Tôm chua Huế — sour shrimp with simmered pork and rice-paper wraps

Rinse the rice until the water is mostly clear. Cook it with the amount of water recommended for the rice and cooker. Keep it covered on the warm setting while you prepare the rest of the meal.

Put the pork belly in a large pot with 2.5 L water, ginger, onion and 8 g salt. Bring to a boil, skim, then cover and simmer gently until tender and the thickest part reaches at least 63°C; allow about 55–70 minutes and verify with a thermometer. Rest the pork for 3 minutes. Transfer it with clean utensils to a clean bowl of ice water for 10 minutes to cool quickly, drain, then refrigerate until cool, about 20 minutes.

Stir 15 g sugar into 45 ml warm water until dissolved. Cool, then mix with 30 ml lime juice and 10 g minced garlic. Add the sliced chili if using. This fresh dipping sauce accompanies the meal; it is not a ferment.

Slice the cooled pork belly thinly. Arrange the pork, 300 g ready-to-eat tôm chua, steamed rice, lettuce, mint, rau răm, cucumber, starfruit, green banana if using, and drained pickles on six plates. Keep the fermented shrimp refrigerated until serving and follow its package directions after opening.

At the table, soften each rice-paper sheet briefly in clean water according to its package. Add a little pork, tôm chua, rice and vegetables, roll and serve with the lime-garlic sauce. Refrigerate perishable leftovers within 2 hours. Use cooked pork and rice within 3–4 days; the opened condiment has a separate shelf life set by its producer.