Quang Tri specialty has a strange name, Hanoi guests sweat but still praise it

Made from rustic, familiar ingredients, this specialty still impresses with its fresh, sweet flavor, becoming a highlight in the culinary exploration journey of tourists when coming to Quang Tri.

Bedfish porridge is a famous specialty of Hai Lang ( Quang Tri ), voted into the Top 100 Vietnamese specialties 2020-2021 announced by the Vietnam Record Organization (Vietkings) and Top Vietnam Organization (VietTop).

Not only popular in Hai Lang, this porridge dish is also loved and spread widely to many other localities in the province.

According to the locals, the reason why the bed fish porridge has such a strange name is because this dish is made from two main ingredients: rice noodles and snakehead fish (also known as snakehead fish, banana fish).

In which, banh canh is made from rolled rice flour, cut into small, long strands that look like bamboo strips of a bed.

The side dishes and broth are also cooked entirely from fish meat, without using pork bones.

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

Ms. Thanh Mai - owner of a porridge shop in Dien Sanh commune (Quang Tri province) said that depending on taste and preference, people can use rice flour, tapioca flour or wheat flour to cook porridge, but the most popular is rice flour.

The flour must be selected from fragrant rice, not too sticky or too dry. After washing the rice, soak it in water for a few hours and then grind it. Then, put the rice in a clean cloth, tie it tightly and press a heavy object on top, wait for it to drain, get the dry dough and knead it.

Once the dough is kneaded, people use a bamboo tube, wooden pestle, or glass bottle to roll it very thin, then cut it into long, bite-sized pieces.

“The kneading stage is considered an important factor in determining the quality of the porridge. For the porridge to be delicious, the dough must be good, have a certain elasticity, and not be too wet or too dry,” said Ms. Mai.

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

In addition to the carefully selected flour, snakehead fish also needs to be skillfully selected to make the porridge fragrant and naturally sweet.

According to the female owner, snakehead fish used to cook porridge must be fresh, medium-sized, and have firm meat.

Fresh fish is bought, scaled, and cleaned. The fish's entrails are cleaned, not discarded like other dishes, then marinated with spices and stir-fried to reduce the fishy smell.

Fish intestines are considered an indispensable ingredient, contributing to increasing the fatty taste of the bed sheet porridge.

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

Clean the fish, steam or boil it, then fillet and separate the bones. This type of fish has many small bones, so the filtering process must be meticulous and careful to avoid choking on the bones when eating.

After being cleaned and boned, the fish meat will be marinated with spices such as shallots, purple onions, green onions, garlic, chili, etc., then stir-fried.

Ms. Mai also said that instead of boiling, the fish should only be steamed to avoid being crushed and bland. The fish meat should not be marinated for too long, to avoid being salty and to ensure that the fishy smell is removed but the original sweet and fragrant taste is still retained.

After filtering, the fish bones are crushed to get the juice to make the broth. When the water boils, people add the noodles and cook until the customers start to eat, then the porridge is ladled into bowls, adding braised snakehead fish meat and fish intestines on top.

When enjoying bedfish porridge, diners will feel the sweet aroma of the broth, the rich, salty taste of the fish meat that has absorbed the spices, the soft, chewy taste of the noodles and a little bit of spiciness from pepper and chili. Photo: Phong Rong Choi

Usually, Quang Tri people enjoy the porridge while it is still hot, with chopped shallot leaves, fried onions or pickled shallots.

Especially indispensable are a few slices of hot chili or fresh pepper, making diners "sweat" with the numbing taste on the tip of their tongue.

However, to suit everyone's taste, especially to serve diners from other places, many porridge shops in Quang Tri are now divided into two types: spicy and non-spicy.

In addition, on the dining table there is also a bowl of fish sauce and chili, a jar of chili powder, etc. so that each person can add and season to suit their own taste.

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

Bedfish porridge can be enjoyed all year round and is popular at any time of the day. Despite its fame, the dish is sold at an affordable price, starting at only 20,000 VND/bowl. Photo: O Hien

Ms. My Hanh ( Hanoi ) had the opportunity to enjoy bedfish porridge in Quang Tri several times and commented that the dish has a flavor that blends soft, slightly chewy noodles and rich snakehead fish meat, with a bit of spiciness from pepper and chili powder.

In particular, this porridge dish also has an interesting way of eating, which is using chopsticks instead of using a spoon like normal porridge dishes. This unique way of enjoying is also a special highlight that makes diners remember the famous specialty of Quang Tri forever.

“Although hot porridge with spicy chili makes me sweat, I still like to enjoy it like that to fully experience the flavor of the dish.

This dish is even more appealing when eaten on cold days," Ms. Hanh shared her feelings.

Western guests rave about the specialty dish in a small alley in Hai Phong , priced at only 35,000 VND . Although the famous Hai Phong specialty dish is sold at a sidewalk restaurant, Western guests are still surprised by the clean dining space, plentiful food, fresh quality and affordable price.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dac-san-quang-tri-co-ten-la-khach-ha-noi-toat-mo-hoi-van-xuyt-xoa-khen-2454421.html