Seafood porridge - a must-try dish when coming to Hai Phong

GĐXH - In the midst of modern life, seafood porridge is a modern version of porridge, so that anyone who has enjoyed it will forever remember the sweet, rustic "pork" on the tip of their tongue and in their heart.

Seafood porridge – upgraded from traditional flavor

A pristine morning in Hai Phong , when the dew still lingers on the old banyan trees, the smell of the sea mixed with the smell of fried onions quietly permeates the small street. Ms. Hai Ha - a Hai Phong native took me to eat seafood porridge - a modern version of Hai Phong porridge. She said she heard that at the corner of Le Loi Street there is a small shop selling delicious seafood porridge - a specialty of Hai Phong port city. She had never eaten it before, so now that I was here, she took me there to enjoy it.

The owner is said to be an old chef who used to work in a big hotel and now runs a small restaurant. He smiles and welcomes customers, pouring ladlefuls of thick green porridge into bowls. Using the same rustic porridge base, he adds shrimp, fish, and oysters – the flavors of Hai Phong sea to the porridge bowl.

Now, some restaurants in Hai Phong have also upgraded the traditional porridge dish to "seafood porridge". That is, the smooth green porridge base is still cooked from rice flour and sticky rice, mixed with bone broth and spinach juice (or pandan leaves). But the sea flavor is added from toppings such as tiger prawns, snakehead fish, oysters, quail eggs - each with its own color and aroma. All are delicately presented in a white porcelain bowl (or black stone bowl), drizzled with a smooth layer of scallion oil, and dotted with a few slices of red chili and coriander for full flavor and color.

A spoonful of seafood porridge is a wonderful blend, with the sweetness of porridge, the richness of green beans, the light fat of oysters, the mild aroma of fried onions... all melting together to create the feeling of "eating is fun, looking is fun too".

Seafood porridge and rustic porridge. Photo from internet

Comparison of rustic porridge and modern seafood porridge

My friend, who is a nutritionist, observed that a bowl of seafood porridge (about 350 ml) provides about 320-350 kcal. Of which, about 20-22g of protein from shrimp, fish, oysters, and green beans helps the body stay healthy and strong. At the same time, there are 4-6g of fiber, which is good for digestion. In addition, there are also vitamins B, E, zinc, iron, and calcium: which help beautify the skin, increase immunity, and strengthen bones. Just enough energy: a light meal that still feels full for a long time, suitable for both morning and afternoon.

Criteria	Rustic porridge	"Dat Hai Phong" seafood porridge
Main ingredients	Finely ground rice flour, bone broth, spinach juice, green beans, fried onions	Traditional green porridge base + toppings of shrimp, fish, oysters, quail eggs
Color	Light, smooth, natural jade green from Malabar spinach	Bright green, coated with shiny onion oil, with pink shrimp – white fish – yellow egg color
The main position	Fresh, rich, slightly sweet from bones and mung beans	Sweet and fresh with the taste of the sea, lightly fatty and fragrant with fried onions
Feeling when eating	Smooth, warm, simple like a country dinner	Full flavor - warm and luxurious, suitable for restaurants and specialty menus
Present	Jade enamel bowl with fried onions on top	White porcelain bowl or black stone bowl, toppings arranged in artistic layers of color
Meaning	Rustic, familiar symbol	The quintessence of Hai Phong cuisine - a blend of tradition and modernity

How to cook modern seafood porridge

Ingredients for cooking seafood porridge

(for 4 servings)

Glutinous rice: 150g

Rice: 100g

Pork bones: 700g (simmer to get 1.5 liters of broth)

Shelled mung beans: 200g

Malabar spinach (or pandan leaves): 150 g (blend and filter to get 150 ml of green juice)

King prawns: 200g (peeled, de-veined), snakehead fish fillet: 200g, oysters: 100g, quail eggs: 8.

Shallots: 5 bulbs (fried until golden brown and crispy)

Salt, seasoning powder, fish sauce, pepper, cooking oil, green onion, Vietnamese coriander, red chili for decoration.

Seafood porridge bowl. Photo from internet.

How to cook delicious porridge

Cook green base for delicious porridge

Grind sticky rice and regular rice with 700 ml of water, let it settle, and filter to get the thick powder.

Simmer the bone marrow for 45 minutes → filter to get clear water.

When the broth boils, slowly pour in the flour, stirring constantly to avoid clumping. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes until the porridge is smooth, then add the spinach juice and stir gently. Season with salt, seasoning powder, and fish sauce to taste.

Tips for cooking delicious porridge

Do not add vegetable water to cook porridge from the beginning, because that will make the porridge lose its color and smell of grass.

Prepare seafood

Clean the prawns, marinate lightly with salt, fish sauce, pepper, then quickly pan-fry until firm and keep the pink-orange color.

Steamed snakehead fish, separate the fibers, drizzle with scallion oil until shiny.

Blanch oysters quickly for 30 seconds with ginger to remove the fishy smell.

Boil quail eggs, cut in half (can fry the cut side for beauty).

Ingredients to prepare seafood porridge. Photo from internet.

Prepare green beans and fried onions

Soak mung beans for 2 hours then steam for 20 minutes → mash, form into balls. When preparing porridge to eat, slice thinly and sprinkle on top of porridge.

• 

  A dark spot, a short breath... also signals where the body is clogged with toxins and how to detoxify through diet READ NOW

Fry onions until golden brown and crispy, drain oil.

Food presentation

Scoop and pour green porridge into a bowl (200–250 ml).

Sprinkle a light layer of mashed mung beans on top.

Arrange shrimp, fish, oysters, quail eggs in an arc.

Sprinkle with fried onions, pepper, green onions and red chili.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of scallion oil to make the porridge shiny and fragrant.

High-end restaurant versions may add 10ml of heavy cream to give the porridge a glossy finish and a light richness without overpowering the sea smell.

Seafood porridge - an upgraded version of the traditional porridge is a new delicacy on the culinary map of Hai Phong people. The porridge's flavor is pure and rich like the character of coastal people; simple yet sophisticated from the choice of ingredients to the way of presentation. The modern version of seafood porridge still retains the soul of the countryside, so that anyone who has tasted it will forever remember the sweet "khoai" on the tip of the tongue and in the heart.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/chao-khoai-hai-san-mon-ngon-nhat-dinh-phai-thu-khi-den-hai-phong-172251020194457838.htm