It was my privilege to spend an entire day observing how Vietnam celebrity chef Tôn Nữ Thị Hà makes Hue royal cuisine at her famous Tinh Gia Vien restaurant in Hue.
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| Chef Tôn Nữ Thị Hà and daughter with KF Seetoh, founder of Makansutra |
After retiring from her 30 year nursing career, chef Hà opened Tinh Gia Vien restaurant in 1993. She dedicated her retirement to the preservation and promotion of Hue royal cuisine. Chef Hà has written over 20 books on Hue royal cuisine.
Chef Hà's work has earned her much local and international acclaim and many awards. She is a much sought after culinary judge and instructor around the world. She is frequently invited to cook for dignitaries, including heads of state.
So, it was a great privilege for me to be able to observe chef Hà prepare Hue royal dishes and to taste them. During our visit, besides mực hấp hình thơm (steamed squid in pineapple shape), chef Hà also made for us chả tôm trên cành quất (shrimp balls on tangerine tree) and giò lợn ninh (pork leg stew).
Main ingredient was a large fresh cuttlefish from the East Vietnam Sea (even though the dish is named squid). Any dish served to the Emperor must be made with the freshest ingredients.
The cuttlefish was gutted and cleaned.
The tentacles and head were diced into small pieces.
The diced tentacles mashed together with pork lard and egg yolk. There was also a dash of ground black pepper.
The mash of cuttlefish tentacles, pork lard and egg yolk was next bundled into banana leaf parcels.
The bundles were cooked by steaming.
While the tentacles were being steamed, chef Phan Tôn Gia Hiền (chef Hà's daughter) worked on the cuttlefish body which is like a big pocket. She first flipped the body inside out.
The body was carefully cleaned and deeply scored with a small knife.
The cuttlefish body was rubbed with egg yolk, chopped garlic and shallot.
When cooked, the tentacle mash was stuffed into the cavity of the cuttlefish body.
The stuffed cuttlefish stitched up with thread and tightly bundled up with straw ready for steaming.
In goes the stuffed cuttlefish.
Dinner is ready!?
Not quite 😂
The cuttlefish body was untied, returned to the steamer, given a new coat of egg wash and steamed again. Egg wash and steaming was repeated a few times - the idea was to seal in the golden colour of the "pineapple".
Finally ready?
One more step, dressing up the pineapple fit for the Emperor. Food for the Emperor must be pleasing to his eyes.
In Hue royal cuisine, fruit and vegetable carving art is an important part of the dish. The decoration can take as much, if not more time and effort to prepare than the dish itself.
Finally done.
Okok, a photo first with the completed mực hấp hình thơm (steamed squid in pineapple shape).
The "pineapple" was sliced like a meat loaf and served in thick slices.
How did the
It was mostly tenderly chewy with some crunchy bits here and there. Flavour was mildly naturally savoury sweet with a little gentle peppery note.
Hue royals seemed to have mild palates preferring light flavours.
Next post, and final Hue royal dish cooked during our visit to Tinh Gia Vien - giò lợn ninh (pork leg stew) 👈 click
Madame Ha's Tinh Gia Vien restaurant serves regular Vietnamese dishes. Royal 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 royal cuisine, you will taste and learn about Hue's rich culture and history. More importantly, you will also be helping to preserve this world intangible cultural heritage.
Restaurant name: Tinh Gia Vien
Address: 7 Kiet 28 Lê Thánh Tôn, Phú Hậu, Thành phố Huế, Thừa Thiên Huế, Vietnam (500 metres east of the Citadel)
Tel: +84 234 3522 243
Hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm
Date visited: 3 Mar 2020
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