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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Chicken hot pot with Vietnamese lemon basil is a famous Phu Yen specialty known for its deliciousness, later spreading to many places, especially the flavor of this hot pot in Da Lat that captivates diners remarkably. Let’s join TasteVN to the kitchen to discover the incredibly simple recipe for this addictive chicken hot pot with Vietnamese lemon basil right at home!
Ingredients for Chicken Hot Pot with Vietnamese Lemon Basil Serves 4
Chicken 1 whole (1.5kg) Vietnamese lemon basil 100 gr Sour bamboo shoots 300 gr Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Lemon 1 fruit Garlic 3 cloves Shallots 3 bulbs Bird’s eye chili 2 fruits Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Common seasonings a little (sugar/ salt/ monosodium glutamate/ seasoning powder/ ground pepper)
Tools for Preparation
How to Choose Fresh Ingredients
How to Choose Fresh Chicken
- Good chicken will have a characteristic shiny yellow skin. The outer skin is thin, feels smooth to the touch, not too rough, and has good elasticity.
- The inner chicken meat has a natural pinkish-red color, not too light or too dark. Especially, the chicken meat does not have bruises or blood clots. Parts of the meat that are slightly pale or turning darker gray are from chickens that died before being processed.
- If buying pre-processed and packaged chicken, you should closely observe the expiration date and packaging date, checking whether the seal of the bag is intact.
See details: How to Choose Fresh Chicken
How to Choose Fresh Vietnamese Balm Leaves
- Choose fresh, green Vietnamese balm leaves that are sturdy and intact.
- Do not choose wilted, crushed, or broken leaves.
- Currently, this type of herb is available in supermarkets, local markets, or vegetable stalls, and is very easy to find, so you can easily purchase it at many places.
How to prepare Chicken Hot Pot with Vietnamese Balm
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Prepare the ingredients
Remove the tough stems from the Vietnamese balm leaves, keeping only the fresh green leaves, and discard any old, wilted, or damaged leaves. Rinse the balm leaves several times in water until clean, then place them in a colander to drain.
The sour bamboo shoots are already pickled; when you buy them, rinse them briefly under cold water to remove dirt, then cut them into small bite-sized pieces and place them on a plate.
To remove any unpleasant odor, rub salt and lemon on the chicken, then rinse it thoroughly with cold water. Use a knife to chop the chicken into small pieces.
Simple method to reduce chicken odor
- After cleaning the feathers, you need to remove the oil gland at the chicken’s tail, as this gland is also responsible for the odor.
- Then, rub salt around the chicken, cut a lemon in half, and rub it evenly over the chicken.
- Rinse the chicken with cold water and let it drain.
See details: How to clean chicken meat and effectively remove odor
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Pounding the Vietnamese Balm Leaves
After washing and draining the Vietnamese balm leaves, put 1/2 of the leaves into a mortar along with 3 cloves of garlic, 3 shallots, and 2 small chili peppers.
The remaining balm leaves should be added to the hot pot as you eat to enhance the aroma and flavor.
Use a pestle to pound the balm leaves and garlic shallots until finely crushed and mixed together.
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Marinating the Chicken
After cleaning the chicken, place the chicken meat into a large pot along with the pounded balm leaves and garlic shallots.
Mix well to coat the chicken with the balm leaves, and add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and a little ground pepper.
Stir well to combine all ingredients and coat the chicken evenly, marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors absorb into the meat.
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Cooking Chicken Hot Pot with Rice Herb
Place a pot on the stove, turn on high heat, and heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, quickly stir-fry the marinated chicken until it’s browned.
Once the chicken is browned, pour 2 liters of water into the pot, and season the broth with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, and 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder. Stir well to dissolve the seasonings into the water.
Bring the pot to a boil on high heat, then reduce to medium heat and cook for about 20 minutes until the chicken is tender. During cooking, if you see foam rising in the broth, use a ladle to skim it off.
After 20 minutes, if the chicken is tender and well-seasoned, and the broth has reduced somewhat, taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking, then turn off the heat.
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Finished Product
The flavorful Chicken Hot Pot with Rice Herb has been completed right in your kitchen. When serving, place the pot on the stove to heat until boiling, then add fresh bamboo shoots and rice herb leaves and wait for another 2 minutes to enjoy immediately.
The broth is rich and sweet thanks to the chicken, with the gentle aroma of rice herb blending with the enticing smell of sour bamboo shoots. The chicken is marinated to absorb the flavors, naturally sweet and tender after being simmered.
You can enjoy Chicken Hot Pot with Rice Herb with fresh noodles, making it extremely delicious and perfect for family gatherings on weekends.
See more:
The above is a guide on how to prepare chicken hot pot with Vietnamese coriander, which is fragrant, extremely appealing, very simple, and easy to make, anyone can do it. Wish you success with this recipe from TasteVN!
*Source reference for the recipe and images shared from Facebook: Duong Sunny.
