Bitter leaf soup is a specialty of Thanh Hoa, usually cooked with pig intestines, beef intestines, chicken intestines or minced chicken or pork. Many families vary the dish with shrimp, perch, anchovies, herring, etc. depending on their preferences. The most popular is bitter leaf soup cooked with intestines and viscera, so many people jokingly call it “bitter heart soup”.

The bitter plant is a forest plant, often growing in ravines, forest edges, and streams in mountainous areas. Later, people brought it home to plant in their gardens. The plant is green all year round, growing best in the rainy season. The leaves are long and slender, growing in clusters like cassava leaves, with a characteristic bitter taste. The leaves can be eaten raw, cooked fresh, or dried. To make delicious soup, people often choose medium-sized leaves - not too old, not too young.

Long, slender bitter leaves. Photo: Truong Hong Nhung/Them Ly

Ms. Truong Hong Nhung (from Hoang Hoa, Thanh Hoa, currently living in Khanh Hoa ) said that when she was little, her parents often cooked bitter leaf soup for meals. "At first, I didn't like it because the bitter taste was hard to eat, but after eating it many times, I got used to it and became addicted without realizing it. Now living far away from home, I still miss that rustic flavor but rarely get to enjoy it."

According to Ms. Nhung, this dish is very special because the bitterness has sweetness and richness. The bitterness quickly dissolves, giving way to the cool taste of the leaves that lingers in the throat, mixed with the sweetness of the broth, a little spicy of the chili, the slight sourness of the rice vinegar and the aroma of onions and lemongrass.

"Bitter soup is a rustic dish so it is very simple to cook," said Ms. Nhung.

Bitter leaf soup with pork offal. Photo: Truong Hong Nhung

The internal organs such as intestines, liver, and lungs are cleaned, deodorized, cut into bite-sized pieces or minced, and marinated with rice vinegar, shrimp paste, chili, galangal, and lemongrass. Saute onions and garlic until fragrant, then add the marinated mixture and stir well to absorb the spices.

When the smell comes out, add the blood, simmer for a few minutes, then add water. When the water boils, add the washed and julienned bitter leaves, simmer for 3-5 minutes, turn off the heat, ladle into a bowl and serve hot.

bitter leaf soup
Photo: Truong Hong Nhung

The first time you taste the steaming soup, you will feel the bitterness spread throughout your mouth and a tingling sensation in your throat. Those who are not used to it may frown or even shiver.

But after just a few spoons, the sweet, cool and fatty taste of blood and organs will make many people fall in love. The dish has a combination of sour, spicy and bitter flavors, especially delicious on cold days, eating and exclaiming at the same time. This is also an effective hangover remedy.

bitter soup .jpg
Photo: Thanh Flavor

Nowadays, bitter leaf soup has become a famous specialty, appearing in many restaurants in Thanh Hoa . In addition to being used as soup, bitter leaves are also eaten raw with boiled pork belly dipped in shrimp paste or dried for year-round use.

Although it has a strange appearance and is often hunted in the evening and at night, this product is favored by Thanh Hoa people because it can be processed into a series of delicious dishes, crunchy like abalone.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dac-san-dang-long-o-thanh-hoa-khach-nhan-mat-luc-thu-me-ngay-sau-vai-thia-2432384.html