The snakehead fish porridge shop always has a plate of green bitter vegetables located in the gateway city. Just before Tet, I stopped by the shop with a feeling of excitement about returning to the West, but in a flash, on the day of departure, I stopped by the shop and felt homesick.
Porridge portion for 2 people "full" - Photo: SON LAM
On the 4th day of Tet, people from the West began to return to the East. Cay Sung snakehead fish porridge restaurant at 577 National Highway 1, Ward 4, Tan An City, Long An chose this day to open the first day of the year, and was bustling with customers as usual.
National Highway 1 from Tan An City to Tan Hiep Town, Tien Giang, decades ago, when it was still a "unique route", was famous for its bitter vegetable fish porridge and pig's eye and cheek porridge.
Long-distance drivers from the North, Central and Western regions often choose porridge shops along National Highway 1 to stop. Since the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway opened to traffic in 2012, long-distance vehicles have been traveling less on National Highway 1 than before, and porridge shops have become less numerous.
Only a few restaurants like Cay Sung remain, retaining a familiar image of the West since the 1990s. Located on the left in the direction from Ho Chi Minh City, although there is a median strip, it still does not stop many people from turning around quite far to enjoy a bowl of porridge "by heart".
There was a fig tree in front of the shop, so more than thirty years ago, when the shop opened, the owner named it Cay Sung. The fig tree made the name and "identified the shop", and it still exists today.
Even the round wooden tables covered with red cotton cloth embroidered with colorful flowers typical of the old Western style are still there. When customers come in, the owner will look at how many people are eating and then take turns serving them.
A pot of porridge was boiling on the alcohol stove, the size depending on the number of people. A huge plate of bitter ground vegetables with bean sprouts. A plate of cooked snakehead fish with scallion oil, crushed roasted peanuts, onions, pepper, and shredded ginger.
Western porridge is like "rice soup", not thick and mushy - Photo: SON LAM
Next is a series of bowls of tamarind fish sauce, soy sauce, salty fish sauce, pepper, chili powder... and a pot of iced tea with glasses ready for guests. If the North often cooks porridge in a way that the rice is completely cooked, almost like flour, then porridge in the West is like "rice soup".
Clean the snakehead fish, fry it with oil and onions, then boil it to get the water. Roast the rice, then pour in the fish broth to cook. When the rice is fully expanded, about ten parts water to seven or eight parts rice, it is done.
At Cay Sung restaurant, porridge is also cooked with mushrooms and minced meat, so the broth is always sweet with the taste of fish and meat, fragrant with the aroma of rice and mushrooms, and seasoned with green onions.
Now there are no more wild snakehead fish, but the restaurant owner still chooses snakeheads that are just ripe and firm to cook. And with more than thirty years of boiling fish, the snakehead fish here is always cooked just right, firm enough, sweet meat, not fibrous, and bland.
But perhaps what makes people remember Cay Sung restaurant the most is that there is always a plate of fresh green bitter vegetables.
Bitter ground vegetables often evoke nostalgia for people living far from home in the West - Photo: SON LAM
Bitter ground vegetables are found everywhere, but are used the most by people in the West. Bitter ground vegetables seeds seem to be readily available in the garden soil. Every time the soil is loosened to build pond banks, field banks to dry, when the rainy season comes, the plants sprout up in patches of green.
Unlike the usual round, crunchy bitter vegetable, the bitter ground vegetable has a slightly hard stem, small, thin leaves, and a much more "intense" bitter taste.
The bitter ground vegetable can be eaten raw, but it is best when it is blanched. Therefore, a perfect bowl of porridge at Cay Sung restaurant is when the porridge is boiling on the pot, put some bitter ground vegetable in the bowl, and scoop the porridge in.
Many people who are not used to it may find the bitter taste of the vegetable unpleasant. But usually the more difficult the dish is to eat, the more addictive and memorable it becomes once you get the hang of it.
After the bitter taste, the bitter ground vegetable will lead to a very characteristic light sweetness, mixed with the sweetness of fish porridge. Eat until your stomach is full but your mouth is still craving for another bowl.
If you're in a hurry, you can quickly order a portion of porridge like this for 50,000 VND - Photo: SON LAM
After finishing the porridge, sweat poured out. The meal was not only delicious but also like a medicine. The feeling of lightness, comfort, and restoration of vitality after a long journey is why for many years people have come to Cay Sung restaurant to eat snakehead fish porridge with bitter ground vegetables.
Besides, I found something familiar at the roadside restaurant when passing through the gateway. Just the day before Tet, I stopped by the restaurant, looked at the bowl of fish porridge with bitter vegetables and felt nostalgic about the West. Suddenly, it was the 4th day of Tet, sipping the bowl of porridge and feeling nostalgic for home.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ghe-quan-cay-sung-an-chao-ca-loc-rau-dang-dat-chua-xa-da-nho-mien-tay-20250201162136347.htm
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