Bánh Bèo, Nậm, Lọc, Ram Ít – The Four Flavours of the Ancient Capital

The essence of Huế cuisine in every small bite

On one pretty little tray, the people of Huế combine several traditional cakes – bèo, nậm, lọc and ram ít – a little of each, as if inviting diners on a culinary journey. All of them are made from flours such as rice flour and tapioca starch, yet each cake has its own shape, flavor and way of being made. Diners can taste each one, find what they like about it, and then pick a favorite to order more of.

Bánh nậm and bánh ram ít – soft and crispy together

Bánh nậm (flat steamed rice dumplings) is the easiest dish to find in Huế, from street vendors' shoulder poles to upscale restaurants. A thin layer of rice batter is spread out and wrapped in dong leaves around a rich shrimp-and-pork filling. Dipped in sweet and spicy fish sauce, it is soft, delicate and well balanced.
Bánh ram ít joins the crunch of bánh ram (a crispy fried rice cake) with the soft, chewy bánh ít (a sticky rice dumpling). The bánh ít is filled with tôm đất, a small freshwater shrimp that is a Huế specialty, sautéed in scallion oil until fragrant and then set on top of the golden fried bánh ram. The two opposite textures, soft and chewy on top and crispy underneath, blend with a sweet-and-sour dipping sauce and a little caramelized shrimp to make a dish that is hard to resist.

Bánh bột lọc – the crystal-clear taste of Huế

Huế's bánh bột lọc (clear tapioca dumplings) is famous for its distinctive flavor and the special way it is eaten. There are two kinds: bánh lọc trần, which is not wrapped in leaves, and bánh lọc wrapped in banana leaves. Both have a translucent tapioca skin around whole shell-on tôm đất shrimp and richly braised pork. Once steamed, the shrimp turn bright red inside the clear skin, which looks very appealing. People in Huế usually eat them with fermented shrimp-paste fish sauce mixed with green chili, or with a sauce made from the filling's cooking juices, which brings out the dumplings' rich flavor.

Bánh bèo – small and refined, like the people of Huế

Bánh bèo (steamed rice cakes) is part of daily life in Huế, served at festivals and at ordinary family meals alike. The cakes are pure white and silky soft, poured into tiny dishes about the size of a ping-pong ball. They are topped with golden toasted shrimp and scallion oil and eaten with sweet fish sauce with a little chili. It is simple but very "Huế". Compared with bánh bèo from other regions, the Huế version comes in smaller portions but focuses on quality, true to the old capital's spirit of eating to savor rather than to fill up.

If you visit Huế, don't miss a tray of bánh bèo – nậm – lọc – ram ít. It is more than food: it is a piece of Huế's cultural soul, carefully wrapped in each little cake.