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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Crab porridge hot pot is a hot pot specialty of the people in the West with a rustic yet delicious and extremely attractive flavor. Today, let’s join the kitchen with TasteVN and try your hand at making this dish for the whole family to enjoy!
Ingredients for Crab Porridge Hot Pot For 4 people
Rice 80 gr Fresh crab 1 kg Chicken eggs 2 eggs Duck eggs (fertilized) 10 eggs Straw mushrooms 500 gr Loofah 2 pieces Water spinach 200 gr Green onions 5 stalks Minced garlic 1 tablespoon Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Salt/MSG a little
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh, firm river crabs
- You can use pre-ground river crabs available at reputable markets and supermarkets; when buying, be sure to ask for additional crab roe to make the dish more flavorful. Alternatively, you can buy live crabs to crush at home or use a blender.
- For live river crabs, choose those with a dull gray-purple color, with the shell being a lighter color. To select crabs with more meat, choose male crabs with a small and pointed belly; for crabs with more roe, choose females with a larger belly, commonly referred to as flower bellies.
- Choose crabs that are still moving quickly, with intact claws and legs that are flexible. If you press on the belly shell and see bubbles, the crab is still fresh.
- Avoid choosing river crabs with red eyes, those with hairs on the underside of the belly, or those with star spots on the back shell.
How to choose fresh straw mushrooms
- When choosing straw mushrooms, observe and select those that are dark in color, intact, round in shape, and still budding, with a distinct fragrance.
- Do not buy mushrooms that have caps and are fully opened. Avoid white mushrooms, those that smell bad, or are bruised.
How to Prepare Mud Crab Porridge Hotpot
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Prepare the mud crabs
When buying mud crabs, use a brush to scrub off the dirt, then wash them thoroughly with water several times. Next, separate the shell from the body.
For the crab shell, use a spoon to scoop out the crab roe. The crab meat should be placed in a bowl and pounded into a paste.
For straw mushrooms, peel off the roots, then soak them in rice water for about 10 minutes, then take them out, wash them clean, and let them drain. Use a knife to cut the mushrooms into 4 or 6 pieces depending on their size.
Proper way to prepare straw mushrooms- Do not wash straw mushrooms too thoroughly, as they will absorb water and not taste good.
- Soak and wash straw mushrooms in water mixed with a bit of tapioca flour or soak in rice water; do not soak in salt water as this will make the mushrooms become spongy and not tasty.
See details: Simple and proper way to prepare straw mushrooms
Boil the duck eggs after washing them clean. Peel the gourd, then wash it briefly with water and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Pick the young leaves of the jute plant, wash them clean, and let them drain.
Cut off the roots of the scallions, wash them clean. Chop the scallion leaves finely, and cut the scallion bulbs into pieces, setting them aside.
Wash the rice thoroughly and drain it, then place it in a pan and roast until golden and fragrant.
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Filter and cook the field crab broth
Add the freshly ground crab meat into a bowl, add about 2 liters of water, stir well, and then slowly filter through a sieve to remove the residue and hard shells.
Pour the filtered crab water into a pot, add about 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of MSG, and cook over medium heat until the water boils, and the crab broth is cooked and floats to the surface. Then gently use a sieve to scoop the crab broth into a bowl and set aside.
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Sauté crab roe with freshwater crab meat
Place a pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and heat it, then add chopped green onion to sauté until fragrant.
When the green onion is aromatic, add the crab roe and sauté over medium heat until the crab roe is cooked and firm. Next, add the filtered freshwater crab meat into the pan and continue to sauté for about 2 – 3 minutes until the mixture in the pan starts to boil.
After that, crack 2 eggs into the pan, add another 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, and continue to sauté over medium heat until the mixture of crab roe and freshwater crab meat thickens.
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Cook freshwater crab porridge
Place a pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and heat it, then add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic to sauté until fragrant. Next, add the straw mushrooms into the pan and sauté over high heat until the mushrooms are soft.
Put a pot on the stove, add 2 liters of water and bring to a boil, then add the roasted rice into the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 25 – 30 minutes until the rice grains expand and cook evenly.
When the porridge is cooked evenly, add the straw mushrooms, crab roe, and sautéed freshwater crab meat into the pot, stir well and continue for about 2 – 3 minutes until the porridge boils again.
Finally, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, then season to taste and add chopped green onions.
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Completion
Put the crab porridge hotpot into a small pot and place it on the mini gas stove to simmer gently, serving alongside the hotpot are balut eggs, water spinach, and loofah.
As you eat, peel the balut eggs and add them to the pot, while simultaneously dipping the water spinach and loofah into it.
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Final product
So your hot crab porridge pot is complete and steaming hot!
The pot is filled with a variety of ingredients that create an unforgettable signature flavor, from the sweet, delicate taste of the crab meat, the rich, creamy flavor of the balut eggs, and the crunchy sweetness of the mushrooms and refreshing vegetables, making anyone who gets to enjoy it remember it forever.
We hope that with the recipe for river crab porridge hot pot suggested by TasteVN, you will easily step into the kitchen and cook this delicious dish to change the taste for your family on days when you get tired of rice. Wishing you success!
