Mui Ne hot pot is delicious and visually appealing.

With its elaborately arranged ingredients resembling a flower, the "lau tha" hot pot – a specialty of Mui Ne (Lam Dong province) – leaves a lasting impression on diners.

Hot pot dishes are beautifully arranged, resembling sunflowers - Photo: NGUYEN HIEN

Sitting in front of a steaming hot pot, Nhut Duy (from Ho Chi Minh City) exclaimed in admiration at how beautifully the hot pot set was presented. After some guidance from the restaurant staff, Duy confidently made himself a bowl of hot pot – a famous specialty of Mui Ne.

"Just looking at it is delicious, but the flavor of the hot pot with floating ingredients surprised me even more. I've heard about this specialty dish for a long time, but this is the first time I've tasted it, and also the first time I've tried making it myself," Duy shared.

Nhut Duy personally experiences hot pot with floating dishes - Photo: NGUYEN HIEN

According to Duy, the hot pot dish impresses with its fresh, delicious, and fragrant scad fish meat, without any fishy smell. The accompanying vegetables such as mango, banana blossoms, and herbs all blend well, each offering a different flavor.

"First, I put the fish into the boiling broth. While waiting for the fish to cook, I put the appropriate amount of rice noodles into a bowl, followed by vegetables, eggs, and meat according to each person's needs..."

"Once you have a bowl of noodles with all the ingredients, pour the prepared sauce over it and enjoy. If you don't like the sauce, you can use the broth itself, which is also very delicious," Duy said.

A delicious hot pot with aromatic ingredients conquers the taste buds of diners - Photo: NGUYEN HIEN

For this young man, visiting Mui Ne - Phan Thiet without trying the local fisherman's hot pot is truly a pity. This "delicacy" is not only visually appealing but also embodies the philosophy of yin and yang and the five elements.

"Lẩu thả" (literally "floating hot pot") originated from the rustic meals of the people in the coastal area of ​​Mui Ne - Phan Thiet. The unusual name comes from the fact that fishermen often put the things they catch from the sea into a pot and cook them together to make a hot pot.

Gradually, hot pot has been elevated to a local specialty, attracting tourists to enjoy it. The dish has a delicious flavor of fish, meat, and various vegetables blended with a light and sweet broth, and a thick dipping sauce.

The fish fillets are marinated with spices to create an attractive color and delicious flavor - Photo: NGUYEN HIEN

The people of Mui Ne often use small fish with firm, sweet flesh such as scad, anchovies, and barracuda, which are the main ingredients of the dish. The fish are carefully prepared, filleted, and marinated with ginger, garlic, and chili to remove the fishy smell and create a delicious flavor when added to the hot pot.

The ingredients for the hot pot are placed on a bamboo tray lined with banana leaves, each ingredient placed in a banana flower stem, arranged fanned out like petals. The prepared fish is placed in the center of the tray.

Besides fish, hot pot is served with banana blossoms, pork, shredded fried eggs, cucumber, shredded unripe mango, and herbs.

In Mui Ne, tourists can find hot pot at almost any restaurant. At local eateries, this dish costs around 500,000 VND for a serving for 2-3 people. You can choose restaurants along the beach, enjoying delicious hot pot while feeling the cool breeze from the blue sea.

NGUYEN HIEN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lau-tha-mui-ne-ngon-mieng-da-mat-2026041416522096.htm