Com Hen is a very unique cuisine from Hue including rice, boiled mussel, star fruit, fish sauce, cabbage, onion, pepper, peanut, chili, and a variety of herbs. The specialty is all of these elements are cold.

Com Hen

 

Com Hen is a very unique cuisine from Hue including rice, boiled mussel, star fruit, fish sauce, cabbage, onion, pepper, peanut, chili, and a variety of herbs. The specialty is all of these elements are cold. 

 

To cook Com Hen, you add all the ingredients into a bowl and slowly add boiled mussel broth with chili sauce. Com Hen has an extremely spicy flavor which makes you remember it after just one bite.

 

Mam Tom Chua (Sour Shrimp Sauce)

 

The center of Vietnam is known for its Mam Tom Chua and Hue is the best place to try this unique dish. Unlike normal shrimp sauce, Sour shrimp sauce is orange in color with the shrimps maintaining their original shape.

 

To make this sauce the shrimps are cleaned in salt water and “cooked” in a strong rice wine. The shrimps will turn red from the wine. Carefully mix the shrimp with sticky rice, sliced galangal, garlic and chili before combining the mixture into a jar covered by guava leaves. In just 5-7 days and the mouthwatering sour shrimp sauce will be ready.

 

Bun Bo Hue (Beef and Pig’s Knuckle Vermicelli)

 

Bun bo Hue (beef and pig's knuckle vermicelli) is a popular Vietnamese vermicelli dish and one of the most typical foods of Hue. The soup is prepared by simmering beef and pork bones for a few hours before adding lemon grass, chili, and Shrimp paste.

Hue people usually add thin slices of beef shank, chunks of boiled oxtail and pig's knuckles or pork into the bowl. The specialty is commonly served with plenty of herbs like sprouts, lime wedges, cilantro sprigs, onions and sliced banana blossom. 

 

Banh Beo (Water Fern Cake)

 

Banh beo is a kind of small steamed rice pancake. The name comes from the cake being shaped like a water fern (Beo in Vietnamese).

 

It is white in color, nearly transparent and usually has a dimple in the center which is usually covered in chopped shrimp, scallions, mung bean paste, crispy fried shallots, fish sauce, rice vinegar and oil.

 

Banh Khoai and Banh Xeo

 

Banh khoai (delicious pancake) is very similar to Banh xeo (sizzling pancake). The pancakes are made from rice flour, water and turmeric powder. While the toppings are usually slivers of fatty pork, shrimp and bean sprouts before being pan fried.

Banh khoai and Banh xeo are sometimes wrapped in mustard leaf, lettuce leaves or rice paper and stuffed with a variety of herb such as mint leaves, basil before being served with a sweet and sour mixed sauce.

 

In Hue, Banh khoai is placed open-face instead of being folded in half like Banh xeo. Due to its greasiness and spicy taste most Hue citizens only make them in winter.