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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour
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Difficulty
Medium
On cold rainy days, gathering with family while savoring a pot of sweet and rich sea crab hotpot with a bit of spiciness is just perfect. Therefore, today TasteVN will introduce you to the way to make sea crab hotpot cooked with fermented tofu, which is a unique and enticing dish. Let’s go to the kitchen to see the recipe and get started!
Ingredients for Sea Crab Hotpot with Fermented Tofu Serves 6 people
Sea crab 3 crabs Coconut 2 fruits (for water) Taro 1 tuber Lemongrass 10 stalks Chili 4 fruits Garlic 1 bulb Fermented tofu 1/2 box (about 7 pieces of tofu) Fermented tofu water 3 tablespoons Water spinach 150 gr Green mustard 150 gr Annatto oil 4 tablespoons Cooking oil 4 tablespoons Common seasonings a little (MSG/sugar/salt/pepper)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh sea crabs
- You should choose live crabs, with the color of the shell and claws being somewhat darker and similar. If the underside has a dark orange color and is shiny, those are the crabs that are meaty.
- If the claws and spines on the crab’s shell are large and long, and feel hard when touched, they will usually have more meat and roe than the others.
- You should not choose small crabs with a light-colored shell and belly, even slightly white, and with small spines on the shell, as they are still young, and the meat will not be sweet and will not have much roe.
- You can press the shell and the belly with your hand; if it feels hard and is not too soft or deformed, you should buy it.
- Additionally, you should buy at reputable seafood stores to ensure quality.
How to choose delicious, non-stringy taro
- You should choose round taro tubers that are shaped like chicken eggs, of moderate size. The outside has a rough skin, with many roots and dirt still clinging to the skin.
- When lifted, they feel light as such tubers usually contain less water and have a high starch content.
- You should choose tubers with many indentations as they will be tastier than those with fewer indentations and smoother skin.
- You should not buy distorted tubers, those that are too smooth on the outside, and feel heavy when lifted as those tubers usually contain a lot of water, and will not taste good when eaten.
How to choose good fermented tofu for hot pot
- You can choose to buy fermented tofu white or red for cooking hot pot. Good fermented tofu is the one that has a long fermentation time, making it fragrant and richer in flavor.
- When buying, choose fermented tofu that is not moldy, spoiled, with a tightly sealed container, not deformed, and has a clear origin, as well as an expiration date still valid.
- You can buy fermented tofu at reputable supermarket chains to ensure you get the best quality. Additionally, you can also make fermented tofu at home using the recipe below from TasteVN!
How to prepare crab hot pot with fermented tofu
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Prepare the crabs
First, use a brush to clean the outer shell and claws of each crab under running water.
Then, remove the triangular apron under the crab’s body and separate the two claws, using a pestle to gently crack the shell of the claws slightly.
Next, flip the crab onto its back and use a knife to make two vertical and horizontal cuts so that when marinating, the crab meat absorbs the spices evenly.
How to properly prepare crabs
- First, flip the crab onto its back, then use a sharp object to poke the apron (triangular part) until the crab stops moving completely.
- Next, remove the ties from the crab, and use a brush to clean every nook and cranny on the body to remove mud and dirt.
See details: How to properly prepare crabs
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Prepare other ingredients
Peel and finely chop the garlic.
Peel off the outer leaves of the lemongrass, wash it clean, chop 7 stalks of lemongrass and 3 chili peppers to get about 4 tablespoons of chopped lemongrass and chili, keep the remaining 3 stalks of lemongrass whole and crush them.
Pick the tender parts of the water spinach, trim the roots of the mustard greens, wash them clean, and then cut them in half.
Peel the taro, wash it clean, then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Chop two coconuts to extract the water.
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Marinating and Stir-frying Crab
Put in bowl 2 tablespoons of minced lemongrass and chili, minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, 4 pieces of fermented tofu, about 2 tablespoons of fermented tofu water. Mix well so that the ingredients blend together.
Place the cleaned crab into bowl and marinate with the prepared fermented tofu sauce along with 4 tablespoons of annatto oil, then shake the bowl well so that the crab absorbs the spices evenly.
Heat a large pot on the stove, add 4 tablespoons of cooking oil, 1 tablespoon of minced lemongrass and chili, crushed lemongrass stalks, then stir-fry over medium heat until fragrant.
Next, add the crab along with the marinating sauce into the pot, stir-fry for about 10 minutes until the crab turns slightly reddish and is coated evenly with the sauce.
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Add coconut water and cook crab hotpot
Then, add the water of 2 fresh coconuts to the pot and cook the crab hotpot over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, add the cut taro and cook for another 20 minutes until the taro is soft.
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Make dipping sauce and finish
Add 1 tablespoon of minced lemongrass and chili, a little sugar, 3 pieces of fermented tofu, and 1 tablespoon of fermented tofu liquid into a small bowl and mix well to make the dipping sauce.
Finally, pour the cooked crab with fermented tofu and coconut water into the stainless steel hotpot or the electric hotpot, bring to a boil and dip soft water spinach and mustard greens in, served with fresh rice noodles.
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Finished Product
Hot and fragrant crab hotpot cooked with fermented tofu, the broth has a sweet taste from the sea crab, rich in spices, blended with the aroma of lemongrass and a slight spiciness from chili.
The hot pot is served with fresh noodles, crisp and refreshing green vegetables, and especially with the sea crab that has a rich, fatty roe and tender, sweet meat, truly wonderful beyond praise!
The dish seafood hotpot with fermented bean paste is delicious and unique with a very simple and quick recipe. This weekend, let’s get into the kitchen and make it to treat your family! TasteVN wishes you success in making it!
