The fragrant smell of rib porridge on Hang Bo street

I still remember those cold windy mornings in Hanoi when the seasons changed. My friend pulled me out of bed and we hurriedly ran across Hang Bo street .

Fragrant rib porridge on a cold day

Ganoderma

In the cool morning, sitting on the street enjoying a bowl of fragrant rib porridge with the smell of new rice, watching the golden sunlight slowly descending on the street, smelling the scent of leaves and trees in the early morning breeze, suddenly the early morning in the heart of Hanoi becomes extremely poetic.

The streets never seem to be in a hurry, if your heart is slow and peaceful. Like those mornings, when you sit on the street corner, holding a bowl of hot porridge in your hand, you can imagine the scent of Hanoi mixed in each spoonful of the soft, sweet porridge.

I fell in love with the rib porridge stall on Hang Bo Street when I was wandering around the streets with my friends to watch the sunrise in Hanoi. The rib porridge stall of the old lady there suddenly reminded me of my grandmother. She also used to make a living in the market with a red rice porridge stall and dried fish. My mother said that thanks to her poor porridge stall at the district market back then, she and my uncle grew up to be the people they are today.

I still remember my grandmother's curvaceous figure carrying porridge to the market to sell. At that time, my grandmother was old but she still wanted to go to the market, even though my mother and uncle tried to dissuade her. She said, staying at home is boring, so going to the market is fun. As long as she can wake up and light the fire, catch a pot of porridge, and cook a pot of fish well, she still has the strength to go to the market. My grandmother's whole life was spent carrying porridge at the market until she returned to the other side of the mountain.

During the years I lived in Hanoi, I don’t know why I always saw my grandmother’s figure at the porridge stall on Hang Bo Street. Every time I missed her, I would run there, smell the strong aroma of new rice wafting around my nose, and the love and longing in my heart seemed to soften.

My friend said that there are many delicious rib porridge shops in Hanoi. But my favorite is the rib porridge stall of the old lady at the corner of Hang Bo street. Perhaps, that porridge stall has a very unique flavor, because even though her old hands are full of freckles, she is still very quick when scooping porridge for customers.

The rib porridge at Hang Bo is cooked with young rib broth. The rice is ground finely, so the porridge is thick, smooth, and fragrant with the smell of new rice. The golden fried dough sticks, cut into pieces, melt in your mouth. The ribs are stewed just right, with just the right amount of softness and chewiness, and are very sweet. The fragrant smell of pepper, mixed with the smell of ribs and rice, carries the scent through the early morning wind to every corner of the street.

Until now, every time I visit Hanoi, I still have the habit of stopping by Hang Bo Street to enjoy a bowl of rib porridge before going to Hoan Kiem Lake to have a cup of coffee and leisurely watch the street.

This season, Hanoi is starting to get windy. The rib porridge stall on that street corner is probably still crowded?