I probably never forget my feelings when I was left alone in the tunnel. Totally dark. No enough air to breath or because of fear I couldn't breath. No idea where was the way out. I kept running running and running....until I saw the light at the end of the tunnel! How much relief I felt at that time...I didn't have time to think if I stuck there in the tunnel...what will happen! That was in 1993!
Street vendor of different snacks: simple cooked cassava, small grilled cassava cakes...
A variety of street snacks made from cassava
Street snack made from steamed cassava, mixed with coconut shreds, sugar, salt & sesame
Despite that unexpected horrified incident I keep coming back to Củ Chi with different friends, partners...I always share with them that story. Some laughed! Some horrified! But I still have another thing to remember at Củ Chi - cooked cassava (khoai mỳ luộc)!
Yes, cooked cassava served with salt & sesame! I'm sure - there is no people living in Sài Gòn, never tried this simple snack. By some how this could be one of favorite and cheapest snacks for quick breakfast, lazy lunch or light meal before a heavy dinner!
Why they serve cooked cassava to tourists for free at Củ Chi tunnel?
Simply because that was the most consumed food instead of rice during the war, and Củ Chi's cassava is famous for its quality!
Cooked cassava (khoai mỳ luộc) is very popular even now, esp. in the morning, easy to see many street vendors, selling this simple snack, together with different cooked sweet potatoes. Như Lan and Bánh mỳ Hà Nội - two famous local bakery shops always have the cassava cooked with coconut sauce in their sale. At Như Lan they sell by weight - 100 gr, 200 gr... while other street vendors sell by pieces! Two big pieces of cooked cassava cost around 10,000 - 15,000 VND!
There is many good things made from cassava. One of my favorite in my childhood was a cooked cassava which has been ground by a grinder then mixed with coconut shreds, salt, sesame and sugar! While eating I love to shape it to small balls! I didn't see it for many many years!
Instead of that, these days I see many vendors with small grilled cassava cakes but to me, the most famous from this special roots is baked cassava cake! Hope I will share that with you soon - a homemade cassava cake!
Where is it???
ReplyDeleteHi there, this is a street food, the vendors never stay at one place, they move around, so if you spend some time to discover, you surely will find it ...Good luck and enjoy! Thanks for reading my blog!
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