Description
There are nearly a dozen chaos (Vietnamese-style rice porridge), all garnished with slivers of ginger and fried scallions that lend smokiness and zing. The novice should begin with the straightforward ones: cháo gá (chicken porridge, with firm chunks of hen) or a wonderful version possessing medallions of Chinese sausage. Once you've developed a taste for cháo, graduate to the ones everyone else gets: cháo spiked with congealed pork blood, which spills forth its sanguinary tang upon biting into it, or the funky savor of pig kidneys (you can also order those as a side dish, lightly grilled).
