[Hue, Vietnam] Chè or "sweet dessert soups" from Chè Mợ Tôn Đích

klyeoh · March 10, 2020, 2:09am

One of Hue’s dining pleasures - its HUGE selection of chè or sweet dessert soups. Whilst people from Hanoi or Saigon would only have one or two types of chè offered at a typical chè dessert stall, Hue’s chè stalls, on the other hand, have a mind-boggling variety - usually a dozen or more. Another thing that visiting Vietnamese customers, especially those from Hanoi, would notice is that chè from Hue would include coconut milk or coconut shreds added, giving the whole concoction a richer, tastier dimension compared to those from the north of the country.

Chè in Hue can be divided into two main categories: chè cung dinh (royal or imperial type of chè), and chè hem (street food chè). Both have their own specific characteristics and easily identifiable.

Over here in Hue, where a street chè stall can offer anything from a dozen or more types of chè at one place , one can mix-and-match several types of chè for one’s enjoyment - called chè thap cam, and is Vietnam’s answer to Singaporean/Malysian ice kachang, Filipino halo-halo or Thai nam kang sai/khanom wan ruam mit.

Chè Mợ Tôn Đích is one of the longest-standing such sweet dessert soup spots in Huế, and it shows: the little dessert place sprung up each evening in perhaps the most strategic location in town - on the Perfume River-front promenade, and right in front of the beautifully lit-up Vien Thuong Bac Gate, with the city’s iconic Trường Tiền Bridge in the background.

Chè Mợ Tôn Đích offers all types of traditional Huế sweet dessert soups, especially the famous roasted pork sweet dessert (chè bột lọc heo quay) which is much loved by its local clientele - but it was sold out by the time we got there at 8pm!

This place is perpetually crowded, so be prepared to wait - but, be persistent, and you’ll get what you want.

I had my fix: an iced chè thap cam (mixed concoction) consisting of che hoa cau (mung beans), che chuoi chung (banana with sago) and che bap (sweet corn). It was good, really good.

Have to come back for its chè bột lọc heo quay (tapioca flour dumplings encasing caramelised roast pork).

Address
Chè Mợ Tôn Đích - chè heo quay
2 Trần Hưng Đạo, Phú Hoà, Thành phố Huế
(In front of Vien Thuong Bac Gate, Hue City)
Thừa Thiên Huế, Vietnam
Tel: +84 234 3512 858
Opening hours: 6.30pm to 10pm daily

Presunto · March 10, 2020, 8:17am

Haha… these sweets are the few Vietnamese things I stay away from. The dumplings in syrup and snotty “che” are 2 big no-no Even the “che heo quay” can’t change my mind

I’m glad you enjoyed them.

klyeoh · March 10, 2020, 8:34am

Yes, very subjective kind of dishes - you either take to them, or you don’t. I’m perfectly okay - as, for example, their che hoa cau obviously shared the same origins as Singaporean tau suan, which is of Chinese-Teochew origin. In fact, the Vietnamese definition of che, i.e. sweet soup, mirrors the Chinese-Cantonese word for dessert, which is “tong sui”, or “sugar water”.

Not even che heo qua?!

Presunto · March 10, 2020, 1:28pm

No, absolutely not. I don’t like most sweet things. But in this case I would just eat the roasted pork without the sugar/syrup.

klyeoh · March 10, 2020, 2:42pm