Hue dish of nuoc (rice noodle soup) served with shrimp paste and herbs - Photo: Ancient capital, Hue specialty
On culinary forums and social networks, there are many images and videos sharing about Hue's swallow, from its taste, origin to how to eat it, with many positive compliments, introductions as "specialty of the ancient capital of Hue", "summer delicacy"...
Hue's swallow has an eye-catching turquoise color - Photo: FB Tap Hoa Ken
When introducing this unique dish, a young person humorously compared the snails to "geographically distant half-sisters of jellyfish".
In fact, the swallow is related to jellyfish, often divided into two parts: the soft and juicy swallow ear and the crunchy swallow foot.
According to locals, depending on the water level, the color of the lake will vary in intensity, but the most common is turquoise.
Unlike jellyfish that live all year round in salt water, the sea urchin only appears in the summer, commonly found in brackish lagoons in Hue, such as Cau Hai lagoon, Tam Giang lagoon...
When the season comes, the snails will float in patches on the water surface. At that time, people will scoop them up, soak them in water and bring them to the market to sell.
The 'turtle'
In Hue folklore, there are many dishes whose names are mispronounced. For example, the mispronounce of “smoke” cake to “khoai” cake. The name of the “nuoc” is also a similar case.
Nuoc is the dialect name for swallow. Hue people often mispronounce the "t" sound as "c", so "nuot" has been transformed into "nuoc" without anyone knowing.
Perhaps this jellyfish is very easy to eat and swallow, so Hue people often say "nuoc tuoc luoc", meaning when you eat this dish, you can swallow it all, without having to chew much!
The snail is only delicious when it is in season and must be very fresh. Moreover, people only eat it within a day, the next day it will no longer be juicy and crispy.
The clams are kept in a basin with brackish water to keep them fresh.
Cool summer days, crunchy to eat
Each season has its own food. Every year, when the season comes, vendors sell water buffaloes at many markets near the lagoons. The buffaloes are placed in baskets or basins containing brackish water, with a few ice cubes to keep them fresh and crunchy.
On social networks, many people say they must try the snail because they are curious about the taste.
Some have tried it and commented: "The snail has a faint salty taste, giving us the feeling of the taste of the sea and lagoon, when held in the mouth, there is the cool, sweet taste of fresh seafood."
For many people, con nuoc is not only a delicious dish that cools the hearts of both young and old, but it also evokes memories of the peaceful river scene in the countryside of Hue people far from home.
Delicious dishes with Hue snails
The snail is inherently healthy, cool to eat and does not cause itching like jellyfish, so it is favored by many people and processed into many delicious dishes.
Moreover, this is also considered a specialty of Hue people, worth trying once when coming here.
There are many dishes made with shrimp paste, but the simplest and most popular is to eat it raw with shrimp paste.
A Facebook account shows how to eat:
A "netizen" prepares a raw soup dish, served with bitter melon, mango, green banana, cucumber, herbs, figs, basil and pork - Photo: FB Tap Hoa Ken
"Hue shrimp paste mixed with crushed garlic and chili, add a little MSG, sugar, and squeeze in a lemon wedge. Accompanying herbs include: green banana, sour star fruit, and herbs of your choice.
However, two important ingredients are indispensable: thinly sliced fresh figs and spicy basil.
People also often eat fresh rice vermicelli with shrimp paste and thickly sliced fresh, plump, crispy melon.
This preparation method is compared by diners to "Hue sashimi".
Salad made from foot urchin is also very popular with locals and tourists when they have the opportunity to travel to Hue.
Nuoc can also be processed into salad.
The crunchy and chewy legs are mixed with typical fish sauces of the ancient capital or eaten with raw vegetables...
In addition to the two dishes above, if you come to Hue during the nuoc season, you should definitely not miss the famous vermicelli with vinegar nuoc dish, a specialty gift exclusively for the ancient capital.
Vermicelli with vinegar watercress is made from the watercress stem and its deliciousness depends on the broth.
To make the broth, the cook needs fresh shrimp, peeled and headless, leaving the tail for a nice presentation, seasoned with spices. Cut the pork belly into bite-sized pieces and marinate with spices.
Saute shrimp and meat with oil and onions until fragrant, add a little chili powder, stir-fry over low heat for about 10 minutes to let the shrimp and meat absorb the flavor, then add broth until just covering.
Soak the purchased feet in cold water and guava leaves to make them crispy.
A proper bowl of vermicelli with vinegar has raw vegetables, small fresh vermicelli noodles, enough broth, a little onion and cilantro, roasted peanuts, rice paper, a little shredded pork, a little chili sauce and on top are some fried noodles.
The noodle dish will be warm, fragrant with the smell of herbs, the rich sweetness of fresh shrimp broth mixed with the fatty taste of peanuts, rice paper and the crunchy sweetness of the crunchy shrimp in the mouth.
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