The city of Huế seated the last dynasty of Vietnam, the Nguyễn dynasty, until the country became a French colony. Feeding kings and lords, nobilities, commoners, and monks, Huế cuisine has become a class of its own, boasting around 1700 dishes, many being served in little plates and bowls, reminiscent of Hong Kong dim sum or Spanish tapas.
They say in Huế, one eats first by their eyes and nose. Perhaps because of the heat, the blazing sun, and the parching wind, every aromatic here seems to grow small in size, yet deadlier than elsewhere. Locals’ ability to handle their chilies is a few notches above the rest of the country. Meals are enjoyed in gardens, and must appear balanced in color distribution and beautiful in presentation. Among the classics are peacock meat rolls and phoenix meatloaf. In the olden days, they were made with the meat of real peacocks and the great hornbills, called the earthen phoenix by locals. But now that these birds have become endangered, only their look-alikes would have to do.
Of the 300 dishes allocated to the common man, Huế’s beef noodle soup is among the most well-known, both domestically and globally. Despite its namesake, their beef noodle soup is a pork bone base broth. Typical of East Asia, the broth’s quality standard is to be clean and clear. Yet, its unique flavor profile stands firmly in the land of SouthEast Asia, of fermented shrimp paste, lemongrass, and sweet pineapple and sugarcane.
The noodle soup’s given name is for slices of beef shank served atop. But my preference is actually for the pig trotters simmered in the broth. They are cooked to tender and gelatinous almost to melting in the mouth. The beloved pig trotters are said to help lactating mothers. It may sound like quack remedy, but it was actually a reasonable premise when times were hard.
Pork bones, chunks of pig trotters, and chunks of beef shank should be soaked in cold water for 30 minutes and then packed loosely in a stockpot. Add cold water to cover and bring to a boil. Pour off the boiling water, clean well the stockpot and the meat and bones. Put them back into the cleaned stockpot along with bruised stalks of lemongrass, stalks of green onion and peeled shallots, chunks of sugarcane or pineapple, and a few spoonfuls of toasted fermented shrimp paste. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Salt and sugar to taste, then dial the heat down to simmer uncovered and undisturbed for 2 hours. After 2 hours, turn off the heat. Discard the aromatics and let it stand for another hour before straining the broth.
In Huế, it is eaten with enough chilies to burn your mouth to sweat. You’ll feel a swift impulse to shift over to the next food stand, so as to calm your lips with one of 36 kinds of sweet pudding, another famous specialty of the imperial city.
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