many people living in Binh Duong Province. Though time diminishes
the memory, every time you pass by the Bung market and see My Lien “Bánh bèo” shop those memories are
brought to the fore again. Seeing Mrs Nguyen Thi Ba and Mrs Nguyen Thi A still
in good health, plating “Bánh bèo”
quickly with a friendly smile is a sight to behold. The My Lien shop is one of
reasons that made visitors remember, love and return to visit Bung Market …
Acording to V.H
Dan Tri Newspaper
*. Extracted from articles written especially for Golden
Spoon 2014 called “A journey of searching traditional rustic dishes”