Tasty simple dish com nieu lures local and foreign foodies

Com nieu (rice cooked in a clay pot) is not only a simple tasty dish but also a cultural symbol, part of a culinary history in many Vietnamese’s memory.

Coming from a tiny village, com nieu, which is cooked over a wood fire, has become an indispensable part of Vietnamese culture, said professional chef Pham Tuan Hai.

“I will never forget the image of com nieu cooked by my grandmother. It is a sacred thing to all local families because it is simple, popular and brings back happy memories. Cooking rice in a clay pot is not only tasty, but because of its thick cover, it helps to keep heat longer, so the rice retains the traditional flavour as well,” said Hai.

Hai said to make a tasty com nieu, the clay pot should be placed in a high temperature fire so as to make the pot’s cover thin but hard to break while cooking.

He said his grandmother often bought new rice locally known as tam xoan which is fragrant and soft. In the past locals often cooked com nieu by burying it in wood charcoal for half an hour until it is done. However, before eating, you would need to get through the first layer of rice which had come into contact with the ashes.

Rice cooked in a clay pot is drier, but softer and more fragrant compared with cooking it in other types of container, such as an electric cooker, said Hai, adding that his grandmother also used clay pot to braise fish, or cook pig’s leg (locally known as gia cay) or fake dog meat, braised beef with ginger and braised shrimp with lemon grass.

Com nieu continues play an important role in the Vietnamese culinary picture.

It is now available in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and is often presented to international diners, said Hai, noting that each locality, in the country’s three northern, central and southern regions, has their own version of com nieu, reflecting Vietnam’s culinary diversity.

Duong Quang Nghi, 55, from Los Angleles explained why he likes com nieu so much: “When having a business trip to Vietnam I often enjoy com nieu at a restaurant or at a pavement food stall with different dishes such as braised fish, salted eggplants or with crab soup. These places are where I can hold a traditional meeting with friends and where homeland flavour is being honoured via hot fragrant com nieu.”

Nghi said his US friends were also interested in com nieu and told him it is worth trying when visiting com nieu.

“Com nieu is not only a dish and a cultural bridge but also brings back childhood memories. Although times have passed, com nieu’s flavour will live forever in every Vietnamese's memory,” he said.

To sample tasty great and amazing com nieu in Hanoi, foodies are invited to restaurants. They include:

+ Vi An Restaurant at 145 Hoang Cau, Dong Da district; Opening hour from 10:30am to 22pm with price ranging from VND70,000-150,000 Hotline: 0904 816 145

+ To Uyen Restaurant at 101 C2 Pham Ngoc Thach street, Dong Da district. Opening hour: 10am-21pm. Hotline: 0378 867 762

+ Com Suon at 47 Dao Duy Tu, Hai Ba Trung district. Opening hour: 10am-22:30 pm. Phone number: 0904 113 553

+ Com Nieu KomHome Restaurant at 96B Nguyen Huy Tuong, Thanh Xuan district. Phone number: 024 3999 7373

+ Com Nieu Ha Noi - Tay Son at 17 alley 252 Tay Son street, Dong Da district. Opening hour: 10am-14:30pm / 17pm-21pm.

+ Com Nieu Gia Dinh at 75 Nguy Nhu Kon Tum street, Thanh Xuan district. Opening hour: 9am-21pm.