Strange porridge dish that customers have to eat with chopsticks, enjoying it and sweating in Quang Tri

Bed fish porridge (also known as Hai Lang porridge, snakehead fish noodle soup) is a rustic but no less famous specialty of Quang Tri province in general and Hai Lang district in particular. The reason why the dish has such a strange name is because of the unique way of preparing and enjoying it.

Instead of being cooked from rice or finely ground rice flour like many other porridges, bed flap fish porridge is made from thinly rolled dough, cut into small, long strands that look like the bamboo strips of bed flaps.

In addition, the side dishes and broth are also made entirely from fish meat, without using pork bones. That is also the difference, creating a "unique brand" for the bed porridge dish.

Bedfish porridge is a famous specialty of Quang Tri, voted into the top 100 specialty dishes and top 100 specialty gifts in 2020-2021 (Photo: Cao Hoang Tu Anh).

Instead of using a spoon to eat like many other porridge dishes, Quang Tri people's porridge uses chopsticks, creating a different way of enjoying it, attracting anyone who visits this land (Photo: Hang Le).

Mr. Nguyen Vu (owner of a porridge shop in Hai Lang district, Quang Tri) said that depending on taste and preference, people can use rice flour, tapioca flour or wheat flour to cook porridge, but rice flour is the most popular.

The flour must be selected from fragrant rice, not too sticky or too dry. First, the rice must be washed, soaked in water for 2 hours and then ground. Next, put the rice in clean cloths, tie them tightly and press a heavy object on top. Wait for the dough to dry and form into large blocks, then take them out and knead them. Then use a bamboo tube, wooden pestle or glass bottle to roll the dough very thin and cut it into long, bite-sized pieces.

“Good rice noodles must have a certain elasticity, not too wet or too dry. Therefore, the kneading stage is considered an important factor in determining the quality of the porridge,” said Mr. Vu.

The rice flour is kneaded thoroughly and cut into thin, long strips that look like bed sheets, so the local people gave the dish such a unique name (Photo: Hang Le).

And an indispensable ingredient, considered the “soul” of the main dish is snakehead fish (also known as snakehead fish, banana fish, and snakehead fish). The fish must be chosen to be heavy, fresh, with firm and thick meat, so that the broth will be sweet when cooked.

The fish is cleaned, steamed, and the meat is filtered. This type of fish has many small bones, so the process of filtering the meat must be meticulous and careful to avoid choking on the bones when enjoying it.

According to Mr. Vu, instead of boiling thoroughly, the fish only needs to be steamed to avoid being crushed and bland. The fish bones are crushed, filtered to get the water to make the broth. When the water boils, add the noodles to cook. Finally, scoop the porridge into a bowl, add snakehead fish meat and spices and enjoy.

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

In the past, people also ground the fish heads, but now they are kept for customers to eat, becoming a favorite snack of many people and often sold out early (Photo: Hien Ngo).

After being cleaned and deboned, the fish meat will be marinated with spices such as onions, shallots, green onions, garlic, chili, etc., for about 15 minutes, then stir-fried. 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 aroma is still retained.

In particular, this porridge also uses the fatty fish intestines instead of throwing them away. The fish intestines are washed, marinated and stir-fried. This is the highlight ingredient that contributes to enhancing the delicious flavor of the bed porridge.

“To have delicious porridge, we have to go to the market early to buy fish and process it with other ingredients. If we make and store it overnight, the fish will no longer be fresh and the porridge will lose its attractive flavor,” Mr. Vu shared.

Normally, Quang Tri people enjoy the porridge while it is still hot and add chili, pepper, and green onion for a spicy taste. However, to suit the taste of each person, 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 with chili, a jar of chili powder... so that each person can adjust and season to suit their taste.

Although hot porridge with spicy chili makes you sweat, many diners commented that you have to enjoy it like that to fully experience the flavor of the dish (Photo: Cao Hoang Tu Anh, Linh).

To make the porridge more delicious and flavorful, Quang Tri people also enjoy it with a little onion or fried onion (Photo: Hang Le).

Not only is it meticulously prepared, the fish porridge also has a unique way of enjoying it. Instead of using a spoon like other porridges made from rice, people have to use chopsticks to enjoy this "strange" porridge.

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

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, Le Huyen).

Nowadays, this famous porridge dish is also varied with duck meat, shrimp,... but the taste and preparation method have not changed. However, many diners commented that porridge cooked with snakehead fish is still the most delicious and popular, appealing to both adults and children.

Phan Dau

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