When my husband’s birthday rolls around, his mom always asks what he wants to eat.
She’s not the “let’s go out to celebrate” type. She’d much rather stay home and cook something special from scratch.
For good reasons. She’s an amazing cook.
He always asks for something you can’t easily find in the States (smart man). It’s delicious, but definitely a labor of love and maybe an acquired taste, too.
His request? Cháo Lòng.
What is Chao Long?
Cháo lòng is a Vietnamese offal porridge or Vietnamese rice porridge topped with assorted pork organ meat like thinly sliced liver, intestines, heart, stomach, tongue, and Vietnamese blood sausage.
It’s a popular rice porridge and congee dish in Vietnam, served with organ meat and the must-have Vietnamese pork blood sausage (doi huyet).
The rice porridge gets its darker color from being cooked with a bit of raw pork blood.
A bowl of chao long typically comes garnished with thinly sliced green onions, cilantro, yellow onions, crispy shallots, and other fresh herbs.
It also comes with a side of sweet and savory ginger fish sauce for dipping the different organ meat.
Many people enjoy the porridge as is or with Chinese fried bread sticks, also referred to as Chinese doughnuts or dầu cháo quẩy in Vietnamese, for a heartier meal.
What You Will Need
To make chao long, gather the following ingredients:
- Rice – I’m using Jasmine rice (long grain). For a creamier texture, you can mix in sticky rice, also known as glutinous rice or sweet rice, but that’s completely optional.
- Pork organs – Liver, small pork intestines, heart, stomach, tongue, etc. Each adds a different texture and flavor so pick and choose your favorite. My favorites are liver and tongue.
- Aromatics – Shallots and ginger.
- Neutral oil – A little is needed to sauté the shallots and ginger.
- Seasonings – Salt, sugar, and chicken bouillon powder.
- Vietnamese Pork Blood Sausage (Dồi Huyết) – optional but highly recommended for more authentic flavors. You can get these already made at Vietnamese delis or grocery stores or you can make it at home. I have the full recipe here.
- Congealed Pork Blood – We just need small raw piece to cook with the porridge for that iconic darker color for the porridge. If you have more, you can cook them up and use them as blood cake toppings. I have the full recipe on how to make pork blood cake.
- Pantry items for cleaning organ meat – We will use a bit of all-purpose flour, vinegar, and salt for scrubbing the organ meat to remove any lingering odor.
- Garnishes and optional accompaniments – Thinly sliced green onions, cilantro, and yellow onions, fried shallots, bean sprouts, limes/lemons, and fresh herbs.
How to Make Chao Long
Step 1: Prepare the Aromatics
Peel the shallots. Slice one into wedges and finely dice the other. The wedges will be used to cook the pork organs, while the diced shallots will go into the porridge.
Peel the ginger using a spoon, and save the peel. Slice one half into thin coins and finely dice the other half. The peel and coins will be used when cooking the organ meat, and the diced ginger will be added to the porridge.
Step 2: Prepare the Organs
Rinse the organs thoroughly. Scrub with salt, all-purpose flour, and vinegar to help remove any odor. Rinse well and repeat until water runs clear and smell is gone.
Cut the organs into similar-sized chunks so they cook more evenly.
In a medium pot, bring water to a boil and add shallot wedges and ginger peel and coins. Add the organs and cook on a low simmer for about 45 minutes.
Transfer them to an ice water bath. When cool enough to handle, slice them thinly and set aside.
If using tongue, make sure to remove the white surface before slicing.
If you’re using blood sausage, pan-fry it then slice it thin and set aside. For pork blood cake, cut it into small pieces and set that aside as well.
Step 3: Make the Porridge
Rinse the rice in a colander under cold water until the water runs clear.
In a medium pot, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the remaining finely diced shallots and ginger, and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the rinsed rice and stir to coat it evenly with the aromatics.
Pour in the water and add the small piece of raw pork blood. You can leave it whole or smash it in.
Bring the pot to a gentle simmer and cook for about 45 minutes until the porridge is to your desired consistency. Feel free to add more water if you like it thinner.
Stir occasionally to prevent sticking or burning the bottom. Add the seasonings, a little at a time, to taste.
Step 4: Assemble and Serve
Ladle the hot porridge into bowls.
Top each bowl with sliced pork organs and pork blood sausage, and garnishes.
Serve with additional accompaniments if preferred, like fresh bean sprouts, Vietnamese coriander (rau ram), sliced chili, and Chinese donut (dau chao quay).
For dipping the organ meats, serve with Vietnamese ginger fish sauce (nước mắm gừng) on the side.
Storage & Reheating
Once the rice porridge has cooled, store it in a covered pot or airtight container in the fridge. Store the organ meat separately in an airtight container in the fridge too. They will keep well for up to 3 days.
To reheat, warm the porridge over medium heat on the stove, adding a splash of water to loosen it up.
Reheat the organ toppings separately in the microwave to preserve their texture. Or, if you’re feeling lazy like me, just toss everything into the pot and reheat it all together on the stovetop.
Print
Vietnamese Pork Organ Porridge (Cháo Lòng)
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4–5 servings 1x
Description
An authentic and comforting bowl of silky porridge topped with pork organs and blood sausage, served with fresh herbs and a sweet and savory ginger fish sauce for dipping the organ meat.
Ingredients
Porridge
- 1/2 cup long grain rice
- 1/2 cup glutinous/sweet rice (can sub with additional long-grain rice)
- 12 cups water (3 quarts)
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 5 oz raw pork blood
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Aromatics
- 2 small shallots
- 2-inch ginger
Organ and Meaty Toppings
- 2 lbs choice of organs ( liver, intestines, heart, stomach, tongue, etc)
- Vietnamese pork blood sausages
- Pork blood cake
Garnishes (Optional)
- Ground black pepper
- Fried shallots
- Yellow onion, green onions and/or cilantro (thinly slice)
Dipping Sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the Aromatics: Peel the shallots. Slice one into wedges and finely dice the other. The wedges will be used to cook the pork organs, while the diced shallots will go into the porridge. Peel the ginger using a spoon, and save the peel. Slice one half into thin coins and finely dice the other half. The peel and coins will be used when cooking the organ meat, and the diced ginger will be added to the porridge.
- Prepare the Organs: Rinse the organs thoroughly. Scrub with salt, all-purpose flour, and vinegar to help remove any odor. Rinse well and repeat until water runs clear and smell is gone. Cut the organs into similar-sized chunks so they cook more evenly. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil and add shallot wedges and ginger peel and coins. Add the organs and cook on a low simmer for about 45 minutes. Transfer them to an ice water bath. When cool enough to handle, slice thinly and set aside. If using tongue, make sure to remove the white surface before slicing. If using blood sausage, pan-fry then slice thin. For pork blood cake, cut it into small pieces.
- Make the Porridge: Rinse the rice in a colander under cold water until the water runs clear. In a medium pot, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the remaining finely diced shallots and ginger, and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the rinsed rice and stir to coat it evenly with the aromatics. Pour in the water and add the small piece of raw pork blood. You can leave it whole or smash it in. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer and cook for about 45 minutes until the porridge is to your desired consistency. Feel free to add more water if you like it thinner. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking or burning the bottom. Add salt, chicken bouillon powder, and sugar, a little at a time to taste.
- Finish: Ladle the hot porridge into bowls. Top each bowl with sliced pork organs, pork blood sausage, thinly sliced green onions, cilantro, and yellow onions. Finish with a sprinkle of fried shallots and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with Vietnamese ginger fish sauce on the side for dipping organ meat.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese
