Special Hue Dinner

(Central Vietnam Region)

by Nicole Routhier

author, The Foods of Vietnam

winner of the Julia Child Cookbook Award

Click here to make a reservation

Friday, May 16, 2008

7 pm

$ 55 per person

(does not include drinks, tax & gratuity)

First Course
(a sampling of 3 appetizers)

Banh Beo - Steamed Rice Custard
Rice batter cooked in a tiny rice bowl &

topped with scallion oil, shrimp and crispy shallots

Ram Cuon - Hue Imperial Roll
Hue’s version of fried spring rolls.

A filling of crabmeat, beef and a whole shrimp rolled into a triangle.

Served with lettuce, herbs and nuoc cham

Cuon Diep - Mustard Leaf Roll
Cold rice vermicelli, organic Berkshire pork tenderloin and herbs wrapped in a mustard green leaf

and served with a tangy anchovy-pineapple sauce

Second Course

Canh Nghieu - Sour Clam Soup
Fresh clams, star fruit and Vietnamese coriander

in a light tamarind broth

Third Course

Banh Khoai - Happy Rice Pancake
Crisp rice pancake topped with braised duck and vegetable.

Served with lettuce, herbs and nuoc cham

Dessert

Che Bap
Chilled Sweet Corn Soup with Tapioca Pearls and Coconut Cream

Note: Nuoc mam is fish sauce.  Nuoc cham is fish sauce spiked with lime, chilies, vinegar, garlic & sugar.

The Food of Hue (Central Region of Vietnam)

In Vietnam, Hue is considered a culinary mecca, known not only for fabulous street foods such as bun bo, banh beo and banh khoai, but also for its refined royal cuisine as well.

Once Vietnam's imperial capital, Hue has long been the epicenter of the country's classic cuisine.  The basic Vietnamese palate -the penchant for contrasting sweet and sour, cooked and raw, hot and cool, crispy and smooth, as well as the taste for nuoc mam -is consistent throughtout the country.  But in Hue, the contrasts are more vivid:  the flavors are both more pronounced and more subtle, the cooking technique more precise, the ingredients more unusual and the presentation more elaborate.  Appearance is very important, not only in the use of color and the arrangement of food on the plate, but also in the manner of serving.  Rice might be cooked and served in a lotus leaf and further enriched with lotus seeds.

Cooks also employ unusual ingredients such as green banana, unripe figs, banana flowers and herbs to balance the primary flavors -the sweet, sour, bitter, salty and peppery tastes in most dishes.  They are also credited for inventing two seasoning mixtures, the five-spice powder of ground cloves, fennel seed, cinnamon, star anise and turmeric, and a blend of ground coriander, cardamom, fennel seeds,cloves and turmeric.  A balance of simplicity and sophistication are the hallmarks of Hue cuisine.


Being a fine gourmet, the mid 19th century emperor Tu Duc wanted his eating to be viewed as art, ritual, and sensory pleasure all at the same time.  To that end, he had an imperial staff of 50 chefs to cook 50 different courses at each meal. These courses were served in progression, and the food was presented in many small vessels so that the table looks like a king's. Over time, the multi course style of the imperial court gradually seeped into daily life.

Today, Hue diners at an imperial-style banquet can expect to be served up to a dozen different courses simultaneously, along with heaps of bitter greens and herbs, particularly mint.  Diners fashion miniature lettuce hand rolls and stuff them with small bits of food from the various dishes.  Pork sausages known as nem, savory soups and sweet and salty rice cakes (banh) are typical Hue fare.

A strong, aromatic shrimp sauce known as mam tom or mam ruoc gives of lot of Hue dishes their character.  Sauces are especially important in this region:  Each dish must go together with a specific sauce.  A simple Hue meal is one of rice and three small side dishes, which may include fish braised with nuoc mam and herbs, fried water spinach with a sauce made of shrimp paste and lime, or a sour soup of small prawns and tamarind.  Dessert might include a sweet soup of beans and lotus seeds, or locally available fruits.