Chao Long, Vietnamese Pork Offal Congee
This chao long recipe simmers broken rice in a pork broth until the grains break down into a silky, savoury porridge, then ladles it over slices of pork, liver, kidney, intestine and blood sausage, with ginger, herbs and fried dough sticks on top. It is Vietnam's hearty breakfast porridge — rich, warming and deeply savoury, quite different from the lighter chicken congee. One serving is about 585 g.
Chao long is the Vietnamese answer to a cold morning: a pork porridge built on offal, the part of the pig that Vietnamese cooks have always valued most. Where the lighter chao ga uses chicken, chao long uses the whole pig — liver, kidney, intestine and blood sausage — simmered in a rice porridge seasoned with fish sauce and ginger. It is a market and street breakfast across Vietnam, eaten with fried dough sticks for dipping, and every region seasons and serves it a little differently.
Pairs well with: Fried dough sticks (quay) and pickled garlic
Provenance
Vietnam
Vietnamese Breakfast Classic
East & South Asia
Time Dedication
2h 10m
30m prep • 100m cook
Batch Yield
6 Servings
444 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 585 g
Technical Skill
Intermediate
Medium (One Pot)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Prime Morning Fit
Lunch
Inappropriate
Dinner
Inappropriate
Snack & Tea
Inappropriate
Vietnamese Breakfast Classic
Photo: Phương Huy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Low — about $2–3 per serving at home (USD)
The rice is simmered slowly until the grains break down completely, so the porridge turns silky rather than watery.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Rinse the Rice and Clean the Offal
30 Mins • Rinse + Clean + Slice
Rinse the 250 g broken rice three times until the water runs clear. Cut the 300 g pork shoulder into 2 large pieces. Rinse the 200 g pork liver, trim the membranes and slice it 5 mm thick; halve the 150 g pork kidney, cut out the white core, rinse well and slice thinly; rinse the 150 g pork small intestine inside and out, rub it with salt and vinegar, and rinse again; slice the 150 g blood sausage 1 cm thick. Peel the 30 g ginger — slice 15 g for the pot and julienne 15 g for topping — halve the 80 g onion, slice the 40 g spring onions, pick the 15 g coriander and 15 g perilla leaves, cut the 60 g fried dough sticks into 5 cm pieces, and cut the lime into 6 wedges. OFFAL SAFETY NOTE: buy all offal very fresh from a trusted butcher, keep it chilled, clean it thoroughly as described, and cook it completely through — offal spoils quickly and must never be served undercooked.
Maestro Tip: Cleaning the intestine and kidney well is the difference between a clean-tasting porridge and a muddy one.
70 Mins Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Put the rinsed rice, 2.5 L water, the 300 g pork shoulder, the cleaned 150 g pork small intestine, 15 g sliced ginger, the halved onion and 4 g salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then turn down to the gentlest simmer, cover with the lid ajar, and cook for 70 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes so the rice does not catch.
A bare simmer is the secret — a hard boil makes the porridge stick and burn.
Done when: Rice grains broken down, porridge thick and silky, pork tender.
10 Mins Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Lift the pork shoulder and intestine out onto a plate. Check the thickest piece reads 74°C (165°F) — offal must be cooked completely through. Slice the pork into thin pieces and the intestine into bite-size rings. Meanwhile, drop the 200 g sliced liver and 150 g sliced kidney into the simmering porridge and cook for 3–4 minutes until just cooked through and no longer pink inside, then lift out with a slotted spoon.
Liver overcooks fast — 3 to 4 minutes is enough; longer and it turns dry and grainy.
Done when: Liver and kidney just cooked through, no pink inside, 74°C (165°F).
5 Mins Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Stir the 25 g fish sauce into the porridge and taste. Add a little more fish sauce or a pinch of salt if it needs it — the porridge should taste gently salty, with the ginger in the background. If it is too thick, stir in a splash of hot water.
Season at the end, not the start — the porridge thickens as it cooks and salt concentrates.
Done when: Porridge flowing slowly off the spoon, seasoned and fragrant.
5 Mins Hot, about 80°C (175°F)
Ladle the porridge into 6 warm bowls. Arrange the sliced pork, intestine, liver, kidney and the 150 g blood sausage on top of each bowl, then scatter over the julienned ginger, spring onions, coriander, perilla leaves and sliced chilli. Finish with a generous grind of the 2 g black pepper and serve each bowl with a lime wedge and the 60 g fried dough sticks on the side.
Let each person squeeze their own lime — the sourness wakes the whole bowl up.
Done when: Steaming bowls, offal arranged on top, herbs bright and fresh.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the chao long steaming hot, with the sliced offal and pork arranged on top, herbs scattered over, and fried dough sticks on the side for dipping.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
444
kcal / serving
Protein
32g
Complete AA
Carbs
46g
Complex
Fats
16g
Healthy
| Energy | 444 kcal |
| Protein | 32 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46 g |
| Fat | 16 g |
| Fibre | 1.5 g |
| Sugar | 1.3 g |
| Sodium | 865 mg |
| Energy | 76 kcal |
| Protein | 5.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.8 g |
| Fat | 2.7 g |
| Fibre | 0.3 g |
| Sugar | 0.2 g |
| Sodium | 148 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Provides iron, vitamin B12 and vitamin A from the pork liver, zinc from the pork, and vitamin C from the lime and herbs.
High in Protein
About 31.5 g of protein per serving from the pork and offal, so a bowl keeps you full through the morning.
Iron and Vitamin B12
Pork liver is one of the richest natural sources of iron and vitamin B12, nutrients that support normal red blood cell formation.
Gentle and Warming
Slow-simmered rice porridge with ginger is gentle and easy to digest — warm, soft and soothing in the morning.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Sides
Fried Dough Sticks (Quay)
Crisp fried dough sticks are made for dipping into congee — they soak up the porridge and add crunch.
Vegetables
Pickled Garlic
Sharp pickled garlic cuts through the rich pork porridge and wakes up the palate.
Soups
Clear Pork Broth
A small cup of the clear pork broth on the side stretches the meal and keeps it light.
Drinks
Hot Green Tea
Unsweetened hot green tea with congee is the classic Vietnamese breakfast drink — warm, clean and simple.
Complete menu
Serve the chao long with fried dough sticks for dipping, a plate of fresh herbs, and hot green tea for a classic Vietnamese breakfast.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
Undercooked or Poorly Cleaned Offal
Pork offal spoils fast and carries bacteria if it is not handled well. Buy it fresh from a trusted butcher, keep it chilled, clean it thoroughly, and cook it completely through. This is general food information, not medical advice.
Leaving Cooked Congee Standing
Cooked congee left at room temperature for hours can grow bacteria — cool leftovers within 2 hours and refrigerate at once. This is general food information, not medical advice.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
Storage & Use
Vietnam
3h 30m
Slow-simmered star anise and cinnamon bone broth with hand-cut rice noodles, supplying clean restorative warmth and collagen. One serving is about 775 g.
Immunity & Warming
Slow-simmered bone broth with rice noodles, rare beef and fresh herbs.
Vietnam
1h 5m
Fresh rice paper rolls filled with poached prawns, tender pork, rice vermicelli, lettuce, herbs and carrot, served with a peanut dipping sauce.
Light Digestion
Nothing is fried, so the rolls stay light and fresh — a cool, herb-filled snack for hot days.
Vietnam
1h 45m
Pork belly slowly braised in coconut water and caramel until meltingly tender, with golden eggs that soak up the sweet-savoury sauce — the Vietnamese family dish that tastes better the next day.
Comfort & Sustained Energy
Slow-braised pork belly and eggs in coconut water and caramel.
Vietnam
1h 10m
WARNING: This dish is made from raw duck blood and eating it is NOT recommended. Raw blood can carry Streptococcus suis (which causes meningitis and sepsis — people in Vietnam have died after eating pig-blood tiet canh), avian influenza from duck blood, salmonella and other dangerous germs. Vietnam's Ministry of Health advises against eating tiet canh, and no preparation method — not even blood from a fresh or trusted source — makes raw blood fully safe. This page describes the traditional Hanoi preparation, tiết canh vịt, for cultural knowledge only. One serving is about 241 g: a small bowl of fresh duck blood mixed with fish sauce, poured over finely chopped cooked duck meat and left to set into a soft, trembling jelly, then finished with crushed roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, lime and chili, and served cold.
Cultural Discovery
A traditional northern Vietnamese snack of raw duck blood set into a soft jelly with cooked duck meat, herbs and peanuts — described here for cultural knowledge, with a serious safety warning.
