Bot chien are fried Vietnamese rice flour cakes. Read about it here: http://migrationology.com/2015/03/bot-chien-vietnam/
When I was wandering around eating all sorts of delicious food in Saigon, one of the dishes I came across was bot chien, the Vietnamese version of a Chinese chai tow kway or a Singapore / Malaysian carrot cake. The dish is made with rice flour cakes, which include a little tapioca starch as well, which are cut into rectangles. The rice flour cakes are then fried in oil, typically lard I think, before an egg is cracked over the top of it, and then it’s seasoned with a handful of deep fried pork rinds, and some green onions, and finally a sprinkle of pepper for extra flavor.
After seeing this street food stall in Saigon, I had no choice but to sit down to give it a try. I loved everything about this particular foods stall - it was located down an alley, it was surrounded by motorbikes, it was friendly, and the owner had that wonderful motherly cook look to her. I ordered a plate, and as she got started cooking my bot chien, I got to meet a little boy and his grandmother as they hung out. One of the greatest things about eating in Saigon is all the extremely friendly and kind people that you meet.
It didn’t take long for her to assemble my plate of bot chien, and after frying up the rice cakes with the eggs, she then topped it with a handful of shredded green papaya, and then squirted on a little chili sauce. The bot chien was served with a dark sauce, which seemed to be a pretty nice balance of sweet, salty, and just slightly sour. I saw some other eaters pour the entire bowl of sauce over their plate of bot chien, but just decided to use it by the spoonful with each bite.
The bot chien was of course a bit on the greasy side, but it was extremely tasty at the same time. What I really liked was the shredded green papaya, which added a wonderful crispness and freshness to the plate. The rice flour cakes were hearty and thick, and a bit starchy. It was indeed another wonderful snack on the streets of Saigon.
Address: Hem 174 Nguyễn Thiện Thuật, just off Ban Co street, very near to Chợ Bàn Cờ Market, but you’ll find this street food snack all over Saigon
Open hours: I think throughout the day, though I’m not sure of the exact hours
Prices: 25,000 VND ($1.15)
Music in this video courtesy of Audio Network
This video was made by Mark Wiens and Ying Wiens in Thailand: http://migrationology.com/blog & http://www.eatingthaifood.com/
► Get our free food video updates: http://migrationology.com/food-news
More delicious Vietnamese food here: http://migrationology.com/2015/02/vietnamese-food-guide-saigon/