As the days start turning colder, there is nothing better than slurping a hot bowl of cháo and biting into the yummy, chewy offal.
But why is cháo not on the menus of Vietnamese restaurants here?
As the Vietnamese celebrate 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War today, 30 April 2025, let’s look at the one dish that was likely to have been most consumed over the warring years - yet remains hard to find in restaurants here.
Yes, there are the French introduced baguettes that have resulted in the popular bánh mì, and also bò kho (beef stew) and pho, which we all love.
But during the years of rations and food availability during the conflict, Cháo, or congee in English, was the dish that many turned to to keep their tummies full.
Today, it remains something Vietnamese turn to as a source of comfort, nourishment, and healing, like how Westerners view chicken soup.
I have asked around, and even my Vietnamese restaurant owner contacts say cháo is something that members of the community cook at home or order through home cooks on Facebook groups.
Vietnamese cháo is diverse, ranging from simple red bean congee to complex and substantial ones like offal congee, chicken congee, and also catfish congee.
During the war years, the Vietnamese cooked cháo as a way to stretch the little that they had, and it is often eaten with salt. Sometimes, they would add whatever plants that are available around them, like jackfruit or rau muống - also known as morning glory or kang kong.
Instead of cooking rice, they switched to cooking congee because it required just a quarter of the amount of rice, and helps prevent dehydration of the body.
Today, it is still regarded as a healthy food because it is soft, light, doesn’t use any oil, and is easily digestible, which is also why cháo is something that is eaten when someone feels under the weather.
In Vietnam, cháo has several regional differences. From Hanoi’s thick cháo sườn or pork rib congee, the central region’s Nghệ An’s eel congee, and Saigon’s classic cháo that typically features toasted rice, fried dồi, and bean sprouts at the bottom.
One of my favourite versions of cháo is the one that is cooked with mixed offal and Vietnamese ham.
Often cháo is best eaten with a squeeze of lime and crushed chili pepper in a bowl of dipping fish sauce, bringing about the perfect balance of saltiness, sweetness, spiciness and sourness.
