This post is a continuation from Halong Bay: The Food.
One of the challenges of travelling through Vietnam is how to pronounce the word ‘pho’! It seems it derives from the French word ‘feu’ (like ‘fir’ in English but shortened) as in ‘pot au feu’ meaning a meaty, vegetable soup. But we could not quite nail the pronunciation. Is it ‘foe’, ‘fir’, ‘foo’, ‘far’ or something else? Maybe it varies between regions and individuals in Vietnam. In Hue, we would reconnect with pho, however it is pronounced!
Key attractions in Hue are the Imperial City complex and the Perfume River and its bank-side monuments.
We flew from Hanoi to Hue, arriving at our hotel just in time for a late meal at a nearby restaurant that introduced to us to the specialties of central Vietnam. The next day was packed with activities, starting with the Hue version of pho for breakfast.
We won’t give a recipe for pho: recipes abound and they vary from writer to writer and region to region.
In between monuments and other highlights we would eat and drink rather well. There was a gorgeous cafe at one end of the Imperial Palace where we learnt about Vietnamese coffee while we looked out over the moat surrounding the complex. 
There were markets, of course, with more produce that was new to us.
Lunch was at a well-known vegetarian restaurant, Lien Hoa. There were several eating areas and it was possible to wander down towards the kitchen and preparation areas. You could see delicacies being prepared that would eventually be delivered to your table.
A vegetable soup was remarkable. Our guide summarised the process for us, but we have not had the chance to test it out.
Vegetable stock/soup:
– Pear (or apple) – chopped, mashed, squeezed
– Add to water to make a stock with carrot
– Drain stock and discard pear/apple and carrot
– Add pieces of semi-ripe pineapple
– Add sliced white normal cabbage
– Lemon grass (optional)
– Salt and pepper
– Serve with Thai basil, coriander and other herbs on top
We would spend the afternoon visiting the Tu Duc tomb complex.
After a quick freshen up at the hotel, our guide led us out the door, along the street, into some alley ways and then into a modest dwelling for one of the highlights of our tour:
Mum was the cook and her assistants were her three sons.
From the several dishes we tried, a meat soup was the one that attracted most interest. Again our guide summarised the process for us; another dish we are still to test.
Perfumed meat soup:
– Marinate some minced lean beef in some pepper and fish sauce
– Stir fry to just cook then add water to give a thin soup/stock
– Add lemon grass
– Cinnamon
– Add Thai basil when served
The next day we would drive to Hoi An, via Da Nang.
Click here for the next stop in our gourmet tour of Vietnam: Hoi An – The Sights.