Special dish on the tray of food in the West, bright colors, cooked in a special pot

This is a dish that often appears on the tray of offerings during holidays, Tet, weddings, and death anniversaries of people in the West. This dish is not only delicious but also beautiful.

Hotpot (also known as hotpot, charcoal hotpot) is a familiar dish, often placed in the middle of the party tray, the feast tray of the people of the West. The hotpot is elaborately prepared, not only has a delicious flavor but is also attractively presented.

The name of the hot pot comes from the shape of the pot. People in the West use a specially designed aluminum pot, a round pot with a handle, in the middle is a hollow aluminum tube protruding high, used to hold charcoal.

The aluminum tube in the middle of the hot pot reminds people of the floating islands in the middle of the Mekong Delta. The ingredients placed around include shrimp, fish, meat, vegetables, and colorful tubers, representing the richness of the island region.

Hotpot dish in the Western region. Photo: NAG Ky Anh Nguyen

With a special structure, the heat from the burning charcoal in the aluminum tube will heat the broth without the need for gas or alcohol. People pass on the experience of using charcoal, because this type of charcoal burns evenly, retains heat for a long time and produces little ash and dust.

"There was a time when people preferred to use alcohol, gas or electric hot pots for convenience and to avoid coal dust, so hot pot was absent from wedding or death anniversary feasts.

But in recent years, hotpot has appeared as a specialty, carrying the typical culture of the Mekong Delta when welcoming guests from far away to eat," said Mr. Huynh Tri Hung, a wedding tray service provider in Hau Giang .

Nowadays, this hot pot dish has been elevated to a local specialty, appearing on the menus of restaurants and hotels.

Cu Lao hotpot is brought to restaurants to serve tourists from afar. Photo: Cu Lao hotpot restaurant

The broth of the hotpot is not too fussy about the ingredients but must be skillfully made to be clear, fragrant and richly sweet from bones (pork bones or chicken or duck bones), vegetables such as cabbage, jicama, squash, and radish.

Families with conditions can add dried squid and dried shrimp, but must know how to process them to avoid a fishy smell.

In each locality, the ingredients to make the hot pot are different, but there are always things like pig liver (or pig heart), chicken gizzard (or duck), flower sausage, vegetables...

All are carefully prepared to clean, completely remove odors, blanched in boiling water, then cut into bite-sized pieces, and seasoned to taste.

In the hot pot of An Giang , Dong Thap, Hau Giang, fish and fish cakes are often indispensable, while in Ca Mau and Bac Lieu, fresh shrimp and squid are added.

Hau Giang is famous for its catfish, so people often make fish cakes to eat with it. The fish cakes are pounded carefully to make them chewy, seasoned with salt, sugar, ground pepper, fried garlic, then shaped into bite-sized balls, steamed until cooked before being served in the hot pot.

The ingredients of the hotpot dish are very diverse. Photo: Minh Nhat

In An Giang, the hotpot often includes pig skin. The pig skin is pre-processed, soaked in warm water and fresh ginger to remove the smell, then cut into squares and stir-fried with fried garlic. Or some families will fry it until it puffs up, creating a crispy, unique side dish.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tra (33 years old, HCMC) once enjoyed the hotpot dish at weddings in the West. Impressed by this simple and beautiful hotpot dish, he learned the recipe and made it himself.

According to Mr. Tra, to have a delicious and beautiful hot pot of Cu Lao takes a lot of time. For example, the bone broth must be filtered many times after being boiled to ensure its clarity. Vegetables such as radish, carrots, and red peppers are carved into flowers and soaked in ice water to keep their freshness and beautiful bloom.

Hotpot in the island becomes more elaborate when there are egg rolls and cabbage rolls. "The eggs will be fried thinly and golden brown on both sides. The minced pork must be kept cold so that it will be soft and chewy when mixed," said Mr. Tra.

Mr. Tra meticulously makes a beautiful egg roll with minced pork. Photo: NCVV

Cabbage rolls are made from cabbage leaves (blanched in warm water), rolled with minced meat or pork sausage and tied with blanched green onions.

Hot pot in the island can have up to 20 different ingredients. Most of the ingredients are pre-cooked and then arranged nicely in the hot pot, then the broth is poured in.

The red hot coals in the tube heat the hot pot water, as well as contributing to the aroma of the dish.

Cu Lao hotpot is made from many different ingredients, showing the meticulousness and skill of the maker. Photo: NVCC

Wait a few minutes, when the hot pot water boils, the diners open it. The aroma of the hot pot water and ingredients will make anyone excited and eager to enjoy it.

Cu Lao hotpot is served with rice noodles or noodles, chrysanthemum greens, fried tofu, hot fried dough sticks,...

"Cu Lao hotpot is not only a dish, but also a part of the unique culinary culture of the Southwest region, demonstrating creativity and local cultural characteristics," Mr. Tra shared.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/mon-dac-san-trong-mam-co-o-mien-tay-mau-sac-ruc-ro-nau-bang-noi-dac-biet-2405619.html