Sprinkle scallions, drizzle vinegar, and pair with raw papaya shreds—Vietnamese scrambled radish cake offers endless imagination.

▲A Vietnamese-style fried radish cake, also based on radish cake, is a common snack in Ho Chi Minh City.

Text & Photo / Jiu Wu Efu

Jiu Wu Efu has always been enchanted by the cuisine of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Beyond many dishes she had never tried in Taiwan, there were also many that “looked the same as in Taiwan but tasted completely different.” One such dish is the rich, oilyfried radish cake (Bánh Chiên Thành).

The popular Taiwanese breakfast item “radish cake with egg” is, as the name suggests, radish cake topped with an egg and cooked together until both are done. Influenced by Chinese culture, Vietnam also has its own version of radish cake, originating from Guangdong. However, in Vietnam, the fried radish cake is made by first frying the egg mixture over high heat until half-cooked, then cutting pre-fried radish cake into small pieces and adding them to the egg as an ingredient. Once the exterior turns crispy and golden, a generous sprinkle of scallions is added before serving hot.

The dipping sauce for Vietnamese-style fried radish cake is made with red vinegar, soy sauce, and chili, offering a complex mix of flavors. Another major difference from Taiwan is that it comes with a side of fresh raw papaya shreds.

▲The cooking method of fried radish cake is somewhat similar to Taiwanese oyster omelet.

Because the rice used in Vietnamese fried radish cake differs from the Taiwanese varieties like Penglai or Taiwan rice, it lacks the chewy, dense texture of the Taiwanese version and is softer instead. But the abundance of scrambled egg makes up for this. The salty, tangy, and spicy seasoning sauce also greatly enhances the flavor.

The supporting role of raw papaya shreds may seem a bit out of place at first glance, but they serve to cut through the richness and add a crisp texture, enhancing the layers of mouthfeel and freshness. It looks like Taiwan’s radish cake with egg, yet the texture, sauce, and ingredients are entirely different, creating a strangely familiar yet unique experience.

Locals say that fried radish cake is a very familiar street food in Ho Chi Minh City. In addition to using radish cake, some shops also make it with taro cake. Each serving costs about 25,000 Vietnamese dong (approximately 39 New Taiwan dollars). A simple plate of fried radish cake, paired with raw papaya shreds and drizzled with red vinegar-spicy soy sauce, is both satisfying and easy to finish. But in Taiwan, raw papaya is considered one of women’s beauty superfoods, making one wonder if Taiwan might one day see this curious combination of “radish cake with egg and raw papaya shreds”?