In the small village of Ha My (currently known as Ha My Dong A and Ha My Dong B, Dien Duong Ward, Dien Ban Town, Quang Nam Province, there is a rustic dish called ‘Tam Huu’ that is only seen in death anniversary celebrations.

Delicious 'Tam Huu'

It is hardly an exaggeration to say that ‘Tam Huu’ is a "rare" dish in the countryside by the Co Co River and by the Ha My sea.

Although it is a rare dish, even if you are not very skillful, you can still make ‘Tam Huu’, because the ingredients and preparation are quite simple.

‘Tam Huu’ means three friends and the “three friends” are the main ingredients. It is a type of Vietnamese spring roll which uses the ingredients of prawns, pork and herbs. To make the spring roll, instead of using rice paper, spring onion leaves are used to wrap around the prawns and pork.

According to the experience of housewives in Ha My village, to have a delicious Tam Huu dish, the first thing to do is to buy a bunch of prawns that have just been caught from the Lo Gach, De Vong and Ben Tre rivers early in the morning.

It is quite simple to make the dish. All you need is to boil the prawns and pork, and then slice the boiled pork and peel the boiled prawns. Take a blanched scallion leaf and pinch some mint and coriander at the base. Add in a piece of pork and prawns. Wrap around it with blanched scallion leaf. The dish is best served with sour and sweet sauce.

The sweetness of the prawns and pieces of the pork belly, and the aroma of the scallion, basil and coriander make the Tam Huu dish unique and the taste so much sweeter.

The dish is often displayed in the middle of the table along with many familiar dishes in death anniversary celebrations in the countryside. This simple, rustic dish, steeped in traditional cuisine, is like a reminder, like the love and the nostalgia of those living far away for a homeland.

Reporting by DUNG HONG - Translating by M.DUNG