Colorful and eye-catching vermicelli with vinegar

Nuoc is a specialty of the Tam Giang brackish lagoon, also known by a very impressive name: "Brackish water spirit". In the summer, the nuoc "carelessly" rises to the surface of the water for fishermen to pull their nets to harvest; the nuoc caught has a very strange green glow, looks quite similar to jellyfish but the nuoc is "safer" and has a less fishy taste. The nuoc is crispy and cool, like chewing a piece of areca jelly in your mouth.

The colorful and eye-catching vermicelli with vinegar and water snails has “everything in the world”: vermicelli, water snails, shrimp, sausage, fried rice paper, raw vegetables, sauce and dried shrimp. The red of the shrimp, the green of the raw vegetables, the white of the vermicelli, the clear color of the water snails create an impressive and refreshing visual experience. The small water snails are hidden in the bowl, if you don’t pay attention, it’s hard to notice their existence. Sometimes, I only realize I’ve just bitten into them with a “pop” sound!

Vermicelli with vinegar is quite easy to eat, light, not harsh, the highlight is the sauce and shrimp paste, creating a flavor that is both light and rich, when enjoying it, we feel like we are standing in the middle of Tam Giang waves with the gentle salty winds of the ocean. The sauce poured over the vermicelli is made from minced shrimp, tomatoes and some spices, fragrant, light fat mixed with shrimp paste to create the unique flavor of this dish. Combined with crispy fried rice paper, it sounds crunchy and fun to eat, you can crush it or bite it into pieces, both are delicious.

Hue has only one place selling this dish at the beginning of Chi Lang street, you can see it after crossing Gia Hoi bridge, it has no name, just a simple sign: "Bun chua nuoc". The shop only sells it in the summer, according to the season of floating nuoc, it opens from about 1 pm until the noodles run out, it is quite hidden on a small street but is always bustling with people coming and going. This is my friend and I's favorite dish, every afternoon we invite each other to eat bun chua nuoc to lighten our stomachs and cool our bodies, many days the weather is very hot but it cannot stop our passion for exploring cuisine .

Each table in the restaurant also has a plate of high-yield chili and garlic, for those who love spicy food. I took a whole chili, removed the stem, peeled the garlic cloves and put them in the bowl. The hot and spicy taste made the dish seem to be elevated to a new level, more "mature" and "seasoned". Not only me, Hue people really eat spicy food with the habit of adding fish sauce, lemon, garlic, chili, etc. without tasting the original flavor; unlike people in the South, they carefully taste it first, or sometimes just use it like that, without adding or removing anything!

Article and photos: Thuc Dan