RICE PAPER SCISSORS

Our first day in Hue, we encountered what looked like two construction workers arguing over the mark-up of the citadel sidewalks.  Upon further inquiry, we learned that they were playing an elaborate game of tic tac toe.  Except in this case, the number of X’s in a line was 5, and the squares to play were the tiles of the sidewalk.  

The players were, in fact, xe om or motorbike taxi drivers and they played for cigarettes and rounds of coffee.  The xe om driver in the yellow hat explained that this was a game he used to play in grade school, on graph paper.  Killing time between rides, he noticed that the tiles of the citadel closely resembled the grid pattern of his yester-year - and thus, the game was born.  Resourceful too the max, he used chipped tiles as chalk to draw lines in the ground. 

Katie played a round and then Michiel, a cook/friend, we met along the way jumped in.  

Playing games and hanging with xe om drivers in a hustle-free atmosphere was a great way to kick it in Hue.  We love playing games (as do the Vietnamese) as it is a great way to meet people and bust some balls.  Later that night, we posted up at a bar and played Thirteen, the national card game of Vietnam (similar to President or Asshole), meeting new friends with every hand played. 

Oh beautiful beautiful Hue!  It’s hard to imagine we did all this in just two days…

Photo captions by number:

1. Residence on the south river

2. Valerie in a cyclo - gotta try it once ya’ll!

3. Spit fired ducks, served in the citadel

4. Getting down on Banh Bot Loc

5. Little red stool altars for the full moon

6. Katie at the coffee shop

7. Cards in play: Thirteen, the national card game

8. Boon reunion, right before hopping onto an overnight train to Hanoi

Walking the hamlets south of the main river was our favorite way to take in Hue.  Off main arteries of traffic, we ducked into small side streets where everyday life was going strong.  The architecture of the buildings (Chinese influenced) and the willowy trees were enchanting.  They also signified a transition into northern Vietnam.  

What caught our eye above all?  The street fashion.  As the weather got colder (in comparison to Saigon), people donned lavish coats and trendy fashion.  

This season’s must have? Fur lined coats. 

Ch-ch-check it out!

<3

Fried Frog Legs

Inside: Fresh frog legs stir fried in chilis, peanuts, garlic, and onions. 

Verdict:   A-ok in our book.  Maybe not the best frogs ever, but the sauce was darn tasty and whetted our rice for more!

Extra bits: Michiel, a traveling cook (at 3 star Michelins) we met along our travels, ordered this dish out of love for the divine amphibians.  Although he was versed in the French preparation, he had never had southeast Asian style. 

Banana Blossom Salad 

Inside: Poached banana blossoms, rau ram, peanuts, chilis, garlic, shrimp, and beef!  Paired with a crispy tapioca and sesame cracker. 

Verdict: This dish screams Hue-style cuisine: unexpected pairings of flavors and opulence. Unlike common preparations for banana blossoms, this dish’s braised banana blossoms, that took on a meaty, almost poultry, texture. This dish was as delicious as it was fun to eat - delightful surprises around every corner. :)

Braised Whole Fish

Inside: A whole fish, seasoned with garlic, shallots, chilis, and ginger, braised in a foil packet.  Served with paper thin sheets of rice paper, nuoc cham, and herbs. 

Verdict: Yum, yum, and yum.  This fish came out super tender and meaty.  The fun came in filling super thin paper with filets and making small “tacos”.  So finger-licking good, we ate the whole fish - we even ate the meaty parts of the head!

Che - Che bars are everywhere in Hue.  There are at least 15 different mixtures of fillings you choose from.  Just walk up to the cart, point at what looks good and wait as they pile them.  The fillings included mochi balls in coconut milk, poached taro cubes, and sweet red beans to name a few.  They are always topped off with shaved ice and coconut milk.  Swoon. 

Inside: Tapioca balls, sweet mung beans, coconut chards, agar jello, boiled peanuts, shaved ice, and fresh coconut milk.  

Verdict:  YES!  The myriad of textures was divine.  We especially loved the soft boiled peanuts, that are unlike roasted peanuts in so many ways.  Digging into the shaved ice with long spoons and checking out the hustle bustle of the streets is a ritual we came to love in Hue. 

Forgot the Name :(

Inside: Rice vermicelli, a bit of hot pork broth, chicharrones, peanuts, fresh banana blossoms, cilantro, salt/pepper. 

Verdict: We were not wooed by this dish.  Kind of left us wanting more. 

Extra bits:  We were directed to this dish by a women who heard us rave over the banana blossom salad (shown above).  Thought the specific shop she directed us to was closed, we found a close second next door.  

Banh Ep

Inside: Flat tapioca and egg pancake, braised pork, pickled carrots and daikons, green papaya, served with nuoc cham. 

Verdict: We hit the jackpot with this little dish!  We planned on sharing just one, and we ate 8 in total.  The airy texture of the pancake, the flavor of the pork, and the refreshing crunch of the vegis were a party in our mouths. 

Extra bits:  We found this place on the side of the road, and decided to take a seat (at a little red stool) after we saw their awesome preparation technique.  Fluffy white squares of tapioca dough, topped off with a small piece of braised pork, were inserted into what looked like a hot tortilla press on and flattened to a perfect pancake.  Egg was added and quickly seared into the pancake.  As the Banh Ep came off the press, it was filled with vegis and brought to our table. 

COM GA CANTEEN POSTPONED

— We’re postponing this dinner for a future date due to logistical reasons. We’ll keep you posted on our new date! —-

A blog post about what inspired Com Ga Canteen, our Private Kitchen dinner on Saturday, May 12th.

Photo taken by @faketv in SF.

We were walking past a garage after doing some nighttime cafe-hopping in District Three and noticed this amazing frying machine — streams of hot oil blasting these little cornish hens, a vertical drip fryer that gave the birds a perfectly brown crisp. And then there was another machine — an electric mixer that dry-fried red rice until it reached the perfect toothsome texture.

The dish? Fried Cornish Hen with Red Rice.

Immediately enchanted, we had to investigate. We peered down the sidewalk, where aluminum tables and orange plastic chairs were filled with people chowing down on chicken and rice.

We both grabbed a seat (despite not being hungry at all) and out came this simple yet enchanting plate of fried chicken and red rice, stained red/orange by annatto seeds and tomato paste, which slightly matched the shade of our little orange chairs.

Katie and I picked away at the chicken until it was no more. The poultry was succulent, rice flavorful, and the side salad of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers gave the dish some cool relief.

Once we finished, the grilling began. We asked the three workers how they had acquired these machines (China), if they the only ones with the machines (yes, they’ve got a monopoly on this hot oil waterfall trick) and why the rice was so awesome (the result of a two-day process of seasoning, steaming, refrigerating, steaming [again], and dry-frying the rice.)

We left our camera at home that day, so unfortunately there’s no photographic proof of this set-up. You just have come to our next Private Kitchen to give it a try.

Photo by Valerie Luu/Rice Paper Scissors

Inside: sauteed beef with lettuce and Vietnamese herbs wrapped in fresh rice noodle sheets.

We’re selling these guys at the forageSF Biergarten this Saturday, April 28th, 1-7pm.
Tickets are $20 and includes 10 drink tickets.

Hella beer + banh mi/beef pho rolls + outdoor biergarten = a good time. We can (and will) drink to that!

forageSF Biergarten
Saturday, April 28th / 1-7pm
246 Ritch Street, San Francisco
Purchase tickets here

Menu

Beef Pho Rolls - 6
sauteed beef rolled in fresh rice noodle sheets with Vietnamese herbs and lettuce

photo by Eric Wolfinger

We became friends because he talked some shit.

It was our first night in Hoi An. Wet, windy, cold — a tough transition from the hot hot heat of the Central Highlands.

I was ordering dessert with my slightly broken Vietnamese when a 15-year-old-looking boy heckled me. “Ey,” he hollered. “I like your American Vietnamese accent!”

This is the first time someone’s called us out in English. The instigator was Boon — a 19 or 22-year-old Vietnamese-American (depending on whether you look at Vietnamese or American documents) by way of Michigan. He was ditching school in the States to travel and hang out in Vietnam where he was originally born.

Boon had thick eyebrows and a goofy grin that suggested (and confirmed) how mischievous he is. His (and our) immature sense of humor and love for hijinks brought us together. He quickly became our translator and partner-in-crime.

Together we explored Hoi An - filming a family making Cau Lao noodles at 5am, hanging out at the gray beaches trying to convince tourists that we were local guides, and playing countless rounds of Thirteen, a Vietnamese card game. We affectionally dubbed him “em,” which means younger brother in Vietnamese.

After Hoi An, Boon traveled with us to Hue and Hanoi and made promises to see us back in the States. However, we haven’t heard from him since we got back to the States — not a surprise — despite being extremely lovable, we can’t say we’re 100% sure about who he said he was. We still miss him everyday when we don’t have someone to play cards with.

He’s not on Facebook, nor is he Google-able, so we’re not sure he really existed or was a figment of our imagination. Luckily our friend (and talented photographer) Eric Wolfinger snapped some pictures of us all hanging out and gambling in Hanoi. If it weren’t for these pics, it might have never really happened!

Those pics just warm our hearts!

Em — if you’re reading this — email us with a VIABLE phone number and your coordinates. Your big sisters are not too happy with you, but we won’t beat up on you too hard ;)

1. Handmade lanterns from Hoi An, many of which we schlepped back to the States!

2. Encountered the rain. Made for some interesting outfits, many of which we would not repeat back home.

3. Badass vendor, who doesn’t have to sit up to sell food. This is what we’re striving to attain.

4. Taking one of many coffee breaks.

5. The bridge

6 & 7. We visited Chi Hien’s house to film her making Cau Lao and were fortunate enough to have lunch with her family. One of the boys almost threw a cleaver at us, but despite that hitch, we had a great time.

8. Chilling after a 5am shoot where we documented a family who’s been making Cau Lao noodles for three generations.

9. Last but not least, our Hoi An crew! Gerland to the left, and our adopted little brother/sidekick Boon. We took a ferry across the harbor for some grilled stingray. Unfortch they sold out by the time we got there, but it was a fun trip nonetheless.

Hoi An is a street food haven and we’ve got pictures to prove it!

Rice Party featuring Banh Beo (Rice Pancakes) and Banh Nam (Flat Rice Dumplings)

Inside: A plate of banh beo and banh nam, with shrimp chips and dried shrimp

Verdict: The first of many rice-based goodies we tried in Hoi An. Banh beo (rice pancake) is a lot different than Southern-style ones I had growing up, which usually came with mung beans, green onions and dried shrimp.

The ones in the Central region are much more simple — in this case, just fish sauce dip and dried shrimp. I’m partial to the latter. It’s simplicity allows the texture to shine through (and it ain’t no easy feat to perfectly steam those cakes!)

Banh nam (flat rice dumplings) are like the Vietnamese answer to tamales — a flat rice cake with shrimp and pork steamed in banana leaves. We had no problem slurping these up!

Cau Lao - Hoi An-Style Noodles

Inside: Special cau lao noodles in a meat sauce, with thinly sliced pork, herbs and croutons

Verdict: When people talk about food in Hoi An, this is the dish they’re talking about. So famous it has a legend behind it: the reason why cau lao (the noodles) can’t be replicated elsewhere is because the noodles come from a well — one specific well actually — that gives it a unique texture that can’t be copied. David Farley of AFAR Magazine pointed us to a specific restaurant that made the perfect bowl. Read more about this iconic dish in his article.

Charcoal Grilled Tapioca and Beef Jerky Rolls

Inside: Beef jerky and chilies wrapped in tapioca

Verdict: Super chewy, in the best way possible. Nothing like we’ve ever had before!

Banh Boc Lot, Two Ways - Clear Shrimp and Mung Bean Dumplings

Inside: A mung bean puree in one, baby shrimp and pork in the other

Verdict: Chewy, savory, yummy. More please!

Banh Bao Vac - White Rose Dumpling

Inside: Shrimp wrapped in a translucent paper, topped with fried shallots

Verdict: We’re sure this is a great dish, but the place we had it had steamed it hours earlier, so it was cold and not as delicious by the time we ate it. Delicious in theory.

Cha Gio - Imperial Rolls (with a Special Rice Paper)

Inside: Taro and pork wrapped in banh trang re, a netted rice paper that looks like this

Verdict: Airy and crispy unlike any other imperial roll we’ve ever had. Unfortunately you can’t find this special rice paper in the States, otherwise we would be using (and eating it) all the time!

Banh Khang - Savory Ebelskivers

Inside: A fried rice flour and tumeric “ebelskiver” topped with shredded green papaya, Vietnamese herbs. Some had a quail egg in ‘em!

Verdict: To properly eat them, you gotta add herbs and greens to each ebelskiver, then douse the whole thing in fish sauce. It’s like a pop-in-your-mouth version of Banh Xeo (Vietnamese crepes).

Hungry yet? See more food pixxx in our Hoi An flickr set.