If you are are a fan of spicy food, this is the one Hue speciality you shouldn’t miss. To give you energy before a day of walking around the imperial city, have a bowl of com hen. The translation of this to English as ‘clam rice’ or ‘Tiny mussel rice’ is an understated label for what is a chaotic bowl of contrasting colors, tastes and textures: rice, tender stir-fried clams, crisp pork cracklings, peanuts, bean sprouts, julienned green apples, glass noodles, fried shallots, herbs and, chili sauce are tossed together along with a bowl of hot clam broth that you can add as you wish.

Mussel rice - a dish that seems very rustic but is an indispensable part of Hue cuisine. The cool white rice is put into a bowl and topped with stir-fried mussels, crispy fried pork skin, shrimp paste, some spices and herbs such as pennywort, sliced banana flowers, bean sprouts, shredded taro, roasted peanuts, etc. All of these simple ingredients create a masterpiece thanks to the natural sweetness of the mussels, the freshness of the vegetables, the fatty taste of the pork rinds, the nuttiness of the roasted peanuts, and more.

Com Hen (clam rice) is a popular local food in Hue, made with steamed jasmine rice, baby basket clams, crispy pork skins, roasted peanuts, shrimp paste, and fresh greens. It is typically enjoyed as a hearty breakfast dish, with the clams stir-fried with chopped garlic, onion, fish sauce, pepper, and mint leaves before being poured over the rice. Some restaurants may serve this dish with a bowl of clam broth and a platter of coriander leaves, shredded banana blossoms, and bean sprouts.

In the past, com hen or mussel rice was a sort of cuisine that was reserved exclusively for the less fortunate, and it was nearly always sold by street sellers. At this point, mussel rice has become a national specialty, and every tourist who comes to Hue wants to sample it. The process of sifting and winnowing the boiling mussels to separate the shell and the sand that is contained within the mussels is the most difficult stage in the preparation of mussel rice.

If you’re adventurous to try a brand new dish, don’t miss out on cơm hến at Com Hen 17. As one of the oldest and most beloved clam rice spots in Hue (more than 20 years), this place has long been a local favorite for its traditional preparation and budget-friendly price—starting from just 15,000 VND. The dish, made with rice, baby clams, herbs, crispy pork skin, and chili paste, offers a complex flavor explosion in every bite.

The story of Com Hen is the story of the Vietnamese working class and middle class. Com Hen went all its way to the King’s dining table and then returned to the markets, and sidewalks – where it originally belonged to. Com Hen is composed of all the most simple and easiest-to-find ingredients which are cooked rice, baby basket clams, herbs, mints, fish sauce, fried shallots, and roasted peanuts….

Com Hen is such a very unique cuisine of Hue that contains rice, boiled mussel, star fruit, fish sauce, cabbage, onion, pepper, peanut, chili, and a variety of herbs. The specialty is all of these elements are cold. When people eat Com Hen, they add all the above ingredients to a bowl, and slowly add boiled mussel broth with chili sauce into the bowl (the broth is the only hot thing in Com Hen).

Com hen is a very famous specialty of Hue consisting of rice, baby basket clams, fried pork skins, roasted peanuts, shrimp paste and fresh herbs. Commonly served as breakfast, the simple and rustic com hen is often paired with a bowl of clam broth, shredded banana blossoms and bean sprouts. There are lots of food stalls inside Dong Ba market selling this Hue specialty at a quite cheap price.

The story of Com Hen is the story of Vietnamese working class and middle-class. Com Hen went all its way to the King’s dining table and then returned to the markets, sidewalks – where it originally belonged to. Com Hen is composed of all the most simple and easiest-to-find ingredients which are cooked cooked rice, baby basket clams, herbs, mints, fish sauce, fried shallots, roasted peanuts….

Com hen is a simple yet flavorful Hue foodmade of rice, clams, and local spices. This traditional dish is typically served with an array of toppings including pork rinds, peanuts, fried shallots, and a generous fish sauce drizzle. Local herbs and vegetables such as mint, basil, and banana flowers are also added, further enhancing the combination with additional layers of taste and texture.

One dish that is unique to Hue is Com Hen a dish comprising of hot mussel and chilli broth poured over rice mussels and variety of vegetables and herbs to create a rich and delicious medley of flavours. This dish, like many traditional foods in Hue, is known for being extremely spicy so although the main ingredients, apart from the broth, are cold, this dish is fiery in flavour.

Besides Hue beef noodle soup, mussel rice is also an old dish, very famous in most of Hue markets. Mussel rice is very simple to make, combining white rice, fat, herbs, peanuts, Hue fish sauce, and especially sweet and sour fried mussels is already a mussel rice dish. As you can see, the Hue Food Markets have something to offer everyone; from locals to visitors alike.

It began life as a peasant’s dish, made to use up leftover rice, but became well known for its intricate flavours and is now a popular Hue food. Baby mussels, clams, and clam broth are combined with fried pork fat, roasted peanuts, crispy rice crackers, chilli peppers, star fruit, and shrimp sauce. The result is an interesting balance of sweet, salty, sour and spice.

Mussel rice is a dish including boiled rice and a kind of Asian mollusk. This is one of Hue's typical dishes that is not to be missed. Taste a bite of Cơm Hến, you will feel the sweetness of fried mussel, the sharp taste of ginger, the spiciness of chilli, as well as the crunchiness of herbs and soybean sprouts, combining the nutty taste of roasted peanuts.

Com Hen is a rustic, simple dish but has a strong flavor of Hue Food. When eating, Com Hen is placed in a bowl with added mussels, green mango, chili, roasted peanuts, and raw vegetables. You will taste the sweetness of mussels, the sour taste of green mango, the spicy taste of chili, the aromatic taste of raw vegetables, and the rich taste of spices.

The base of rice (or sometimes noodles) is layered with baby clams, crunchy pork cracklings, peanuts, herbs, banana blossom, and a ladle of warm clam broth. It’s salty, spicy, nutty, and fresh all at once. A specialty from nearby Con Hen islet, this dish is local through and through, made from what the river gives and what the people make of it.

A culinary embodiment of Hue cuisine, Com Hen is a textural and flavor masterpiece. A combination of stir-fried baby clams, fragrant rice, crispy pork cracklings, peanuts, and a mix of fresh herbs, it creates a symphony of crunch and softness. Garnished with chili to give it an extra kick, the dish is a must-try for all spice lovers.

Some Hue dishes have been listed as the country’s best foods by Vietnam’s Record Book such as bun bo (beef noodles), com hen (rice with mussels), banh beo (rice cake with grilled shrimp), banh bot loc (dumplings with shrimp), banh khoai (fried rice crepes), che hat sen (sweet lotus seed pudding), and tom chua (pickled shrimp)

Cơm hến, or “clam rice,” is a spicy yet cool rice dish made with tiny stir-fried river clams. Added ingredients include fried shallots, peppers, green onion, mint, pork rinds, peanuts, and – of course – Vietnam’s nuoc mam (fish sauce). Local people will claim that foreigners can’t eat it because it makes them sick.

Cơm Hến is a simple yet flavorful dish that’s deeply rooted in Hue’s food culture. It’s a bowl of white rice topped with tiny stir-fried clams, crispy pork skin, roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, and bean sprouts. A dash of chili flakes and a drizzle of fish sauce or shrimp paste add an extra punch of flavor.

The next dish in the what-to-eat list when visiting Hue is Com Hen - Rice with mussels. At first, Com Hen was just for peasants because it was made by using up leftover rice in the house. However, over the time, this food became popular among all kinds of classes in Hue fors its distinctive flavours.

I asked the owner of my hotel for com hen recommendations and he pointed me to this street food restaurant across the Nhu Y River. It was the only time I had the version made with rice. Com hen is tasty but I couldn’t get past the fact that I wish I had ordered bun hen instead.

Mussel rice has appeared in the daily life of locals for a long time. In ancient times, the dish was taken to serve the King of Trieu Thi as a specialty of Con Hen. That flavor made him very content, so it became one of the court meals.

Com hen ( mussel rice) is a very famous food to eat in Hue that tourists should never miss. It is combination of fried fat pock, mussel, rice, chili pepper and fresh vegetable. Hue mussel rice is the first choice for breakfast.

Components to make Com hen is not simple, it includes a dozen kinds of spices. Everything is harmony; it is just spicy, fleshy, and sweet by water. In Hue, “hen” is not as big as other one but the broth is very charming.

Mussel rice is a famous dish in Hue that the travelers should not miss. It is a combination of rice, mussels, greaves, peppers and fresh vegetables. In truly, it is the first choice for breakfast.

Claim rice is an amazing dish which is made by rice, clam and local spices. This is one of a famous dish in Hue for locals. A bowl of rice claim is really cheap, it is roughly 15,000 VNĐ.

Com Hen – Clam rice is very famous Hue street food all the time and become daily snack for everyone eat. This type of Hue dishes also has noodle and porridge so you can try even more

A local recommendation later and I was venturing under a bridge by the Perfume River to a bustling bowl in the wall - Cơm Hến 17.

Com Hen: Rice with cooked mussels, peanuts, pork rinds, and star fruit. It might not sound great, but it’s delicious!

Foreigners can’t eat this,” I was told off-handedly when I first tried cơm hến, or “clam rice,” a decade ago.