Instant Pot Cháo Sườn
Cháo Sườn·(chow suhn)
Ăn Sáng: Vietnamese Morning Rituals
To walk the chilly, bustling streets of Hanoi's Old Quarter on a winter morning is to find locals huddled on plastic stools around steaming metal pots of Cháo Sườn. Unlike the distinct, broken-grain soups of the south, this northern comfort food is velvety and thick—a savory cream built on melting pork cartilage and time. In the homeland, grandmothers achieve this by meticulously stirring milled rice flour over a low flame for hours. But for a Tuesday night in an American suburb, the fierce pressure of an Instant Pot obliterates a clever blend of jasmine and glutinous rice, delivering that exact soul-warming texture in a fraction of the time without compromising a damn thing.
Before you start
Purge the pork ribs of their impurities.
Place the ribs in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a rapid boil for 3 to 4 minutes to draw out the murky foam and blood. Dump into a colander and rinse the ribs thoroughly under cold running water.
Wash the rice.
Place the jasmine and sweet rice into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until the water runs relatively clear.
Ingredients
- pork spare riblets1 1/2 lb
- jasmine rice1 cup
- sweet rice or glutinous rice1/2 cup
- water or low-sodium chicken broth7 cup
- shallot1 large
- ginger1 med piece
- kosher salt1 tsp
- fish sauce2 tbsp
- chicken bouillon powder1 tbsp
- sugar1/2 tsp
- pork floss1/2 cup
- Chinese crullers2 med
- scallions2 med
- black pepper1 tsp
Method
- 01
Load the pressure cooker.
Add the clean ribs, rinsed rice, water or broth, whole shallot, ginger slices, and salt to the Instant Pot.
- 02
Cook under high pressure.
Lock the lid, set the venting valve to sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 30 minutes.
- 03
Exercise patience with a natural pressure release.
Let the pot sit completely undisturbed for 20 minutes. The starchy porridge is violently bubbling inside; a quick release will spray boiling rice water across your kitchen ceiling.
- 04
Whisk into a velvety paste.
Carefully release any remaining pressure and open the lid. Fish out the ginger and shallot, then whisk the separated mixture vigorously until the grains obliterate and meld into a thick, creamy matrix.
- 05
Season the porridge.
Stir in the fish sauce, chicken bouillon, and sugar. Taste and adjust, adding a splash of hot water if you prefer a thinner consistency.
- 06
Garnish heavily and serve.
Ladle the steaming cream into deep bowls and top with snipped crullers, pork floss, fresh scallions, and an uncompromising crack of black pepper.
Notes
The Grandmother's Secret.
Do not skip the khử mùi parboiling step. It is the single most important technique to ensure your broth tastes clean and sweet rather than muddy and metallic.
The Rice Ratio.
Standard long-grain rice won't achieve the required texture alone. Glutinous sweet rice breaks down completely under pressure, acting as a binder that replicates the labor-intensive milled rice flour used by Hanoi street vendors.