3 Ways to Cook Delicious Crab Hotpot That Will Make Everyone Crave It

Prepare the crab, shrimp, and pork bones.

Wash the crab thoroughly, then cut the crab in half, remove the apron and the dirty mud inside, and wash it again to eliminate the smell. If the crab is large, you can cut it in half to make it easier to cook.

Trim the shrimp’s antennae and legs, leave them whole, and wash them clean. Wash the pork bones, blanch them briefly in boiling water, and then wash them again with cold water.

Prepare the vegetables

Clean the mustard greens, leaving about a 10cm stem, then strip off the fibers and wash them clean.

Trim the roots of the mushrooms, soak them in diluted salt water to clean, then take them out and let them drain. Make a cross-cut on the caps of straw mushrooms, slice the chicken leg mushrooms diagonally, and shred the enoki mushrooms.

Peel the pineapple, remove the eyes and core, wash it clean, and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Remove the stems from the tomatoes, wash them clean, and cut them in half or quarters.

Peel the shallots and slice them. Peel the ginger, wash it clean, and slice it; cut the lemongrass into pieces, then smash the ginger, green pepper, and lemongrass. Put tamarind in a bowl, add warm water, and extract the juice, discarding the seeds.

Cooking the broth

Place a pot on the stove, boil 1.5 liters of water with pork bones to create a sweet broth.

Next, place a pan on the stove, add shallots and sauté until fragrant, then add lemongrass, green pepper, ginger, and pineapple to sauté until aromatic, then turn off the heat. Add the sautéed mixture to the boiling broth.

After that, add tamarind juice and season with seasoning powder, sugar, and salt to taste. Add tomatoes, straw mushrooms, and crabs into the hot pot, wait 5-10 minutes for the crabs to cook. Once the crabs are cooked, continue to add shrimp, chicken thigh mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, and water spinach to cook, then scoop the hot pot broth to enjoy with fresh noodles.

Final product

The hot pot has a sweet and fresh flavor from the crabs, shrimp, and mushrooms, combined with the spicy aroma from lemongrass and green pepper, along with the sour taste of tamarind. If served with a bowl of salty fish sauce, it is incredibly wonderful (if you like it spicy, you can add chili to the fish sauce).

Prepare the Crab

Clean the crab, then cut the crab in half, remove the apron and the dirty mud inside, and wash it again to eliminate the smell. If the crab is large, you can cut it in half to make it easier to cook.

Preparation of vegetables

Remove the stems from straw mushrooms and chicken thigh mushrooms, soak them in diluted salt water to clean, then take them out and drain. Cut the stems off the oyster mushrooms, rinse them directly with water, and let them drain.

For oyster mushrooms, do not soak them in diluted salt water as it will cause nutrient loss.
Make a cross cut on the top of the straw mushrooms, slice the chicken thigh mushrooms diagonally, and tear the oyster mushrooms into bite-sized pieces.

Peel the luffa, wash it, and cut it into bite-sized diagonal slices. Cut the roots off the water spinach, remove any spoiled leaves, wash it clean, and let it drain. Peel the shallots, wash them, and slice them thinly. Rinse the green peppercorns, and crush them.

When crushing green peppercorns, it’s best to place them in a plastic bag to avoid them flying out while crushing.

Cooking the hotpot

Put 1.5 liters of water into a pot and boil it. While waiting for the water to boil, place a pan on the stove, add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, wait for the oil to heat up, and then add the shallots to sauté until fragrant.

When the shallots start to change color, continue to add the crushed green peppercorns and stir quickly until fragrant, then turn off the heat.

When the water is boiling, pour the sautéed shallots and pepper into the hotpot water, then reduce the heat, add seasoning, salt, and sugar to taste.

Add the prepared straw mushrooms and crabs into the hotpot water to cook, wait about 5-10 minutes for the crabs to be done. When the straw mushrooms and crabs are cooked, continue to add the luffa, chicken thigh mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, and water spinach to serve with fresh noodles.

Final Product

The hotpot broth has a sweet and delicate flavor from the crab and various mushrooms, along with the fragrant, mild spicy taste from the green pepper. The dish will taste better when served with a bowl of rich fish sauce (if you like spicy, you can add chili to the fish sauce).

Prepare crab, clams, and beef shank

Wash the crab thoroughly, then cut it in half, remove the apron and the dirty mud inside, and wash it again to eliminate any odor. If the crab is large, you can cut it in half for easier cooking.

Soak the clams in rice water for about 45 minutes to remove the sand, then wash them clean. Rinse the beef shank with salted water and then slice it thinly.

Prepare vegetables

Peel the white radish, wash it clean, and cut it into pieces. Wash the mustard greens, leaving about 10cm of the stem, then strip off the fibers and wash them clean. Cut the roots off the enoki mushrooms, wash them thoroughly, and then separate them into strands.

Cut the soft tofu into bite-sized pieces and blanch it in boiling water to make it firmer and tastier.

Cut the kimchi into bite-sized pieces.

Cooking hot pot

Place a pot on the stove, bring 1.5 liters of water to a boil with the white radish to create a sweet broth. After the water boils, add seasoning, salt, and sugar to taste.

Then add the chopped kimchi and bring it back to a boil (remember to include the kimchi juice for more flavor). Add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and taste the seasoning until it is just right.

Continue by dipping the crab and clams into the hot pot first as they take longer to cook (wait about 5-10 minutes for the crab and clams to cook). When eating, add beef, mushrooms, and vegetables along with soft tofu into the pot. Once the beef is cooked, serve it with fresh noodles, radish, kimchi, and green onions.

Final product

The hot pot has a spicy, warm flavor from kimchi, blended with the fresh, sweet aroma of clams and crab. You can dip it with soy sauce to enhance the richness of the dish (if you like spicy, you can add chili to the soy sauce).