Dishes made with field eels
Eels caught in the rice fields of Nghe An have inspired many culinary artists and master chefs, which is why the 2019 Nghe An Culture, Food, and Tourism Festival featured approximately 50 eel dishes. Among these, eel porridge is the most popular. Both locals and tourists love a simple bowl of rice porridge paired with delicious eel cooked with local spices. The secret to a good bowl of eel porridge is to choose the perfect eel and prepare and marinate the meat properly.
Golden rice field eels are cleaned, boiled, and cooled, then skillfully deboned to maintain their length. The meat is marinated with spices like turmeric, fish sauce, pepper, and chili. The head and bones are simmered in boiling water and used to cook the whole-grain rice porridge. Other essential ingredients include annatto powder for the meat’s lovely burnished golden color and small mashed shallots. The local recipe is quite spicy, but the marinade can be adjusted to suit most diners’ tastes.
The carefully marinated eel is stir-fried in hot oil with onions. The result is a long eel fillet that is rich and savory. Diners are presented with an appetizing bowl of porridge garnished with eel meat, onions, minced vegetables, and pinches of pepper and chili powder.
Nghe An locals also enjoy eel soup, which consists of a sophisticated broth poured over a bowl of stir-fried marinated eel. This is served with banh muot (Nghe An’s steamed rice crepes) or bread rolls.
