Spicy seafood, meat and vegetable hotpot

From

Ong Tao’s Kitchen (21-05-2006)
with chef Jason Vinh of Omni Saigon Hotel

Hotpots feature heavily in Vietnamese cuisine, and like similar Thai dishes, they are often sour, spicy and salty.

Local chef Jason Vinh of Omni Saigon Hotel says this seafood, meat and vegetable hotpot is an especially healthy one, and can be made with ingredients easily found in Viet Nam – pumpkin flowers, Chinese cabbage, oyster mushrooms, water spinach, and herbs like lemongrass and galangal. A hearty dish, it can be served as a first course or eaten alone for a light meal.

Ingredients:

* 2kg pork bone

*150g white radish, sliced

*150g onion, peeled

*100g white leek, sliced

*100g carrot, cubed

*3 litres of water

*10 lemon leaves

*6 pcs small chillis

*120 g ginger, sliced

*7 pcs lemongrass cut in 3-4cm slices

*120 g galangal, sliced

* ½ pkt Tom Yam paste

*3 pcs lemon juice plus 20g fresh coriander

*1 tbs sugar + 2 tsp chicken powder + fish sauce to taste

* 200g choy sum + 200g Chinese cabbage + 150g oyster mushroom + 200g water spinach

* 1 kg fresh noodle + 200g onion + 200g pumpkin flower

* 300g tiger prawn + 300g squid cut in rings + 200g New Zealand beef, sliced + 150 g fish ball cut in half + 150g pork liver, sliced

Preparation:

-Clean pork bone and cut white radish in 6-7cm wide slices; cube the carrot and slice the leeks. Combine the bone and water in the stockpot. Bring the stock to a boil over low heat. Skim the surface of oil, as necessary. Simmer 3 to 4 hours. Add the vegetables during the last hour of simmering. Strain the stock. Add stock to the other stockpot; add lemon leaves, lemon grass, chilli, ginger, galangal and coriander. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes and then add Tom Yam paste and adjust seasoning.

- Wash the vegetables and cut into 3 to 4cm except oyster mushrooms. Place vegetables, seafood and meat on the plate.

- Add stock in clay pot and bring the stock to a boil over low heat. Add meat, seafood and vegetables and simmer 1 minute. Add fresh noodles and serve immediately.

The hot pot is served every day except Sunday at Omni Saigon Hotel’s Cafe Saigon, 253 Nguyen Van Troi Street, Phu Nhuan District, Tel: (08) 844 9222 Story Link