Vietnam's pork offal porridge named one of Asia's best

Updated: 17:08, 20/05/2025

Once listed among Vietnam's worst dishes, pork offal porridge chao long has made a comeback and ranked 6th in Asia's best porridge dishes, according to international food magazine TasteAtlas.

The ranking also included other Vietnamese porridge varieties, such as beef porridge (ranked 18th), duck porridge (22nd), and chicken porridge (25th).

Fragrant herbs are a common addition to a bowl of chao long.

Chao long is made with white rice, simmered in a broth prepared from pork bones and mixed with a variety of pork offal such as liver, intestines, and heart. The dish is often served along with fried dough sticks, dipping sauce, pepper, and chili powder.

Notably, chao long also ranks 19th in TasteAtlas global list of 127 porridge dishes.

The recognition marks a turnaround. In March 2024, the same dish was included in the platform's list of Vietnam's worst-rated foods.

Other Vietnamese porridges featured in the ranking are chao vit, made with duck meat, ginger, and herbs; chao ga, a chicken porridge simmered with ginger, onions, and Vietnamese coriander; and chao bo, a mix of ground beef, rice, and spices, typically topped with scallions and black pepper.

Leading the Asian ranking is Indonesia's Bubur ayam, a chicken porridge enhanced with savory condiments. The Filipino arroz caldo, a chicken and ginger broth porridge, comes in second. Completing the top three is another Filipino entry, lugaw, a rice porridge chosen for its adaptability to different meats and seasonings.