Strange porridge dish that customers have to use chopsticks to eat, making them sweat while enjoying it in Quang Tri

Bed fish porridge (also known as Hai Lang porridge, snakehead fish noodle soup) is a rustic but equally famous specialty of Quang Tri province in general and Hai Lang district in particular. The reason 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 slats of a bed flap.

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, once 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, appealing to anyone visiting 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 the most popular is rice flour.

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 it out and knead it, then use a bamboo tube, wooden pestle or glass bottle to roll the dough very thin and cut it into long, bite-sized strips.

“Good noodles must have a certain elasticity, not too wet or too dry. Therefore, the dough 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, which is why the locals 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, or 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, ensuring the porridge has the most delicious and sweet flavor (Photo: O Hien).

In the past, people also ground the fish heads, but now the fish heads are also 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 shallots, shallots, green onions, garlic, chili, etc. for about 15 minutes and then stir-fried. The fish meat should not be marinated for too long, to avoid being salty and to ensure that the fishy smell of the fish is removed but the original sweet and fragrant taste 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 onions for a spicy taste. However, to suit each person's taste, especially to serve diners from other places, many porridge shops in Quang Tri are now also divided into two types: spicy and non-spicy.

In addition, on the dining table there is also a bowl of chili fish sauce, a jar of chili powder... so that each person can add 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 bedfish 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 spicy taste of pepper and chili.

Bedfish porridge can be enjoyed all year round, all month long and is popular at any time of the day. Despite its fame, the dish is sold at an affordable price, starting at only VND20,000/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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