Preparation
20 minutes
Cooking
30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Crab hotpot with perilla is a hotpot made from two very nutritious ingredients: sea crab and perilla, which is very suitable for eating in winter or on chilly days. Let’s get into the kitchen to learn this delicious dish!
Ingredients for Crab Hotpot with Perilla Serves 4 people
Sea crab 2 pieces Tomato 3 pieces Perilla 100 gr Shallots 100 gr Onion 1 bulb Ginger 1 bulb Minced shallots 1 tablespoon Minced garlic 1 tablespoon Bone broth 1 liter Calamondin juice 5 tablespoons Annatto oil 1 tablespoon Cooking oil a little Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Sugar 2 tablespoons Seasoning powder 2 tablespoons MSG 1 tablespoon
How to Choose Fresh Ingredients
How to choose fresh sea crabs
- Good sea crabs will have a hard shell, a slightly firm abdomen, and will not feel soft when squeezed. It is advisable to choose female crabs as they have more roe than male crabs.
- The silk skin in the joint area of the crab’s claw should be light or dark pink, indicating that the crab has more meat and will taste better when cooked.
- Avoid buying crabs that are not very active or appear sluggish, as these are crabs that are about to die and are no longer fresh.
How to choose fresh perilla leaves
- You should choose perilla leaves with a smooth surface, still fresh.
- The part of the leaf close to the stem that has a darker purple color will be more fragrant and sweet when cooked.
- Do not buy perilla leaves that have wilted, turned yellow, bruised, or rotten.
How to choose delicious fresh tomatoes
- Delicious tomatoes have a bright red, evenly colored, plump skin, with intact outer skin, and no scratches.
- Fresh tomato stems will still be green, tightly attached to the fruit’s top. When cut, the flesh is red, and the seeds are yellow, not green.
- Do not choose fruits that are still a bit green or too dark, show signs of bruising or scratching, and have no aroma.
-800x450.jpg "How to cook delicious, hot sea crab hotpot with fragrant Vietnamese perilla for chilly rainy days 2")
How to prepare Perilla Crab Hotpot
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Prepare the crabs
When buying crabs, use a sharp object to stab the abdomen to kill them. Rinse thoroughly several times and scrub off any dirt still stuck to the crabs.
Use your hands to separate the crab shell from the body, removing the hair and internal lungs. Use a spoon to scoop out the crab roe and cut the crab body in half.
See details: How to prepare crabs quickly, simply, and properly
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Prepare other ingredients
Bring 3 tomatoes, soak and wash them clean, then cut into wedges, and 1 onion, peel and do the same.
Peel 100g of shallots and 1 piece of ginger, then slice. Soak and wash the perilla and cut into bite-sized pieces about the length of a finger.
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Cook tomato hot pot broth
Add cooking oil to the pot, sauté the tomatoes until soft and color has released, then pour 1 liter of bone broth into the pot.
Gradually season the broth with 2 tablespoons of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and 5 tablespoons of calamansi juice. Cover and simmer the hot pot broth on medium heat for about 15 minutes.
Tip: Bone broth helps make the hot pot broth more fragrant and sweet. If you don’t have bone broth, you can substitute it with other types of broths like pork, chicken,… or use plain water as well. -
Stir-fry crab with perilla
Place a pan with cooking oil on the stove, stir-fry onions, shallots, and ginger along with 1 tablespoon of minced shallots and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of annatto oil and stir-fry until fragrant.
Add the crab and stir-fry briefly until it just starts to change color, then add the perilla and stir-fry together, turning off the heat as soon as the perilla wilts.
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Cooking hotpot
Transfer the pot of water to the stove for hotpot and continue to boil. When the broth is boiling, add the crab and perilla, stir well, decorate as desired, and gradually start enjoying.
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Final product
Hot crab hotpot with perilla brings a rich, slightly sour taste from the tomato broth, with firm, sweet crab meat combined with the aromatic scent of perilla, making it an appealing and nutritious dish.
On a cold weekend, the whole family gathers around a steaming crab hotpot, warming both the stomach and the love.
See more:
No need to go to a restaurant, now with the simple recipe for cooking crab hotpot with Vietnamese perilla from TasteVN, you can enjoy a steaming hot pot right at home. Wishing you success!
