A hearty Vietnamese rice porridge cooked in pork-bone broth and topped with an assortment of poached pork offal: liver, heart, intestine, stomach and slices of Vietnamese blood pudding. Brightened with fried shallots, scallion, pepper and herbs, it is a beloved morning and late-night comfort dish.
A staple of Vietnamese street stalls and markets nationwide; offal porridge stretches humble ingredients into a rich, nourishing bowl and is closely associated with rustic, frugal home cooking.
The porridge is thick and soothing, the broth deeply porky. Each spoon brings a different texture, the snap of intestine, the softness of liver, the bounce of blood pudding, all lifted by fried shallots and a hit of pepper.
Toasting the rice before simmering helps the grains break down into a creamy porridge while adding a nutty note. Poaching each offal separately respects its different cooking time so nothing turns rubbery.
Variations
Chao long heo (pork), regional versions with extra dau chao quay (fried dough); some add congealed blood
On the Palate
Where Chao Long sits in the Vietnamese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 30 min
- 160 min
Simmer pork bones with toasted rice and a little ginger to make a thin, savory porridge.
Watch outThe rice should melt into a thin, loose porridge — keep it soupy, not sticky, so it stays drinkable.
- 220 min
Clean the pork offal thoroughly, scrubbing intestine and stomach with salt.
- 315 min
Poach the liver, heart, intestine and stomach separately until just tender, then slice.
Watch outPoach each cut only until just firm and pull it out — offal turns rubbery the second it overcooks.
- 412 min
Steam or boil the blood pudding until set, then cut into cubes.
- 53 min
Season the porridge broth with fish sauce, salt and pepper as the rice breaks down.
- 620 min
Cook until the rice grains burst and the porridge turns thick and creamy.
Watch outCook until the grains split open and the porridge turns thick and silky, not watery.
- 73 min
Ladle porridge into bowls and arrange the sliced offal and blood pudding on top.
- 82 min
Finish with fried shallots, scallion, herbs, black pepper and a squeeze of lime.
Watch outAdd the herbs, pepper and lime only at the bowl — stirred in early they go dull and flat.
