BUN DAU MAM TOM - RICE VERMICELLI WITH FRIED TOFU & SHRIMP PASTE

Stinky yet delicious, “Bun dau mam tom” is a controversial dish for many travelers and food lovers visiting Vietnam as the pungent shrimp paste is the key to its ultimate flavor. Hanoi locals savor “Bun dau mam tom” a lot since it is one of the best choices for lunch. Is “Bun dau mam tom” that scary? May Silk Path convince you NOT-AT-ALL!

A special dish for daredevils

As the name suggests, the dish includes “bun” (rice vermicelli), usually daily-made and freshly served, “dau” (deep-fried tofu cut in crispy brown fried cubes), and the magical “mam tom” (fermented shrimp paste) – the special ingredients described as a knock-out for unprepared foodies.

The very soul of this delicacy, “mam tom” is often served in a palm-sized bowl just half-filled so the “challengers” can add extra seasoning of kumquat juice or sugar to their liking. Whisking the mixture afterward combines the different scents into a wholesome, surface-fluffy, and extremely pungent mixture. There is no broth for “Bun dau mam tom” as diners can dip rice vermicelli, tofu, assorted herbs, cucumber slices, and maybe steamed pork, steamed pig offal, deep-fried spring rolls, or deep-fried green rice patties into “mam tom”, having the best or worst of their lives. The rice vermicelli for “Bun dau” is “bun la”, noodles pressed into patches and cut into cubes while serving.

Vendors or restaurant owners often use “met” – a round flat bamboo container to present and banana leaves to present because “Bun dau mam tom” is a signature dish of Hanoi as well as Northern Vietnamese villages.