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Cơm hến, Huế cold rice with baby clams

Cơm hến, Huế cold rice with baby clams

Main dishes

“Com hen,” a specialty of Hue: cold rice topped with small fried clams, crunchy vegetables, peanuts, fried pig’s skin, and shrimp paste, served with hot c…

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Recipe from Luciaminhhang, Iosraia, AmieKim, adapted by Recette de cuisine · · updated on

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In Hue, “com hen” is a popular dish: cold rice mixed with small, sautéed clams, shrimp paste, crunchy vegetables, fried shrimp cakes, and grilled rice cakes. The clam broth, which is milky in appearance, is typically drunk warm alongside the dish.

Ingredients and directions

  • Prep time40 min
  • Cook time30 min
  • Resting30 min
  • Total1 hr 40 min
  • DifficultyMedium
  • CostBudget
  • Cooking methodsaucepan
  • Estimated cost$15.09 $2.52 / serving Estimated price; varies by store. Converted from euros at the ECB rate of October 15, 2026.

Ingredients

6 people

Oysters and rice

  • $0.87
  • $0.06

Vegetables

  • $5.36

Condiments

  • $0.16
  • $0.19
  • $1.90
  • $0.73
  • $0.04
  • $0.45
  • $0.14
  • $0.13
  • $4.19
  • $0.87

Prices from US supermarkets for 12 of 13 ingredients; Belgian prices for the rest.

Directions

  1. Thoroughly wash the mussels, place them in a pot with enough water to cover them, and cover. After a few minutes, when the steam rises and the top shells open, remove from the heat.
  2. With a thick dishcloth, hold the stockpot by the handles and shake it vigorously to loosen the meat. Remove the shells and set the meat aside: the mussels release a lot of liquid. ≈ 3 min
  3. Let the juice rest, then strain it into a small saucepan: it should be a milky white color. Keep it warm, with a few slices of ginger if you like.
  4. Cook the rice, fluff it with a fork, and let it cool.
  5. Quickly sauté the clam meat in oil with garlic, along with some shrimp paste and chili pepper.
  6. In each bowl, place cold rice, mussels, vegetables, peanuts, fried skin, rice cakes, and your choice of condiments; serve the hot broth alongside, to be added to taste.

The bill

Cơm hến, Huế cold rice with baby clams

  • Approximately 200g of good quality rice$0.87
  • 1 tablespoon of garlic-infused oil$0.06
  • Lettuce and aromatic herbs, in wide strips$5.36
  • Ground chili pepper, mixed with a little oil and garlic.$0.16
  • Fresh chili peppers$0.19
  • chopped garlic$1.90
  • Toasted sesame seeds$0.73
  • salt$0.04
  • French fries made with peanuts, including the skin.$0.45
  • thinly sliced ginger$0.14
  • Fried pork rinds, cut into strips or “grattons”$0.13
  • Boiled white sweet potato, cooled, and cut into small cubes.$4.19
  • Grilled rice cakes, crumbled$0.87

Total$15.09

that's $2.52 per person

Estimated price; varies by store.

Equipment

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Before you start

Ingredients

  • 3 to 5 kilograms of live, freshwater shrimp (hến), still in their shells
  • Approximately 200g of good quality rice
  • A few slices of ginger (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon of garlic-infused oil
  • Lettuce and aromatic herbs, in wide strips
  • Banana heart, taro (bạc hà) stems, and carambola, cut into strips or thin slices.
  • Ground chili pepper, mixed with a little oil and garlic.
  • Fresh chili peppers
  • chopped garlic
  • Toasted sesame seeds
  • salt
  • French fries made with peanuts, including the skin.
  • Hue shrimp paste (mắm ruốc), diluted in a small amount of hot water
  • thinly sliced ginger
  • Fried pork rinds, cut into strips or “grattons”
  • Boiled white sweet potato, cooled, and cut into small cubes.
  • Grilled rice cakes, crumbled

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