Street Meat Sticks

Her wares are covered in banana leaves in two bamboo baskets on either side of her. She squats, covered also, in Vietnam’s number one head protector, the conical hat. From my perspective standing above her, it’s a practical geometry lesson of three perfect circles. But my nose tells me otherwise.

There is more to this vendor than meets the eye. As I crouch to ground level, I note a forth much more interesting circle, hidden in the shadow cast by the vendor’s hat. She smiles at my interest while no doubt doing multiplications in her head about just how much she can get away with charging a curious holiday-maker. I can almost see the dollar signs flipping under her eyelids.

The forth circle is a blackened pan of coals, flaky and white, only seconds away from glowing red. It’s an impromptu barbeque and I’m going to start the ball rolling by putting in my order.

The banana leaves are lifted to reveal an obsessively arranged stack of skewers, dead straight and parallel, at the end of which is pork marinated in chili and lemongrass. Resembling little masts with meat flags, they are transferred to the brazier for a touch of charring. This is achieved in the most primitive of ways, with a simple yet repetitive waving of a hand fan by the vendor.

Delicately fringed in black, my thịt nướng (grilled meat) sticks are ready in minutes. As the vendor sells not to travelers but predominately to local shopkeepers, she does not carry furniture so there is a bit of a circus act involved in procuring a make-do mismatch of stools for us to sit at. Twice during eating there is occasion for us to stand up momentarily and sit down again…on different stools. This is more problematic than you might think as we’re not just handling pork on sticks here.

 

This snack comes accompanied. With a green plate of lettuce, herbs and fines slivers of cucumber. With soft sheets of rice flour pancake (banh cuon). With tương, a sauce of fermented bean paste, to which chili is added. And, with rice paper. For beginners, there may be a certain rigmarole involved in rolling the ingredients in the rice paper and dipping the roll into the sauce without losing the lot. After nearly nine years of practice in Vietnam, I do have the knack. Common practice has it that the sheet of rice paper is held in the left hand, ingredients are picked up with chopsticks and arranged in the lower third before chopsticks are set aside and the right hand encloses everything by rolling the sheet up the left hand.

But you know what…manage it anyway you can. If you can't quite manufacture that perfect cylinder of snack, just mix all of the ingredients up...in your mouth.

This Hội An thịt nướng vendor is mobile in the old town's streets. We came across her at lunch time in Nguyễn Thái Học St, parallel with the river.

Comments

[Building a house]

Then, at first glance it was really delicious until the last. But I got a little doubful when I found out that mostly are meat instead of wanted a vegetables. I really love vegetables. I have had grilled meat at home before and it was so yummy. And now I have to taste more vegetables.

[Lauren aka Ms Baklover]

That rice paper looks fantastic, totally different to the dried stuff available here in Australia. Love the tong/skewers too - makes more sense than actual pointy skeweres.

[Sticky]

BaH - Vietnam has plenty of veggies for your eating pleasure

Lauren - rice paper varies across the country though the one top of picture is def the dry one avail in Australia...the white stuff bottom of pic is actually the rice paper pancake, a silky soft number that gets rolled inside the paper w/ the other ingreds

[Tina]

Looks like a delicious snack. I always love street foods and it is so nice to eat on the street sometimes. I am also impressed with the rice paper. I wonder how to make that? Anyway, Amazing post I enjoy every detail of it.

[Josh Tuck]

Fascinating. This looks so good. Why doesn't America have more street food, or at the very lest more authentic items like this on menus?

[House plans]

This is the food is where it's at, along with daily routines of the locals, This is the best! Very delicious. Really makes me want to run out the door & add some more. I guess I'll just live vicariously until my company will accommodate all the foods and others can eat as well.

[Tim]

I have been looking forward to making this street-meat-sticks all week and just had it for dinner. Sweet
Lord. It is perfect.

[eating houses]

These things look gorgeous and I am sure are delicious. I'm bookmarking these to try this weekend.

[Mike Tracy]

How delicious does this look? Excellent job. Love the blog.