Central Sensations - Part 3 [ yUng chewies ]

Each afternoon, when citizens of Huế are hankering for a lil' snacking between lunch and dinner a few Vietnamese 'tapas' [dare i say?] style steamed dishes are on offer all over town to satiate hunger pronto.

The most well known in Việt Nam among these three are bánh bèo. Little steamed rice flour disks sprinkled with dried shredded pork and shrimp. You may also see mung bean paste or chopped green onions atop your bèo. A bowl of sugary fish sauce dip is provided to saturate these chewies with sweetness.

bánh bột lọc. A somewhat unidentifiable looking plate of steamed tapioca flour dumplings. Stuffed inside the gel-like globs are whole shrimp- head and all. Keep chewin...

bánh nậm. Take some rice flour yet again, and then steam it inside banana leaves with a shrimp, pork and green onion paste. The spread is savory and full o' flava, but dip it in fish sauce just to round it out.

I pulled the bánh triple play on this afternoon so after all three dishes the jaws were a tad sore. I could grub on these every once and a while, but probably not an everyday thing for me. Still, a light snack to hold you over until the evening sit down.

Stay Global.