Dish Fired Rice Cake with Eggs
(click to enlarge)

Fried Rice Cake with Eggs


Vietnam   -   Bôt Chiên
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2 main
***
1 hr
Yes		 One of the most popular "street food" dishes in Vietnam, a nation of street food. Elsewhere, it needs to be made at home. It is suitable for snacks, appetizers, breakfast, or as an OL vegetarian main dish.




14
4
2
1
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ar
ar
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ar
ar
oz
lrg

T
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Rice Cake (1)
Egg (2)
Scallions
Oil
-- Garnish
Scallion Greens
Carrot Pickle (3)
-- Serve with
Chili Garlic (4)  
Dip (5)
Do Ahead   -   (see recipes)
  1. IF not using commercial, make RICE CAKE a day ahead - (see Note-1). Commercial works better if refrigerated overnight.
  2. Prepare CARROT PICKLE (at least 1 hour ahead).
Prep   -   (8 min)
  1. Cut RICE CAKE into size desired. 1 x 1-1/2 inch by 1/2 inch thick is good. Some use triangles.
  2. Beat EGGS lightly.
  3. Slice SCALLIONS thin, keeping white and green parts separate.
Run   -   (45 min)
  1. Heat about 1/16th inch (1.5 mm) of a high temperature Oil to around 385°F/195°C. Keeping the temperature high, fry all Rice Cake pieces until very light golden on one side, then turn and fry the other side the same (see Note-6). Add oil as needed to maintain the depth. Remove rice cake and drain on paper towels.
  2. In a 10 inch chef's pan or equiv. heat just enough Oil to coat the pan. Scatter in the Scallion Whites and stir until aromatic. then stir in the Rice Cakes until well heated. Pour the Eggs over all the rice cakes and cook until set. At this point I place a large lid over the skillet to help the eggs set on top.
  3. Remove the omelet from the pan. You can plate the whole thing as in the photo example, or set it on the cutting board and cut into half or quarters for serving.
  4. Garnish with a scatter of Scallion Greens, then with the Carrot Pickle.
  5. Serve hot with the Condiments listed (not optional).
NOTES:

  1. Rice Cake:

      You will need a block of Fresh Rice Cake (Bánh Bôt Chiên). You can purchase it commercially, or you can make it yourself pretty easily. For details see our Rice Noodles page and our recipe Rice Cake. I have found that commercial rice cake fries more quickly after a night in the fridge.

  2. Eggs:

      The number of eggs varies a great deal. Some use 2 eggs, some 4 or more eggs. The photo example was made with 3 jumbo eggs, which I consider the minimum, so I specify 4 large eggs. Choose your preference.

  3. Carrot Diakon Pickle:

      This pickle is very popular in Vietnam for garnishes, and for Banh Mi sandwiches. It is easy to make by our Daikon & Carrot Pickle recipe.

  4. Chili Garlic Sauce:

      The ubiquitous Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce will be fine. For details see our Huy Fong Chili Sauces page.

  5. Dip:

      Bôt Chiên dip recipes vary, and many are too sweet for Western tastes. Here's a Dip for Bôt Chiên that's typical (except reduced sugar) and takes only 5 minutes to make.

  6. Frying:

      Frying is the main problem here. When I say "light golden", I mean real light - rice doesn't brown easily. Vendors who want it darker usually tumble with a few drops of dark soy sauce, which includes enough sugar to brown well. You don't want to fry too long, just crispy on the outside and soft inside. You could fry this recipe in a 12 inch skillet in one pass, but the finished dish better fits a 10 inch pan. Frying in the 10 inch pan would take two batches. In Vietnam, street vendors use a very wide flat pan with about 1/16 inch of oil, with oil added during the frying to maintain that depth. The finished dish may be made in the same pan, isolating just the right amount of rice cake and pushing the rest aside. Deep frying would seem faster and easier, but the results are very different.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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