This dessert, originally a Chinese specialty, has suddenly become famous, attracting diners from near and far because of its unique flavor and its 'smelly', unpleasant name.
Bad name
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Ms. Nhat Binh's sweet soup shop in front of Quan Am Buddha Temple (Phu Trung Ward, Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City) was unusually crowded. Customers came here to enjoy the famous sweet soup, which has the strange name "chicken dung" sweet soup.
Ms. Nhat Binh said that "chicken dung" sweet soup is a traditional dish, a specialty of the Chinese. This dish was introduced to Vietnam by immigrants.
Binh’s family has been selling this dessert for over 20 years. Recently, after being shared on social media, the dessert has suddenly become famous, attracting a large number of diners to enjoy.
According to Ms. Binh, in Chinese, this dessert is called "cải xìa thang" which means chicken droppings. Therefore, many people still call this dessert "chicken droppings" dessert.
"Cây xìa thang" is made from two main ingredients: hairy dream leaves and rice flour. When processed, the dream leaves are washed and then ground with rice.
Then, this mixture is mixed with tapioca starch, made into cakes and steamed. When the cakes are cooked and cooled, they are cut into small, bite-sized pieces.
The finished dough has a beautiful dark blue color. To prevent them from sticking together, the seller sprinkles and mixes a layer of dry flour on the outside.
The dessert has a distinctive color and delicious flavor. Because the perilla leaves are processed and mixed in a certain ratio, when finished, the dough is soft, flexible, chewy, and has a smooth, glossy dark green color.
In particular, the noodles are not strong smelling but have a mild aroma. Meanwhile, the broth has a cool sweet taste, with a hint of fresh ginger aroma.
Ms. Binh said that "cây xìa thang" sweet soup is best eaten hot. When a customer orders, she takes fresh rice noodles and puts them in a pot of boiling water to cook, then scoops them out, puts them in a small bowl, and then pours hot ginger sugar water over them.
Sale for 2 days only
Ms. Binh only sells "chicken manure" dessert on the 1st and 15th of every month. On these days, her dessert shop is especially crowded.
Each portion of chè is sold by her for 16,000 - 32,000 VND. Each time she opens for sale, she can sell more than 500 portions of chè, equivalent to more than 10kg of powder. In addition to "chicken manure" chè, Ms. Binh also sells corn chè and corn porridge.
Because it is only set up temporarily on the sidewalk, her sweet soup shop does not have enough space for many customers to sit and eat at the same time. Therefore, many customers ask her to pack their food to take home.
Most of the customers who come to eat chè are Chinese. They are regulars of the shop. On the day she opened, many people not only came to buy chè but also bought noodles to make at home according to their preferences.
After visiting the Quan Am Pagoda, Ms. Luu Xuan Phuong (56 years old, Tan Phu district) and her friends stopped by Ms. Nhat Binh's sweet soup shop to enjoy the "cay xia thang" dish. Because there was no more room, she decided to buy half a kilo of rice noodles to cook at home.
Ms. Phuong said that although it is a traditional Chinese dish, in the past, this dish was quite rare and almost never sold. Every year on March 3, people cook it at home to eat.
Because it is made from perilla leaves, not everyone knows how to make the finished noodles less smelly and no longer bitter. When she learned that Ms. Nhat Binh sold this dish, she and her acquaintances came to buy it to enjoy.
“The tea has an ugly name but is delicious and good for your health. Because it is made from perilla leaves, the tea has the effect of regulating blood circulation, detoxifying, and reducing stomach pain…
In addition, "cải xìa thang" is eaten with sugar water cooked with fresh ginger, so it is good for the intestines. Especially, if eaten on a cold day, the sweet soup has the effect of keeping the body warm," Ms. Phuong shared.
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Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/mon-che-duoc-ban-2-ngay-trong-thang-noi-tieng-vi-co-ten-goi-boc-mui-o-tphcm-2337867.html
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