Our visit to Tinh Gia Vien restaurant by celebrity chef Madame Ton Nu Thi Ha was one of the defining moments of our foodie trip to Hue, Vietnam. We spent half a day here and got a good appreciation of Hue's legendary imperial cuisine and how they are made. Incredibly tedious to make, I have to warn you.
Tinh Gia Vien restaurant is located at the ground level of Madame Ton Nu Thi Ha's family home in Hue, capital of imperial Vietnam. Surrounding the 2 storey house are a lotus pond, and an herb and bonsai garden. Chef Ha is an avid bonsai collector.
In every Vietnamese home that I had the privilege to visit, in the living room, there's an altar dedicated to the Buddha. The four characters in the large centre plaque at the top translates roughly to "Family nurture and education is paramount". I think to myself how important family is as ballast and anchor in today's chaotic world.
Out in the foyer, Madame Ton Nu Thi Ha's daughter chef Phan Tôn Gia Hiền was demonstrating fruit and vegetable carving to two beautiful ladies. Claims you heard about the beauties of Hue are true.
In imperial cuisine, everything served to the Emperor must look beautiful. Hence, a lot of time and effort is spent on the art of food carving.
Effable and jovial Madame Ha cheekily introduced herself as the "number 1 cooker in Vietnam". Madame Ha who is in her 70s (born 1943), descended from the Hue royal family. As a child, Madame Ha learnt her craft from her aunts who were wives of Nguyen dynasty mandarins. She is an accomplished chef, author of over 20 cook books, and an authority and champion of Hue royal cuisine.
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| Emperor Bảo Đại |
In the last months of World War II, the Japanese threw Vichy France out of Vietnam and installed Bao Dai as the Emperor. When the Japanese surrendered in 1945, Bao Dai abdicated, and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was proclaimed. The Nguyễn dynasty's 143 year reign thus ended.
Hue imperial dishes greatly influence the cuisine of Hue to this day. Hue is often aptly referred to as the culinary capital of Vietnam. (Source: Wikipedia)
Madame Ha and her team made mực hấp hình thơm (steamed squid with pineapple shape), chả tôm trên cành quất (shrimp balls on tangerine tree) and giò lợn ninh (pork leg stew) for us.
Madame Ha started with the "shrimp balls on tangerine tree" dish.
Imperial dishes cooked for the Emperor must, needless to say, be super fresh. These prawns from the brackish Perfume River that courses its way lazily through the meanders around Hue city were twitching and hopping in the rattan tray.
The prawns were shelled and deveined because the "veins" are not veins at all but guts, and that green stuff along the spine is not blood. I need not tell you what it is 😝
Madame Ha gently mashes the shelled prawns by hand, rinsing it frequently with cold water.
The washed shrimp mash was soaked in a bowl of fresh coconut water and allowed to rest for 20 minutes.
Pounding to make the mash finer and to stretch the tissues for more springy bite.
Next, add in a bowl of finely chopped fresh pork lard.
The mashed shrimp and pork lard were mixed together and smacked repeatedly, so that they all blend together. Painstaking hard work making this little treat for the Emperor.
The shrimp and lard balls were hand rolled into
Let the shrimp and lard balls rest a while.
Meanwhile, Madame Ha made an egg wash of yolk blended with vodka and honey.
The shrimp and lard balls laid on banana leaf and cooked by steaming.
The balls were snipped to shape i.e. as round as possible.
The shrimp and lard balls were skewered with skinny sticks and gently grilled over charcoal. They were egg washed several times to give them a golden colour outside just like tangerines.
When cooked the shrimp and lard balls were "planted" onto stalks of tangerine stems and leafs.
The shrimp and lard balls were presented to the Emperor as golden ripe fruits on a tangerine tree.
So, after all that hard work, how was it?
First of all, everything presented to the King must be pleasing to the eye. Food is the same. So full marks there for chả tôm trên cành quất or shrimp balls on tangerine tree.
Also, it must be auspicious symbolically. The golden colour tangerines symbolise wealth and prosperity.
The shrimp and lard balls were tender and slightly moist to the bite. It was just mildly savoury sweet, relying mainly on the shrimp and lard's natural umami and sweet flavours for taste. So, it might be too subtle or even "tasteless" to some palates. No sauce or dips were provided for this dish. If you need big bursts of robust flavours, "elevated levels of spiciness" as Anthony Bourdain said, this dish doesn't have it.
In my next post, our second Hue royal dish at Tinh Gia Vien, mực hấp hình thơm (steamed squid in pineapple shape) 👈 click
Madame Ha's Tinh Gia Vien restaurant serves regular Vietnamese dishes. Imperial dishes need prior arrangements due to the time required to make them (as you saw). You can make your arrangements through Nguyen Ngoc An of Connect Travel.
When you come to Tinh Gia Vien restaurant for Hue's imperial cuisine, you will taste and learn about Hue's rich culture and history. More importantly, you will also be helping to preserve this intangible world heritage.
Restaurant name: Tinh Gia Vien
Address: 7 Kiet 28 Lê Thánh Tôn, Phú Hậu, Thành phố Huế, Thừa Thiên Huế, Vietnam
Tel: +84 234 3522 243
Hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm
Date visited: 3 Mar 2020
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