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Preparation
10 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Crab hotpot with gourd is a delicious and unique hotpot dish, just a few simple ingredients along with the right seasoning tips and you have an excellent dish to comfortably treat your friends and family. Let’s get into the kitchen and learn how to cook sweet and nutritious crab hotpot with gourd right at home!
Ingredients for Crab Hotpot with Gourd Serves 4 people
Crab 1 kg Gourd 1 piece Dried shrimp 200 gr Straw mushrooms 200 gr Napa cabbage 1 head Water spinach 200 gr Tomato 2 pieces Green onion and coriander 10 stalks Red onion 2 bulbs Green pepper 2 stalks Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Common seasoning a little (Salt/ sugar/ seasoning powder/ monosodium glutamate/ ground pepper)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose delicious, meaty crabs
- To choose good crabs, you should press on the crab’s belly; if the belly is firm and shows slight elasticity when pressed, then this crab is still fresh.
- Prioritize selecting crabs that are bright blue, with a solid surface, of a manageable size, and feel firm and solid when held.
- Avoid buying crabs with a sunken belly; if pressed, it should not cave in, because these crabs have less meat.
- You should also limit choosing crabs with broken or detached claws, as they may have gone bad and are no longer fresh.
How to choose the right bottle gourd
- Good bottle gourds typically have a moderate size, light green skin, and a layer of fine hairs on the surface.
- You should select bottle gourds that are straight, with a thick and fresh stem that is tightly attached to the fruit.
- Avoid choosing bottle gourds that are dark green and overly large, as these are old and will have seeds in the pulp when cooked.
- Additionally, you should avoid selecting bottle gourds with black spots on the skin; if they feel soft when held, they are likely to be spoiled and difficult to preserve.
Tools needed
Electric hot pot, pot, bowl, spoon, plate,…
How to prepare Crab Hotpot with Bottle Gourd
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Prepare the crab
Clean the crab thoroughly, then carefully separate the crab shell and set it aside, remove the lungs and apron from the crab body.
Use a spoon to extract the crab roe from the shell and place it in a bowl.
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Prepare other ingredients
Soak the dried shrimp in warm water for about 15 minutes, then drain and chop finely.
Peel the bottle gourd, wash it clean, and cut it into bite-sized pieces. The tomatoes should be washed, the tops removed, and then cut into wedges.
Soak the napa cabbage and water spinach in diluted salt water, wash them clean, and cut them into short pieces. Trim the stems from the straw mushrooms and wash them clean.
Peel the shallots and chop them finely. Trim the roots of the scallions and cilantro, wash them clean, and cut them into pieces about the length of a finger.
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Stir-fry tomatoes and cook the broth
Place a pot on the stove over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, wait for the oil to heat up, then sauté minced shallots until fragrant, then add dried shrimp and stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
Next, add 2 liters of filtered water and turn the heat up to boil, when the water boils, add straw mushrooms, tomatoes, 2 green peppercorns, season with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, and 1/2 tablespoon of seasoning powder. Cook for another 5 – 7 minutes until the mushrooms and tomatoes are soft and the seasoning is fully dissolved.
Then, add the crab roe and stir well to dissolve it, wait for the broth to boil again, then taste and adjust the seasoning to suit the family’s taste!
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Completion
After boiling the broth, transfer it to the electric hot pot, sprinkle a little ground pepper, then add all the crabs, stir briefly, cover the lid, and cook for 5 – 10 minutes until the crab shells turn light orange, then carefully remove the crabs to a plate.
At this point, add the gourd, napa cabbage, water spinach, green onions, and cilantro, cook until done, and it’s ready to enjoy right away.
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Final Product
The crab hotpot with gourd is completed with an enticing aroma and simple preparation method, with the highlight being the super sweet and rich broth, along with the chewy and tender crab meat, fragrant fat, crunchy and sweet gourd, and cabbage that will surely make you fall in love when enjoying it.
Remember to enjoy the hotpot with fresh noodles or instant noodles, and dip it in a bowl of dipping sauce to enhance the flavor, you will definitely love it!
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With the detailed instructions above, TasteVN believes that you can successfully make the crab hotpot with gourd that is delicious and nutritious to treat your family. Quickly save the recipe and share it so that many people can know it!
