Grilled bananas wrapped in sticky rice are very familiar to southern Vietnamese people. But perhaps only the woman nicknamed Út Lúa would take them to the world. Ms. Út Lúa sells grilled bananas in Saigon.
Ms. Út Lúa
Grilled bananas Made in Út Lúa
A gleaming car pulled up abruptly outside the grilled banana shop on Phan Đăng Lưu Street, Phú Nhuận District, Ho Chi Minh City. A smartly dressed man bought several boxes of grilled sticky-rice-wrapped bananas, then hurried back into his car and drove away. This is a familiar afternoon scene outside Út Lúa's Southern-style grilled banana shop.
Grilled sticky-rice-wrapped bananas are nothing unusual. But a banana just ripe enough, moderately sweet, no longer astringent and not yet soft, wrapped in steaming, wonderfully chewy sticky rice and drenched in rich, fragrant first-press coconut milk… is not something found everywhere.
Ms. Út Lúa's grilled banana dish is also special because it includes grated cassava steamed with salt and sugar. The cassava is well seasoned and pleasantly chewy, unlike boiled cassava that is purely starchy.
This is a favorite of those who love sweet, rich foods. In true southern Vietnamese style, the plate must be overflowing with coconut milk. A little roasted peanut is sprinkled on top before eating. The sweet, gently rich harmony of banana, sticky rice, coconut, peanuts and cassava… has been likened to a sentimental bolero on a creative and fascinating culinary journey.
A country basket holding billions
Ms. Út Lúa's real name is Ngô Thị Bích Thủy. She is a middle-aged woman who always appears at her eatery in an áo bà ba, a conical hat with a strap matching her outfit, wooden clogs, and a woven bàng-sedge bag, traditionally called a tụng bàng in the countryside. The bag holds her money and contributes to the distinctive Ms. Út Lúa Saigon style that attracts attention at street-food festivals worldwide.
More than 20 years ago, her love life was troubled. Her greatest assets when leaving her husband’s home were her son and her skill in grilling bananas. To pay for her son’s upbringing and education, she pushed a grilled banana cart and earned a living on the sidewalk of Phan Đăng Lưu Street. Unexpectedly, that cart proved remarkably appealing. Customers grew more numerous by the day.
From a small cart tucked beside the road, Thủy and her son have now bought several houses in Saigon, run three main grilled-banana shops, and expanded into the Central Highlands. By the end of this year, their famous grilled sticky-rice bananas will also be available in the Philippines and Singapore.
On all three occasions she participated in the World Street Food Festival (in Singapore in 2013, China in 2014, and the Philippines in 2016), Ms. Thủy's grilled sticky-rice banana stall was always crowded. From heads of state and famous actors to ordinary customers, everyone enjoyed the fragrant, sweet, chewy, and rich flavor of this distinctive snack.
Ms. Út Lúa's secrets
“My secret to success is waking at 3 in the morning to choose the best bananas, personally seasoning every spoonful of salt and sugar, and paying attention to every drop of coconut milk. I do not become arrogant just because I have a brand and have appeared in the international press”, the female shop owner shared.
Another factor in her success is her style. Since adopting the nickname Út Lúa, she has made the áo bà ba, checkered scarf, conical hat, and wooden clogs her constant companions. The shop's employees dress the same way. Perhaps this charm is why her grilled banana stall always makes an impression when she brings Vietnamese specialties to the world.
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