Hue sour shrimp paste – Unforgettable rustic flavor

The ancient capital of Hue, Vietnam has long been famous for many delicious specialties, but the most prominent is still the simple but rich sour shrimp paste. Hue sour shrimp is attractive not only for its delicate flavor but also for its eye-catching color.

Sour shrimp paste, or simply called sour shrimp, is a rustic dish associated with the peaceful countryside of the Central and Southwest regions. This type of sauce originated from the Go Cong region, Tien Giang, and was brought to Hue by Queen Nam Phuong, from which it developed into a specialty of the Ancient Capital. Although the craft of making sour shrimp paste is still maintained in Go Cong, the sour shrimp brand is more prominent and diverse in Hue. Therefore, when mentioning sour shrimp, most tourists think of the land of the Ancient Capital.

Unlike Northern shrimp paste, Hue sour shrimp retains the shape of the shrimp, has an eye-catching red color and a flavor that stimulates the taste buds. Hue sour shrimp paste has a full range of sour, spicy, salty, sweet flavors, and although it looks simple, it is very sophisticated and delicate in processing. This is a characteristic of the cuisine of the Ancient Capital. If you come to Hue, you should not miss the opportunity to enjoy this special sour shrimp dish.

The main ingredient for making sour shrimp paste is fresh shrimp. The shrimp chosen are usually freshwater shrimp, river shrimp, swamp shrimp or land shrimp, not too big or too small. These types of shrimp have a natural sweetness, firm meat and are less fishy than sea shrimp. In addition to shrimp, accompanying ingredients such as rice powder, chili, garlic, galangal, sugar, salt, and MSG also contribute to the rich flavor of the dish.

Hue sour shrimp paste is processed according to a strict hygiene process. Fresh shrimp are washed, the whiskers and dirt on the back are removed, then the fishy smell is removed according to a family secret recipe, making the shrimp meat firmer and tastier. Next, the shrimp is mixed with salt, rice powder, chili, sliced garlic and shredded galangal. All are then put into a ceramic or glass jar to ferment for 5-7 days, stored in a cool, dry place.

When the fish sauce is cooked, the shrimp turns bright red and gives off a fragrant aroma. The fish sauce will be taken out and mixed with spices such as sugar, MSG, chili powder, chili and garlic to suit the taste of most diners. After this process, the sour shrimp sauce is ready to use.

Hue sour shrimp paste is best eaten with boiled meat and bean sprouts. Before enjoying, you can add a little seasoning such as sugar, garlic and MSG to adjust to suit your family's taste. Boiled pork belly is just cooked, thinly sliced, combined with a plate of crispy pickled bean sprouts. All blend together when dipped in a bowl of fragrant sour shrimp paste, creating an intoxicating flavor. The sour and salty taste of sour shrimp paste enhances the delicious flavor of boiled meat.

In addition, if you do not have boiled meat, you can also enjoy sour shrimp with hot rice. It is that simple, but enough for you to enjoy all the wonderfulness of this fish sauce.