Brian Jeffrey
Discovering Hue’s Culinary Delights
Choi Jongrak, a Korean content creator, has been living in Ho Chi Minh City for more than five years. Together with his brother, Sungrak, and their friend, Dongrin, they run a popular YouTube channel with over a million subscribers, showcasing aspects of Korean and Vietnamese culture and food.
On their recent trip to Hue, the trio visited iconic attractions such as the Imperial City and Dong Ba Market, while also indulging in local dishes. They savored treats like che (a type of sweet soup), bun bo (beef noodle soup), and an assortment of banh (cakes) including banh beo (water fern cake) and banh bot loc (rice dumpling cake).
Jongrak expressed that Hue’s food scene is rich and captivating, especially highlighting “com hen,” a celebrated dish from the ancient city.
Locals believe that food should not only taste amazing but also be visually appealing. Com hen is noted for its attractive presentation, which is a feature of many local recipes.
A standard serving of com hen contains rice, clams, fresh herbs, banana blossoms, bean sprouts, roasted peanuts, crispy fried onions, and pork fat, all drizzled with a blend of mam ruoc (fermented shrimp paste), a sweet and sour fish sauce, and spicy chili vinegar.
The locals say that while clams have a cooling property, the addition of chili provides a warming effect, balancing the flavors. Enhancing this combination, diners mix all the components before adding clam broth before enjoyment.
The trio sampled this delicacy at a popular restaurant on Han Mac Tu Street in Vy Da Ward, Hue City.
They ordered three plates of com hen along with a separate dish of stir-fried clams, which are favorites among the restaurant’s patrons.
Upon serving, Jongrak, Sungrak, and Dongrin were taken aback by the dish’s beautiful presentation.
Sungrak appreciated the reasonable cost of the dish, which was only VND10,000 per serving. Dongrin highlighted its nutritional value, stating that clams are a healthy food choice.
“It’s delightful,” Sungrak remarked, commending the complimentary clam broth for its gentle, natural sweetness, similar to clam soup back in Korea. He also found a similarity between com hen and a mixed rice dish from Busan, his hometown.
The Korean trio unanimously agreed they enjoyed their first taste of authentic com hen, leaving behind no remnants on their plates.
