Mẻ is a traditional spice with a tangy taste and a characteristic light aroma. How about combining mẻ with chicken to cook a delicious hot pot? On a cold rainy day, having a pot of chicken cooked with mẻ is simply wonderful. Let’s go to the kitchen with TasteVN to make these 3 hot pot dishes!
1. Chicken Hot Pot with Mẻ
Preparation
30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Chicken Hot Pot with Mẻ Serves 4 people
Chicken 2 kg Mẻ 5 tablespoons Minced shallots 50 gr Lemongrass 5 stalks Chili 2 pieces Tomato 1 piece Ginger 1 root Seasoning greens a little (basil/coriander/onion) Cooking oil a little Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Common spices a little (Salt/ sugar/ seasoning powder/ monosodium glutamate)
How to choose fresh tomatoes
- Based on color: You should choose tomatoes with bright red skin, evenly colored. The skin should be intact, without scratches, and plump to ensure freshness.
- Based on aroma: Naturally ripened tomatoes usually have a light, pleasant aroma that is easily noticeable. In contrast, tomatoes that have been artificially ripened lack fragrance.
How to Prepare Chicken Hotpot with Fermented Rice
-
Prepare and Marinate the Chicken
After purchasing the chicken, rinse it briefly and then soak it in diluted salt water for 15 minutes to remove all the impurities. After that, take the chicken out, rinse it 2 – 3 times with clean water, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and let it drain.
Marinate the chicken meat with 2 tablespoons of fermented rice and 1/2 tablespoon of seasoning powder, then mix well to ensure the chicken absorbs the spices.
-
Prepare Other Ingredients
Wash the tomatoes and cut them into wedges, wash the lemongrass, crush it, and cut it into pieces about the length of a finger.
Slice the chili, and julienne the galangal. Chop the basil and coriander finely.
-
Stir-fry chicken
Place a little oil in the pot on the stove, heat the oil, add sliced shallots and sauté until fragrant, then add lemongrass, galangal, and chili to sauté until fragrant.
Add the chicken and stir-fry until it is firm, then add 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, and 1/2 tablespoon of seasoning powder, then mix well.
Tip: Before cooking the hot pot, stir-fry the chicken first to eliminate the fishy smell, and the chicken will be firmer and tastier when cooked.
-
Cook chicken hot pot
Add 1 liter of water to the pot and cook over medium heat for 15 – 20 minutes, then add the remaining rice mixture and cook for about 5 minutes, then add tomatoes and turn off the heat.
Serve the chicken hot pot in a bowl and garnish with a few sprigs of basil, and the dish is complete.
Tip: The rice mixture should be strained through a sieve before adding it to the hot pot water to help the hot pot broth become thicker and tastier.
-
Finished Product
The chicken is cooked just right, chewy, with a sour and spicy broth that is not overwhelming and fragrant with galangal and lemongrass. Served with vermicelli, fresh vegetables, or shrimp cakes, it is simply irresistible.
2. Chicken Hot Pot with Fermented Rice and Eggplant
Preparation
15 minutes
Cooking
30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Chicken Hot Pot with Fermented Rice and Eggplant Serves 3 people
Chicken 1 bird (2kg) Fermented Rice 5 tablespoons Pickled Eggplant with Garlic and Chili 400 gr (1 jar) Chopped Shallots 2 teaspoons Chopped Garlic 1 teaspoon Fried Shallots 1.5 tablespoons Chili 2 peppers (chopped) Culantro 2 sprigs (chopped) Cooking Oil 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce 1 tablespoon Common Seasoning a little (Salt/ Seasoning Powder/ Sugar)
Where to buy pickled eggplant with garlic and chili?
- You can buy pickled eggplant with garlic at stalls selling various pickled foods in traditional markets, or in supermarkets or large grocery stores where it is available.
- In addition, you can also make pickled eggplant with garlic and chili at home following the guide from TasteVN.
-800x450-16-2.jpg "3 ways to make sour and sweet chicken hot pot with tamarind for a cozy rainy day 17")
How to prepare chicken hot pot cooked with tamarind and pickled eggplant
-
Prepare and marinate the chicken
Wash the chicken with diluted salt water for about 15 minutes to remove dirt. Next, use coarse salt to rub the skin inside and the inside of the chicken’s belly to ensure it is clean.
Then rinse with water 2 – 3 times, drain, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Put the chicken in a bowl and marinate with 1.5 tablespoons of fried onion, 1/2 tablespoon of seasoning, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 chopped chilies, then mix well.
-
Sauté chicken
Place a pan on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to the pan. Wait for the oil to heat up, then add 2 teaspoons of minced shallots and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic to sauté until fragrant. After that, add the chicken and stir-fry evenly over medium heat until the chicken is browned.
-
Make broth and filter fermented rice
Place a pot on the stove, add enough water to fill the pot halfway and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the chicken to cook through.
To filter the fermented rice, put 5 tablespoons of fermented rice into a sieve. Next, ladle 1 scoop of the boiling broth into the sieve and proceed to filter the fermented rice to extract the liquid. Then, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 tablespoon of sugar to the bowl containing the fermented rice liquid, and stir well.
-
Cooking Chicken Hotpot with sour rice and eggplant
Slowly pour the sour rice water into the pot where the chicken is simmering. Next, add 400g (1 jar) of salted eggplant with garlic and chili.
Wait for the water in the pot to boil again, then add 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and season to taste. Finally, add chopped cilantro to finish.
-
Final Product
Chicken Hotpot with sour rice is complete. The hotpot has a sour taste from the sour rice, the broth from the chicken is sweet and light, the chicken meat is tender, and the eggplant is crispy and delicious. This dish is fantastic when served with a bowl of chili fish sauce and some fresh noodles.
3. Chicken Hotpot with sour rice and coconut water
Preparation
10 minutes
Cooking
30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Coconut Water Chicken Hotpot Serves 4 people
Chicken 1 whole (about 2kg) Fermented rice 200 gr Coconut water 500 ml Lemongrass 5 stalks Garlic 4 cloves Chili 2 pieces Water spinach 500 gr Loofah 1 piece Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Common spices a little (Salt/ sugar/ seasoning powder/ monosodium glutamate)
Ingredient Image
How to Make Coconut Water Chicken Hotpot
-
Prepare the chicken
After buying the chicken, pluck off any remaining small black feathers from the chicken’s skin, then rub salt all over the outside skin and the inside of the chicken’s belly. After that, rinse it with clean water 2 – 3 times.
Once it is cleaned and drained, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
-
Prepare other ingredients
You put into bowl 200gr fermented rice along with 1.5 ladles of clean water and then mash the fermented rice.
You clean the roots attached to the stem of the water spinach, remove the old stalks and wilted leaves, and cut them into small pieces about the size of a finger, then soak in salt and wash thoroughly.
Peel the gourd and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
You remove the outer old sheath of the lemongrass, wash it clean, and then chop it finely. Remove the stems from the chili peppers, and peel and finely chop the garlic.
-
Marinate and stir-fry chicken
Marinate the chicken with minced chili, minced garlic along with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate.
Place a pan on the stove over high heat, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, wait for the oil to heat up and then add the lemongrass to sauté until fragrant. When the lemongrass is fragrant, add the chicken and stir-fry for about 5 minutes until it is firm.
-
Cook chicken with coconut water and fermented rice
Next, you add the stir-fried chicken into the pot and then add 500ml of coconut water, followed by enough filtered water so that the water covers the chicken by about 2 finger joints.
You cook on high heat until the water in the pot boils, then start seasoning with 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and continue to cook for another 20 minutes until the chicken is tender.
Tip: To make the broth more fragrant, if you have lemongrass leaves, you can tie them together and add them to cook with the chicken, and remove them when done!Next, you filter the fermented rice that has been mashed through a sieve into the pot of chicken cooking. Cook for another 2 minutes, then season to taste and you’re done.
At this point, you scoop the hot pot into a stainless steel pot and put it on a mini gas stove to boil again, then dip the water spinach and gourd in and enjoy right away!
-
Final Product
The chicken hot pot cooked with coconut water has a sweet and slightly sour broth, along with tender and flavorful chicken served with water spinach and crunchy, refreshing sponge gourd. All the ingredients combine to create a delicious and unique flavor for this hot pot dish.
Make sure to enjoy the hot pot with fresh noodles and a bowl of spicy chili fish sauce, guaranteed to be so delicious you’ll forget the way home!
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Chicken
- Choose chickens with pinkish-red meat, no foul or strange odor, and the skin should not have bruises or dark spots. Avoid choosing dark-skinned chickens as they are likely to be dead before processing.
- Press down on the thigh or breast to check if the chicken is water-injected; if it feels mushy, slippery, or deformed, do not buy it.
- If the chicken skin is yellow and the inner fat is white, it indicates that the chicken has been dyed, so it should not be purchased.
- To choose good local chicken, select pieces with light yellow skin that is thin, smooth, has high elasticity, and only has dark yellow in certain areas like the breast, wings, and back. The body should be small, firm, and have a narrow breast.
- For frozen chicken in supermarkets, check the reputable source of origin and the expiration date on the packaging to ensure quality.
Effective ways to eliminate the smell of chicken
- Cut off the oil gland at the chicken’s tail, or cut off the tip of the chicken’s tail to avoid affecting the flavor of the dish.
- Make a mixture of vinegar and salt and apply it evenly on the chicken or soak it directly for 3 – 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with water.
- Use lemon juice mixed with salt to rub on the chicken, then rinse it again with water.
What is fermented rice? Where to buy fermented rice
- Fermented rice, also known as fermented cooked rice, is a basic spice in Vietnamese cuisine. This traditional spice has a sour and fragrant flavor that is very distinct, often used in many dishes such as hot pot, braised dishes, sour soup, crab noodle soup, buffalo meat with fermented rice, snails cooked with beans with green bananas.
- You can buy fermented rice at liquor stores, grocery stores specializing in Northern foods, large supermarkets, or you can make it at home using the TasteVN recipe.
See more:
Above are 3 ways to make sour fermented chicken hotpot that is light, sour, and sweet for rainy days. The recipe is quite simple, isn’t it? I hope that with the method shared by TasteVN above, you will easily make this hotpot. Wishing you success!
