A unique porridge dish eaten with chopsticks in Hanoi

(Dan Tri) - The porridge dish attracts the attention and curiosity of diners thanks to the unique way of eating with chopsticks.

If you are familiar with bowls of porridge cooked well and eaten with a spoon, you will be surprised to enjoy porridge eaten with chopsticks, called porridge se.

"The reason the dish is called porridge is because the porridge contains rice flour strands made from rice flour. When eating, diners must use chopsticks to pick up the food," said Mr. Luu Van Don, owner of a porridge shop on Thai Ha Street (Dong Da, Hanoi ).

Món cháo có tên độc đáo, ăn bằng đũa ở Hà Nội - 1 — Mr. Luu Van Don wants his porridge to be enjoyed by many diners in Hanoi's inner city (Photo: Anh Duong).

Mr. Don said that during his trip to Ha Mo (Dan Phuong district), he had the chance to enjoy this special porridge dish. After that, because he went to Hanoi to look for it but could not find it anywhere, this man had the idea of selling porridge dish.

The porridge is cooked for many hours. To give the dish a natural sweetness, Mr. Don chooses clean, fresh pork bones of guaranteed origin.

The special thing about this porridge compared to normal porridge is that the noodles are soft, chewy but still have a certain crispiness.

According to Mr. Don, the rice used to cook porridge is good quality rice, washed thoroughly, soaked in water to soften the rice, then ground into a liquid dough. Next, the chef will pour the ground liquid dough into a thick cloth bag and hang it up to drain, what remains is a soft, sticky dough, tightly kneaded.

The noodles are made by taking small portions of dough and rolling them into long, thick strands the size of chopsticks or fingers, then dropping them directly into the pot of boiling bone broth on the stove.

When the porridge is cooked, the shrimps will be clear white and no longer have a starch core. At this point, the porridge will have a thick texture. You can adjust the seasoning to taste and enjoy.

According to Mr. Don, the most difficult step is stirring the porridge. The porridge needs to be stirred evenly for quite a long time. This helps the porridge to be smooth, delicious, and not lumpy.

Món cháo có tên độc đáo, ăn bằng đũa ở Hà Nội - 2 — A bowl of porridge costs 35,000-55,000 VND/bowl. (Photo: Anh Duong).

Don's restaurant has many side dishes for customers to choose from such as cartilage ribs, salmon floss, pork floss, minced meat. Each day, Don's porridge shop sells an average of 100-150 bowls, priced from 35,000 VND.

Mr. Khanh Duy (32 years old, Cau Giay district) enjoyed this porridge for the first time, shared: "I find the taste similar to rib porridge, but the strange thing is that there is thread. The cartilage ribs are fragrant and the floss is soft and sweet. The porridge has thread so it makes you feel full longer than normal porridge."

According to many diners, the restaurant has the advantages of being clean, friendly and enthusiastic staff, and diverse side dishes.

Ms. Quynh Chi (25 years old, Bac Tu Liem district) shared: "I followed the suggestions of the group on social networks but the food was not to my taste. I am used to eating smoother porridge, eating porridge with chopsticks is still not familiar to me."

This customer said that with the price of 35,000-55,000 VND/bowl, the restaurant's price is high compared to the general level.

Món cháo có tên độc đáo, ăn bằng đũa ở Hà Nội - 3 — The restaurant space can serve about 30 guests at a time (Photo: Anh Duong).

Ms. Thanh Mai (50 years old, Dong Da district) said that she and her friend went to eat together but each person had a different taste: "I felt the porridge was a bit thin, the taste was okay but not as expected. Meanwhile, my friend said it was delicious," Ms. Mai said.

Also according to comments on culinary groups, the porridge should be enjoyed while it is still hot, if left for a while, the porridge will become thin and no longer retain its thick consistency.