Lan Huế

Her secret is in the simple and fresh food. She cooks very good veggie or herbal soups, and mixes great salads. Her food is like medicine which can cure some illness such as coughing, fever, stomachache, etc.

My mom knows that I’m a real Vietnamese country girl so our meals rarely lack fresh raw veggies or herbs. For me, these only taste great when being dipped into fish sauce, ruốc (a kind of tiny shrimp paste) or mắm (fermented fishes). I even eat some kinds of leaves from the trees such as the leaves of mango, guava, lemon, and so on.

Above is a dish prepared by my mom last weekend. It includes nuốc (a kind of jelly fish), ruốc together with a lot of veggies and herbs. It is best when served with rice. This is a great and simple food for penetrating hot summer in Hue. (for brother Ph.)