Mussel rice has long become one of the attractive Hue specialties and has received much love from everyone. But unlike other dishes originating from the royal table, Mussel Rice is a dish associated with the meals of poor people in the ancient capital, before becoming one of the dishes used by people to eat. presented to the Nguyen Dynasty kings.

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Mussel rice - From a poor family dish to the quintessence of Hue cuisine 2

Mussel rice – A rustic dish of the poor in the ancient capital in the past

Going back in time to the days more than 200 years ago, there was a family named Huynh because they were so poor that they had to go day and night diving to catch fish, shrimp, and mussels of all kinds. One day, her family floundered in the river all day but still couldn’t harvest anything, so they had to eat cold rice and mussels. However, she realized that this dish has an extremely special flavor and is strangely delicious. Then, without knowing when, this dish became popular throughout the Hue dunes – where the Perfume River flows through, has a deep layer of mud underneath and is the perfect growing place for mussels – especially for those who Poor people live around this area.

The good news spread far and wide, and soon Mussel Rice became a popular dish loved by people from many walks of life. During the reign of King Thanh Thai, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thep scraped mussels at Hen Islet and processed them into this rustic rice dish to present to the king.

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From a dish of the poor, Mussel Rice has become one of the dishes on the royal menu

King Thanh Thai, when enjoying it, realized that this was a dish with an impressive flavor and really loved this unique combination, so he conferred the title and established the Hen ward since then. Since then, Mussel Rice has gone from being a simple dish of the poor people in Hen Islet to becoming a dish presented to the king and always appearing in the list of royal dishes, only enjoyed on special occasions.

Through many ups and downs and historical upheavals, although the reign of the Nguyen kings is now over, Com Hen is still there. This rustic rice dish has traveled all over the country, but only in Hue can we fully enjoy the special flavor of this dish.

Hue specialties have truly spread throughout the ‘gangbang’ place as throughout the length of the country, wherever you go you can enjoy dishes of the ancient capital such as Hue beef noodle soup, Hue tapioca cake, Nam Hue cake, etc. However, there is only Mussel Rice dish. If you do not go to the ancient capital, you will definitely not be able to fully enjoy that flavor.

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It looks simple, but actually, the way to prepare Mussel Rice is not simple at all

It sounds simple, Mussel rice – is leftover cold rice left overnight to eat with stir-fried mussels, just add a little mussel broth. But actually, preparing a bowl of rice that meets Hue standards is not simple at all.

The mussels used to prepare this rice dish must be mussels caught in Hen islet – a land dune deposited by alluvium from the Huong River. The water of the Huong River when flowing through Hen dune is clear, with little silt and alum. At the foot of the dune there is a deep layer of mud. Because of favorable conditions, the mussels in Hen Islet have a delicious and sweet taste and were used as a dish for the king in the past.

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The most common ingredients in a bowl of mussel rice have a variety of colors, flavors and aromas

Every day at dawn, people will start going to Hen Islet to scrape mussels. After that, they will bring the mussels back and wash them a few times with water to remove the mud before transporting the mussels to specialized furnaces. Once in the oven, the mussels will be soaked in rice water (this will help the mussels release all their stomach contents). After the mussels have been thoroughly processed, the chef will bring the mussels to boil for water. Next, the chef will use the meat, also known as the mussel face, and the mussel broth to process into a famous rice dish.

The selected mussel meat must be plump and fresh. The chef will quickly stir-fry the mussels over the fire with rice vermicelli, shredded dried bamboo shoots and thinly sliced ​​pork belly. The mussel meat will be quickly stir-fried until just cooked so that the mussels retain their crispness and not become tough. After that, they will heat the boiled water, crush a few pieces of ginger, add in and add some spices to taste.

Unlike other dishes that always use fresh, hot ingredients, Mussel Rice uses rice that has cooled overnight and the rice grains must be winched and not stick together. The layer of cold rice will be the perfect backdrop to highlight the crispiness and sweetness of the ingredients in a bowl of Mussel Rice.

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A bowl of mussel rice filled with ingredients is served to the diners

It sounds simple, but Mussel Rice is a diverse picture in both color and flavor with countless accompanying side dishes, besides the two main dishes of mussels and rice. Even writer Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong once pointed out more than 10 ingredients used in just one bowl of rice. These are chili sauce, chili pickled in fish sauce, shrimp paste, crushed rice paper, roasted salt, peanuts sauteed in fat or oil and then pounded coarsely, roasted sesame, crispy fried pork skin and pork rinds.

Not only are there mussels, rice and accompanying ingredients, the special feature of the Mussel Rice dish lies in the raw vegetables served with it. The vegetables commonly used as a side dish are simply banana stems, thinly sliced ​​banana ears, mint leaves, herbs, pineapple and chopped star fruit. These vegetables, with their astringent, sour, numbing, pungent, and cool flavors, contribute to highlighting the diverse and unique flavors of a bowl of Mussel Rice.

Mussel rice is truly a royal dish. Not only is this dish sophisticated in its preparation, it also has an equally elegant and sophisticated way to enjoy it.

When served, a portion of mussel rice will be placed in a clean bowl, the accompanying ingredients will be neatly arranged around and the chef will scoop the stir-fried mussels on top, just to cover the rice underneath. , then sprinkle on a spoonful of shrimp paste and add a layer of vegetables and a little stir-fried chili to complete.

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Depending on each restaurant, you will be served mussel broth separately or mixed with rice

During your journey to explore Hue, if you have time to enjoy this dish at many different restaurants, you will see that each restaurant will have a way to serve it with mussel broth. Some restaurants will pour the boiling water over the rice or keep it separate in another bowl. When eating mussel rice, people will mix the ingredients together or add a spoonful of mussel juice to the rice while eating. Encapsulated in that whole bowl of rice are the flavors of salty, sweet, spicy, sour, cold, hot, fleshy, crispy and fresh, making anyone who has ever enjoyed it remember it forever.

Being one of the famous Hue specialties, of course, wherever you go you can find shops selling Mussel Rice. However, if you want to enjoy a bowl of rice in the ancient capital, don’t miss the list of restaurants suggested by Vietnamtravelio.

Mrs. Cam’s mussel rice02 Truong Dinh, Hue city

Nguyen Hue mussel rice98 Nguyen Hue, Hue city

Tay Loc market food court209 Nguyen Trai, Hue city

Ty Hon mussel rice03 Han Mac Tu, Hue city

Small shop28 Pham Hong Thai, Hue city

Han Mac Tu Hue mussel rice17 Han Mac Tu, Hue city

Thu Hien mussel rice55 Tran Phu, Hue city

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Nguyen Hue mussel rice restaurant serves rice paper with rice paper when serving mussel rice

Hue city is truly the ‘cradle’ of countless dishes made from mussels, and Mussel Rice is one of them. From a rustic dish of the poor in the past, bowls of mussel rice have truly risen to become a bright spot on the culinary map and were honored as a dish presented to the king in the past. During your journey to the romantic ancient capital, you must definitely enjoy this unique, colorful, colorful, and flavorful dish.