Com Hen

Ingredients

Clams

• 1.5 kgtiny river clams, hen, or small clams
• salt for purging

Rice

• 600 gcooked rice, cooled to room temperature

Clam seasoning

• 3shallots, sliced
• 2 clovesgarlic
• 2 tbspfish sauce
• 1 tspsugar
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1 tbspoil

Herbs and vegetables

• shredded banana blossom
• shredded lettuce
• Vietnamese mint, perilla, coriander
• beansprouts
• sliced star fruit

To finish

• crisp fried pork skin or crackling
• roasted peanuts, crushed
• fried shallots
• ruoc, fermented shrimp paste
• chilli
• the strained clam broth

To serve

• with the broth in a separate bowl

Directions

1. Soak the clams in salted water for several hours, changing the water two or three times. Discard any clam that is already open and does not close when tapped.
2. Boil the clams in water until they open, which takes only a few minutes. Discard any that stay closed after cooking. Lift them out and pick the meat from the shells, which is genuinely tedious with tiny clams. Strain the clam cooking water carefully through muslin. Let it settle first and pour off the clear liquid, leaving the sediment behind.
3. Season it lightly with fish sauce and pepper. It should be light and clean rather than strongly seasoned, since it is a foil to a heavily dressed bowl. Fry the shallots and garlic in oil, then add the picked clam meat with fish sauce, sugar and plenty of black pepper.
4. Cook it briefly, only a minute or two, since the clams are already cooked and go rubbery. Black pepper is used generously in Hue cooking and it should be clearly noticeable.
5. Use it sparingly, since it is very strong, and warn anyone unfamiliar with it. That mass of fresh vegetables is the point of the dish and it should not be reduced. Shred everything as finely as you can, so it mixes evenly with the rice. They give the crunch that the dish depends on, against soft rice and limp herbs.
6. Add them at the very last moment so they stay crisp. Put the cold rice in the bowl and pile the shredded vegetables over it. Add the seasoned clams, then the peanuts, crackling and fried shallots. Add a small dab of ruoc and some chilli.
7. Serve the hot clam broth in a separate small bowl alongside. Some people pour a little over the rice and some sip it between mouthfuls, and both are done. Mix everything thoroughly before eating, which is essential.

Technique

• The rice is served cold, which is original to the dish rather than a compromise.
• The clams must be purged in salted water or the dish is gritty.
• Ruoc, fermented shrimp paste, is what gives it its character.

Substitutions

• Any small clams in place of river hen.
• Any fermented shrimp paste in place of ruoc.

Variations

• Bun hen, made with rice vermicelli instead of rice.
• Made without ruoc, which is milder.
• Made vegetarian, with mushrooms in place of clams.

History

Hue dish built from the small clams of the Perfume River, originally a poor household’s way of using leftover rice and cheap shellfish.

Frequently asked questions

What is Com Hen?

Com Hen is a main from Vietnam: cold rice with tiny river clams, herbs, crackling and clam broth. Hue dish built from the small clams of the Perfume River, originally a poor household’s way of using leftover rice and cheap shellfish.

How long does Com Hen take to make?

Com Hen takes 40 min plus purging of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Com Hen?

Yes, within limits. Any small clams in place of river hen. Any fermented shrimp paste in place of ruoc.

What is the most important thing to get right in Com Hen?

Season it lightly with fish sauce and pepper. It should be light and clean rather than strongly seasoned, since it is a foil to a heavily dressed bowl. Fry the shallots and garlic in oil, then add the picked clam meat with fish sauce, sugar and plenty of black pepper.