Hai Phong specialty porridge and its differences from regular porridge

GĐXH – Porridge is usually cooked with rice grains. But Hai Phong's khoai porridge uses rice flour and ground sticky rice cooked with bone broth and green vegetable broth - creating a rustic specialty with a light jade green color, thick and smooth... Enjoying it.

First time hearing about Hai Phong's porridge

We arrived in Hai Phong when the afternoon was falling, and told the driver to find a Hai Phong crab noodle shop to enjoy. He said that crab noodle soup was delicious at noon, but after the storm, it was afternoon, so it was more appropriate to enjoy Hai Phong's porridge, eating it was... enjoyable...

The group heard the name of porridge for the first time, so they were excited about this strange dish. The car turned into a market called Lac Vien. Opening the car door and stepping out, they could smell the fragrant aroma of fried onions. Looking around, they saw a silver-haired old woman stirring a wooden ladle in a pot of porridge that was boiling. Strangely, the pot of porridge was a jade green color. Nearby, some parents were taking their children to school, and young men and women were slurping hot bowls of porridge.

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Seeing our group enter, the old lady warmly greeted us, but her hands still quickly stirred and scooped the porridge into a bowl, sprinkled some mung beans, added a layer of golden fried onions... the aroma rose up to seduce the sense of smell, no need for meat or fish, but the delicious, warm aroma from the tip of the tongue to the stomach and spread throughout the body.

Hai Phong people are proud of their rustic specialty porridge. Delicious Hai Phong porridge contains purity, delicacy and the heart of the cook. Porridge used to be a simple afternoon meal, but now it has become a symbol of serenity, of simple joy in the cuisine of the port city, and a longing of Hai Phong people living far away from home.

It is known that a bowl of Hai Phong porridge (about 350ml) provides about 320-350 kcal, rich in protein, fiber, B vitamins, calcium, zinc, iron - very good for digestion, light on the stomach but still enough energy - worthy of "eating this bowl of porridge and feeling happy immediately".

The porridge seller also contributed, saying that Hai Phong's porridge now, in addition to the traditional way of cooking, also has a "modern version" of porridge - so that anyone far from home can cook it and "enjoy" it right from the first spoonful.

Hai Phong porridge has a simple name that evokes emotions associated with the port city for generations. The smooth green porridge pot, mixed with bone broth, green beans and fried onions, is simple yet sophisticated and pure. Once eaten, you will remember it forever.

Hai Phong's Hai Khoai porridge has a different green color than other types of porridge. Photo from the internet

Distinguishing between porridge and other types of porridge

Unlike regular porridge cooked with rice, Khoi porridge uses finely ground rice flour (usually mixed with regular rice and sticky rice). The water used to cook Chao is bone broth and green vegetable broth (made from Malabar spinach, pandan leaves, or spinach) to give the porridge a light jade green color, thick and smooth, without any rice grains.

On top of the porridge, people sprinkle "mung bean balls" — made from steamed, mashed, balled, and thinly sliced ​​mung beans — along with crispy fried onions. That's all, but when the spoonful of porridge touches your lips, the sweetness of the bone broth, the richness of the mung beans, the aroma of fried onions, and the coolness of the green vegetables blend together, creating a smooth, pleasant, and... "pleasant" feeling as the name suggests.

Chao khoai is different from other porridge dishes, with some highlights as follows:

Criteria	Delicious porridge	Regular porridge
Main ingredients	Finely ground rice flour (can mix sticky rice + regular rice)	Whole grain rice (glutinous rice, sticky rice depending on the type of porridge)
How to cook	Mix flour + bone broth, stir well to avoid lumps	Rice + water, boil until rice is soft and fluffy
Smoothness	Thick, smooth, no rice grains, has "seamless" consistency	Have rice grains, cook until soft but still let the rice grains be visible
Color	Light green color (from Malabar spinach leaves or pandan leaves) when adding vegetable water when the porridge is almost cooked.	White or slightly ivory, depending on the quality of rice and broth
Taste & Flavor	Sweet taste of bones + rich taste of mung beans + fragrant fried onions + light smell of green vegetables	The main flavor is sweet or strong depending on the type of porridge (chicken porridge, fish porridge...)
Decoration & side dishes	With sliced ​​green beans and fried onions	Usually added with meat, fish, herbs, onions, pepper… but without the characteristic “green bean paste” of porridge.

Because it uses flour and vegetable water to create color, the porridge has a strange light green color, and because there are no coarse rice grains, when eaten, you can clearly feel the smooth "seamless" consistency. The characteristic flavor of porridge is sweet - rich - fragrant with onion, a spoonful goes smoothly down the esophagus, leaving a sweet aftertaste, pleasant and light on the stomach.

How to cook Hai Phong porridge

Chao khoai – eating is fun, living to enjoy every moment. Chao khoai is also the culinary culture of Hai Phong people: pure but rich, simple but sophisticated from ingredients to presentation.

Ingredients to cook Hai Phong-style porridge

(serves 4-5 people)

Bones or spare ribs: 800g

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Rice: 100g

Glutinous rice: 150g

Shelled mung beans: 250g

Malabar spinach (or fresh pandan leaves): 150g

5 dried shallots, salt, seasoning powder, fish sauce, pepper, cooking oil, green onions.

How to cook delicious porridge

Step 1 – Cook the bone broth

Blanch the bones, then simmer for 45 minutes with 1.5 liters of water. While boiling, skim off the foam to filter the clear water.

Step 2 – Make green vegetable juice

Blend Malabar spinach (or other vegetables) with water, filter to get 150ml of dark green juice - set aside to add to the porridge pot when almost cooked.

Step 3 – Prepare green beans

Soak for 2 hours, steam until cooked, mash, form into a block and slice thinly.

Step 4 – Mix the flour to cook the porridge

Grind sticky rice + regular rice with 700ml water, let it settle for 30 minutes then filter to get the thick powder.

Step 5 – Cook porridge

Bring the broth to a boil, stirring while adding the flour. Simmer for about 20 minutes until smooth. Add the vegetable broth, season with salt, seasoning powder, and fish sauce. Stir gently for 5 minutes then turn off the heat.

Step 6 – Flight

Thinly sliced ​​shallots, fried with cooking oil until golden brown.

Ladle porridge into bowls, sprinkle with green beans, fried onions, pepper, and green onions. Serve hot, the porridge is smooth as velvet, with a light aroma.

Hai Phong's rustic Khoai porridge is very heartwarming - because in every drop of porridge is the love of Hai Phong people, the delicacy, ingenuity and simple joy of life. The name "khoai" is like a reminder: live happily, eat well and find joy in every little thing in life.

Tips

Using fresh ground flour makes the porridge smoother and naturally sweeter.

Do not add vegetable juice too early to keep the color fresh.

You can add minced shrimp, lean meat or spare ribs for more deliciousness.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/dac-san-chao-khoai-hai-phong-va-nhung-diem-khac-biet-voi-chao-thong-thuong-172251019161806438.htm