HANOI – THE family roast butcher sells for only 3 hours a day on The Giao Street, attracting both nearby and far-flung diners.
From 16:30 – 19:30 everyday, the street corner next to The Giao communal house (Hoan Kiem district) was crowded with people lined up in a long line. These are diners waiting to buy hot crispy roast meat at a 30-year-old stall.
The stalls sell roasted meat dishes such as bacon, sausages, roasted gooseberries and organs such as liver, tongue. The owner of the shop is Mr. Kha (57 years old) and his wife, Thuy. Kha boasted, how old is our uncle, the meat stalls have been there for years. He always remembers when he started his career in The Giao Market, his son was still a little girl crying loudly at the market.
All furniture fit neatly in two tables, on top is a tray containing roast meat, sauce box, a palanquin, a scale and a thick wooden board. Under the table are some plastic containers of meat.
The meat is marinated by the family according to an heirloom recipe. Thuy uses her husband’s family formula, further improving according to personal experience. “The house is self-marinated, soup with fire, roasted meat, but does not hire a worker. Previously roast meat according to parents’ recipe only salt, seasoning, now I add cinnamon, anise, seasoning … to make the meat delicious and more fragrant, “said Thuy. According to her, today’s diners are more gourmet, so if the meat is not good, even if the advertisement is good, many customers will not come back.
Regularly every day, from 6am Mr. Kha started to roast the meat at home, until about 4:00 pm he brought it to The Giao market for sale. “There are days when it is 40 degrees Celsius and still have to go into the oven, the skin is all rotten,” he said, spreading his callous hands because of roasting the meat.
“Standard roast meat is not too crispy. When roasting, watch the fire so that the meat is cooked well, cut it into moisture and keep the sweetness. In the house, I only hold the secret to roasting the meat. “, Mr. Kha proudly shared.
The shop only sells for a small amount and in a short time, so her family and two relatives have to divide the task of chopper, cashier, packer, car keeper … Roast pork is sold at a price VND 33,000 / kg, VND 230,000 / animal, tongue, liver from 40,000 VND / tael. Guests who like to eat lean, cartilage, or fat can be specifically requested, and the owner will indulge in their will. Accompanied by meat is salt palanquin and sweet and sour sauce.
Ms. Hai, a longtime customer, said: “I usually have to wait about 20 minutes, queue for a long time, but if I want to eat delicious, I have to accept. The roast meat here has no chemicals or colors, when eating is fragrant, Fresh meat, crispy skin, unique characteristics compared to other products “. Some diners far away such as the districts of Nam Tu Liem, Hoang Mai, Dong Da … still often visit this address to buy meat.
Ngan Duong/vnexpress