Hue among Top 8 most underrated foodie cities in Asia

Cơm hến is the favourite of Hue locals and tourists (Photo: Internet)

Tatler shares that when mentioning delicious Vietnamese dishes, most foreign tourists think of delicacies phở (instant noodles) and bánh mì (baguette) as they are very popular in big cities, such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

However, Tatler notes that Hue city is widely celebrated for its imperial cuisine with unique taste, including bún bò Huế (Hue beef noodle soup), bánh bèo (Vietnamese Steamed Savory Rice Cake), and cơm hến (steamed rice with baby clams).

Bún bò Huế is a staple Vietnamese soup which is traditionally consumed for breakfast, consisting of pork and beef bones broth, bun noodles, lemongrass, shrimp paste, lime juice, and a variety of herbs.

Meanwhile, bánh bèo is a popular Vietnamese steamed cake consisting of key ingredients such as rice flour, fish sauce with green chili peppers, and either shrimps or pork.

Additionally, noodles, roasted peanuts, or fried onions can be added to the cake in order to improve its flavours.

Cơm hến is the favorite of Hue locals and tourists thanks to its deliciousness and simplicity.

With a quite complex recipe, including crunchy cold rice, clams, fried pork fat, roasted peanuts, chili pepper, banana flower, star fruit, green apple, mint herb, taro stem, fermented shrimp sauce and the most indispensible sauce, clam broth, 'com hen' let us enjoy all sweet, buttery, salty, sour, bitter, and extremely peppery-hot tastes at once.

The most interesting thing here is the special combination of the cold rice and the hot clam broth.

Rounding off the Top 8 most underrated foodie cities in Asia are Fukuoka of Japan, Ipoh of Malaysia, Iloilo of the Philippines, Gwangju of the Republic of Korea, Hualien of Taiwan (China), Surabaya of Indonesia, and Luang Prabang of Laos.