Bedfish porridge: A strangely named specialty you must try in Quang Tri

Discover bedfish porridge, a famous dish of Quang Tri with bamboo-like noodles and sweet snakehead fish meat, priced from only 20,000 VND.

Rustic flavors make Quang Tri cuisine famous

Bedfish porridge is one of the most famous specialties of Hai Lang, Quang Tri . This dish was voted by the Vietnam Record Organization (Vietkings) into the Top 100 Vietnamese specialties in the period 2020-2021. Although made from familiar ingredients such as rice flour and snakehead fish, the dish makes a strong impression thanks to its unique flavor and strange name.

The name “bed sheet” comes from the shape of the rice flour. The dough is rolled thinly and cut into long strands, reminiscent of the bamboo slats on a traditional bed sheet. The dish is also known by other names such as snakehead fish noodle soup or Hai Lang rice porridge.

Snakehead fish porridge is also known as snakehead fish noodle soup or Hai Lang porridge. Photo: Hoai An

The secret from carefully selected ingredients

The appeal of bed snakehead fish porridge comes from the harmonious combination of two main ingredients: handmade rice noodles and fresh snakehead fish.

Soft and chewy rice noodles

To make standard noodles, the chef must choose delicious rice, not too sticky and not too dry. The rice is washed, soaked in water for a few hours and then ground. After being squeezed out of water, the dough is kneaded thoroughly by hand. This is the stage that determines the elasticity and softness of the noodles when cooked.

After kneading, the dough is rolled out thinly using bamboo tubes or glass bottles and then cut into strands. According to Ms. Thanh Mai, a restaurant owner in Dien Sanh commune (Quang Tri), "The kneading stage is considered an important factor in determining the quality of the porridge. For the porridge to be delicious, the dough strands must be delicious, have a certain elasticity, and not be too wet or too dry."

The rice flour used to make banh canh is selected from good rice and kneaded thoroughly so that when cooked it is elastic and chewy, without breaking or breaking. Photo: Chau Ngoc Nguyen

Sweet and sour snakehead fish meat

The main ingredient that creates the sweetness of the broth and the filling is snakehead fish. The fish must be fresh, of moderate size, and firm. The fish is cleaned of scales and carefully prepared. The special thing is that the fish's intestines are kept, cleaned, marinated and stir-fried to add more richness to the dish.

After steaming, the fish meat will be carefully deboned. This step requires meticulousness to remove all small bones. The fish meat is then marinated with typical spices such as shallots, shallots, garlic, chili and then simmered until firm. The fish bones are crushed, filtered to get the juice to cook the broth, creating a natural sweetness without using pork bones.

Snakehead fish is carefully selected and processed to ensure the porridge has the most delicious and sweet flavor. Photo: O Hien

Experience the full flavor

When a customer orders, the chef will add the noodles into the boiling broth. The porridge is ladled into a hot bowl, topped with the richly braised fish meat and fish intestines. The diners will taste the sweetness of the broth, the richness of the fish, the soft and chewy noodles combined with the spicy taste of pepper and chili.

Locals often enjoy steaming fish porridge, served with chopped shallots, fried onions and a little chili powder or fresh pepper. Ms. My Hanh (a tourist from Hanoi ) shared: “Although hot porridge with spicy chili makes me sweat, I still like to enjoy it like that to fully enjoy the flavor of the dish. This dish is even more attractive when eaten on cold days.”

Fish porridge is most delicious and authentic when eaten with shallots and dried chili powder. Photo: Hang Le

Information for visitors

Bedfish porridge can be enjoyed at any time of the day and all year round. Despite being a famous specialty, this dish is very affordable, starting from only 20,000 VND per bowl. This is a culinary experience not to be missed when tourists have the opportunity to visit Quang Tri.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/chao-ca-vat-giuong-dac-san-ten-la-phai-thu-o-quang-tri-397668.html