“Vả” is a variety of Fig fruit family and mostly planted in Hue. It is modestly hidden in the garden corner but highly appreciated due to various usage in gastronomy. Fig is a bell-shaped fruit with a wide, flat bottom narrowing to a pointed top. Its skin is green while its meat is white.
How do Huế people eat Vả?
In other region of Vietnam, “Vả” also exists but is not tasty and people do not use for making salad as Hue people do. Different from the Fig Salad in the West, which are comprised of many kinds of veggies, cheese. Hue styled fig salad “Vả Trộn” is usually made of green fruits, sliced into pieces mixed with herbs. The fig needs to be big, with a lot of meat. After picking, it is then boiled, drained and cut into pieces. We normally add with shrimp, pork, sesame, etc and fish sauce… The salad has a soft texture yet very flavorful!
“Vả trộn” used to be regarded as a royal dish. However, it is often found at family gatherings or big parties with less sophisticated presentation. The dish is served with rice crackers “Bánh tráng”, and makes it a local pride “Vả trộn xúc bánh tráng”. The fig salad is served with rice cracker. If you are interested to pick the real fig from the garden, make and taste this delicacy, why not join our immersive tours to Thuy Bieu village or Kim Long village. Together with the host, you will join hand to prepare this simple yet delicious dish.
Explore the recipe of Vả – Hue typical salad
Ingredients: (For 2 persons)
- 5 mature, green figs
- 100gr of shrimp
- 100gr lean pork
- Green onions, garlic
- Vietnamese coriander or mint
- Sesame or roasted peanuts
- Rice cracker
- Spice (salt, pepper…), cooking oil
Preparation
Step 1: Boil ripe figs in boiling water, 10 minutes. If you can use chopsticks to skewer it, the figs are well cooked. Use a knife or spoon to scrape the skin. Slice the fig thinly. It is necessary to squeeze slices to remove the bitter taste of the figs. Shrimps are also peeled. If the shrimps are big, cut it into small pieces or halve it, then stir-fry it with finely chopped lean meat, onions and spices.
Step 2: Put the pan on the stove, saute onion and a little annatto oil for colour. Add the dried figs and mix well. Then add shrimp, previously sautéed meat and stir well. Seasoning again to suit your taste.
Step 3: When the meat and shrimp are well stirred with figs, about 5 minutes, then add sliced Vietnamese coriander, roasted sesame. Mix well, turn off the heat. Present fig salad on a plate and serve with delicious rice cracker.
Bon Appetit!
