Late supper for night crawlers

Sài gòn at night probably is not that active as Bangkok or even Phnom Penh, but anyway we still have many night activities to offer! Those activities behind closed doors could be not for us, but I'm happy to recommend what Saigonese (or Saigonaise) love to eat at night. Late at night.

I know many people don't like rice porridge (congee), at least in my small circle of friends - more then 3 people hate this watery meal! I don't know why! Thousand people. Thousand taste!

The rice porridge or cháo in Vietnamese is very popular traditional dish eps. for breakfast or light meal at night - late supper! If in the old days cháo considered as a meal for the poor, but today is favorite by many trendy young people. Good for diet!

At the same time - Hot plain rice porridge with green onion, black pepper is a good medicine to get rid of the cold! Eat when it's still hot, you will sweat, trust me, a lot! Then the cold will be gone!

                   Black bean rice porridge served with coconut cream sauce and other side dish!

                     Plain rice porridge with pandan leaves flavor can go with any side dish! 

Congee or cháo has many variations. Plain rice porridge or with green mung bean, black bean, pandan leaves...it's  served with different side dish as salted duck egg, thousand-year duck egg (hột vịt bắc thảo), braised pork, braised tofu or braised snakehead fish, anchovy (cá cơm)!

           Thousand year duck egg, special preserved duck egg, originated from China. 
           Good side dish for rice porridge 

Last night with friend I went to one small stall on Nguyễn Thượng Hiền street - Cháo Bông, I was really surprised by a number of the side dishes that we can select for our rice porridge.

             Side dish to go with cháo - thin slice of fried snakehead fish, crispy and tasty!  

                     Simmered anchovies, sweet but savory and spicy!                  

                     Vietnamese kimchi - pickled mustard leaves. Sour, sweet and spicy! 

                     Stir fried dried shrimp! 

                    Poached shrimp - savory, a bit sweet, tasty, my favorite side dish with porridge! 

                Fermented green cassaba melon - sweet, spicy with special "fermented flavor"!

                            Steamed salted duck egg! 

           Look scary? Scorpion's legs? Fermented crustacean (ba khía)! Curious to taste but...! 
       

             Fried dried fish (khô cá sặc) should be very tasty! 

Besides plain rice porridge, we still have porridge with pork blood, chicken, duck, fish, pork, beef, pork knuckle, pork internal organ (heart, kidney, intestine, liver, tongue...) or  famous specialities, esp. in Mekong delta - porridge with green bean and snake (I have tried, excellent!), porridge with frog, eel or even pigeon!

Among those porridge that I just name - porridge with pork blood, chicken, duck and pork internal organ (cháo lòng) are most popular as street food, the rest can be ordered only in the restaurant!
Hope I can share with you those good porridge in another post!
Meanwhile enjoy your healthy plain rice porridge!

Where to have this light but tasty late supper with large choice of side dish? 
Cháo Bông at 52 Nguyễn Thượng Hiền, dist. 3, HCMC!