Eagerly waiting for Nam O

Waiting porridge - Nam O noodle soup. Photo: NH

Banh canh - porridge waiting

The first surprise was that the sign said porridge, but when it was brought out, it was clearly noodle soup. Every time a customer ordered, they had to patiently “wait” for the seller to put the noodles into the pot of boiling water on the stove to cook.

In many explanations of village-level culinary experts, the porridge dish of Nam O people is a wonderful creation based on the cultural and culinary exchange between Binh Tri Thien region and Nam O taste.

To put it simply, it is a noodle dish made from rice flour and tapioca flour that originated on the Hai Van Pass. The full name is “banh canh porridge”, but people on the pass call it banh canh for short, concise, and quick.

In Quang Tri, there are places where people call it “bed flap porridge”, because the noodles are cut into strips exactly like the bamboo bed flaps of the past. However, it should also be added that when the noodles cross Hai Van Pass to Nam O, they are cut much smaller…

What makes Nam O porridge special is not only the sweet broth made from sea fish but also the pot of fresh mackerel used as an ingredient.

Talking about the pot of braised mackerel is talking about the great skill of the ladies in the fishing village. The fish is caught fresh from the sea, washed and steamed. Then the meat is separated, seasoned, of course, Nam O fish sauce is indispensable to bring out the flavor, then braised until the fish pieces are dry, chewy, and crispy. The fish bones are kept, crushed and added to the pot of broth to increase the sweetness.

A bowl of authentic Nam O porridge must have a sweet broth and braised mackerel that is so rich that the flavor is concentrated.

The taste of Quang people in general and Nam O people in particular is fond of strong flavors, so is the porridge. That is not enough without a piece of kumquat (lime) split in half, squeezed into the hot porridge. And it must be kumquat, not lemon. Don't be too quick to underestimate it, a small piece of kumquat can enhance the flavor of a very rustic dish like Nam O porridge.

Rustic dish of fishing village

Until recently, to add more flavor, people added quail eggs and pork sausage (cha loon) to the porridge bowl and ate it with fried breadsticks. In the language of Gen Z, people added more toppings (food placed on top) than in the traditional porridge bowl.

No one knows when this surprising dish first appeared, but it became most famous in the 1990s, when porridge shops surrounded secondary schools, colleges and factories in Nam O.

Now, the Nam Ô daughters who have married far away have brought the taste of their homeland to other lands. The space of chao cho is no longer limited to the land where it was born but has begun to spread throughout Quang Nam and Da Nang. If you come across a Nam Ô chao cho shop in a place far away from your hometown, then 100% of the time, the shop owner is a Nam Ô person who came to make a living.

Many people confess that at first they ate it out of curiosity, but the next time they came back because they missed it!

Once diners are addicted to Nam O fishing village porridge, they will not feel impatient even if they have to wait a little longer. In the space filled with the fragrant, sweet aroma from the pot of broth steaming on the stove, it is worth waiting.

This rustic dish with a strong fishing village character is still a living and developing entity associated with the daily life of workers today. Compared to Nam O fish salad, porridge is still sold in ordinary stalls, located in small alleys or on sidewalks, so the price is surprisingly cheap...

People can eat porridge all year round without getting bored. Sitting around a small table, chatting with friends or new acquaintances, patiently waiting for a bowl of porridge with the fragrant smell of the ocean in the ancient fishing village of Nam O, what could be more enjoyable...

And Nam O porridge is not only a popular dish but also a very unique culinary culture that cannot be found anywhere else!

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