Nghe An Province is famous for dishes made from copper eels such as eel porridge, eel vermicelli or eel soup.

A bowl of attractive eel porridge

To enjoy the aforementioned Nghe An-style dishes in Da Nang, you can visit an eatery located on Khuc Hao Street, Nai Hien Dong Ward, Son Tra District.

Mr. Hoang Tran Tuan, the owner of the eatery, said that Nghe An eels are mainly breeding along the fields along the banks of the Lam River.

Every day, his eatery sells hundreds of bowls of eel porridge thanks to the typical recipe of Nghe An Province.

In particular, the cook separates the eel flesh from its bones and marinates it with some spices. The eel flesh is stir-fried separately until it turns yellow thanks to fresh turmeric.

The rice used to cook eel porridge is whole grain rice, simmered until soft and sticky thanks to adding a little glutinous rice.

When enjoying, just scoop a little stir-fried eel and place it on top of the white porridge. The dish is served with pepper, chili, onion, and chopped coriander to enhance the flavour.

According to Mr. Tuan, eel porridge is best enjoyed early in the morning when the weather is still cold.

Along with porridge, Mr. Tuan’s eatery also offers eel soup accompanied with rice cakes or bread.

A delicious bowl of eel soup must have a mixture of the yellow colour of turmeric, the green colour of coriander and green onions, and the red colour of chili.

Meanwhile, Banh Muot (steamed rolled pancakes) is made from thinly coated rice flour, no filling, sprinkled with fried onions and served with quite attractive soup.

Along with porridge and soup, eel glass noodles is also a favourite dish of diners at this eatery.

Although there are many different recipes, the common point of Nghe An-style dishes made from eels is the delicious broth and the yellow colour of fresh turmeric. This is also a way to help eel dishes reduce the fishy smell and bring back the unique identity of Nghe An's rural cuisine.

Reporting by HUYNH LE - Translating by M.DUNG