Com Hen Field Notes No 1

A mound of cooled rice, buried under tiny river

clams, raw herbs, crackling pork skin and a

fierce spoonful of chilli — eaten at room temperature, with a cup of hot clam broth on the side.

Few dishes capture the spirit of Hue

completely as cơm

hến. It is, on paper, a frugal

scrap-meal — day-old rice

that nobody wanted to

waste, dressed with the

smallest, cheapest shellfish

in the river. Yet a single bowl

arrives carrying a dozen or

more components, each

prepared separately and

layered with the fussy

precision the old imperial

capital is famous for.

The pleasure is in the

collisions. Cool rice against

warm clams. Soft herbs

against shattering pork rind.

The sour snap of green

starfruit against the deep,

almost funky hum of mắm