Pickled jellyfish on the streets of Hanoi
I encountered this strange dish recently while wandering around town on a particularly hot day. Served by a vendor from a shoulder-pole this bright red oddity drew my attention from across the street. A man waiting for his snack invited us to join in and he valiantly tried to describe what the food was. He got as far as ‘lives at the beach’ when his English failed. I wasn’t about to eat any seafood that looked raw from a lady in the street in 35 degree heat, not even under the guise of research.
The photographic evidence helped confirm my guess that this red slimy thing is jellyfish, called sua muoi. Having just watched seven pounds I am very content with my choice not to taste this delicacy. It is pickled with chilli, lime and spices and eaten with the pungent fermented Vietnamese purple shrimp sauce mắm tôm. Optional extras include batons of coconut, tofu and an assortment of herbs. Would you have tasted it?
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12 Comments
I don’t think I would be game! Pretty colour though.
.-= Fig and Cherry´s last blog ..Caramelised pear porridge =-.
I’m not sure I would eat this version, but it’s quite a common cold dish in Chinese cuisine, too, where it’s usually shredded and served with roast duck or pork. The Vietnamese version looks a little more confronting. I’m not sure I’d be down with the biggish chunks.
.-= Billy´s last blog ..Pho at Co Do =-.
I would try it but not under the conditions you described
why lili? why?
I mean, in theory it’s fine, but jellyfish has no flavour, does it? You may as well make a salad with the rest of the ingredients and not have pickled tastelessness. I’m so glad you didn’t try. Somethings are better left undiscovered.
.-= SydneyCider´s last blog ..Thai Green Curry with Chicken Recipe =-.
This looks interesting. I would love to see someone selling this on the streets of Sydney.
.-= Mark @ Cafe Campana´s last blog ..International Incident Party – Butterscotch Apple Dumplings =-.
gee what an interesting dish. never seen it before. so if the guy was going it eat it then i’m sure it would have been fine. but i probably would have waited for a lot of other people to eat it too. seems to have been pickled so essentially cooked as well i assume.
I had seen this around before, but had no clue what it was. Glad I didn’t taste it, as it was steaming hot when I saw it, too.
But I must say, it’s very pretty!
.-= Juria´s last blog ..Strong enough? =-.
ive eaten jelly fish on many occasions but they are usally in strips and yellow-white coloured. the vibrant red is definately something ive never encounted before. the creases on the second picture made me think it was raw beef! I would actually be game enough to give this a try!
wow, Vietnam never ceases to amaze me with their street food. I would try it, no pain no gain!
.-= Howard´s last blog ..How to cook a suckling pig on a spit roast =-.
Ahhh.. What I’d give to be able to walk around the streets of Vietnam and try all the various street food on offer. I haven’t been back since 10 years ago. I probably would have tried it. Although I’ve never seen it before, I thought they looked like strawberries even though the title of your post has jellyfish in it.
Yep, I’d try it. The Chinese version is thin, stringy and crunchy – much like eating yummy rubber bands (not selling it am I?). These look more gelatinous, like sea cucumber. I’d still try it, but if it was squishy like a semi solid booger, I wouldn’t be happy.
.-= Forager´s last blog ..Pigging out at Restaurant Atelier, Glebe =-.
Fig and Cherry: Apparently it is made in a similar way to kim chi!
Billy: I really like jellyfish in Chinese food, but arggh, not this!!
Rory Hart: It is a bit full on, right.
SydneyCider: Agreed!
Mark @ Cafe Campana: Haha would NEVER happen in Sydney. Hello red tape.
Simon Food Favourite: I’m sure it is fine and everything, but even cooked meat isn’t ‘safe’ if its left at 40 degrees for hours.
Juria: Pretty disgusting! Haha, yeah, it looks very impressive.
sugarpuffi: Good on you! Come to Hanoi, try it and tell me what it is like
Howard: Good on you! I just can’t take that approach to food, all the pleasure of eating is removed by eating random revolting stuff.
Phuoc’n Delicious: I had no idea what it was for ages either. I would have tasted it if I was with someone who was eating it, but I would have felt so guilty that I’d have had to choke down the majority of the plate.
Forager: Adventurous! I like the Chinese style jellyfish, but this was just too much. Unfortunately I think it would be squishy, I love your description!