Cháo (rice porridge) is one of the two most popular foods in Vietnam, along with cơm (boiled rice). And Ribs rice porridge (Cháo sườn) – the most popular food in Hanoi.
Cháo sườn’ (in English, means ‘ribs rice porridge’) is made of two main ingredients: white rice and spare ribs. The ribs are first stewed for one hour. The cook then takes them out, put the rice in the broth and cook until it turns into porridge. Next, the ribs are deboned before being put back into the porridge pot. A perfect bowl of ‘cháo sườn’ is the combination between the sweetness of the broth, thanks to ribs stewed for hours, and the tenderness of the pork and porridge.
Nevertheless, ‘cháo sườn’ would not have perfect scent without several seasonings such as pepper and ginger. Spring onion and ‘quẩy’ are also indispensable ingredients. Vietnamese people frequently add ‘quẩy’, which have been cut into pieces, into ‘cháo sườn’ before enjoy the dish. Others might add salted shredded meat or oily hot pepper paste (in Vietnamese means ‘sa tế’).
You can eat ‘cháo sườn’ for breakfast or enjoy it in the late afternoon. One of the most popular addresses in the Old Quarter for enjoying this dish in the afternoon is Ngõ Huyện St., which intersects with Lý Quốc Sư St.. With only 20,000VND, you can enjoy an amazing bowl of ‘cháo sườn’ here.