How to Make Chicken Hot Pot with É Leaves with Detailed Instructions
How to make Chicken Hot Pot with É Leaves with an exquisite flavor, especially the broth, and where to buy É leaves along with their price will be detailed by Cookbeo in this article.
Ingredients
- 1.5-1.6kg free-range chicken
- 300g É leaves
- 50g Giang leaves
- 5-6 bird's eye chilies (green Siamese chili)
- 500g bamboo shoots
- 1.5kg vermicelli noodles
- 3-4 stalks lemongrass
- 3 shallots
- 1 knob ginger
- Seasoning: Salt, MSG, white sugar, rock sugar, ground pepper
Ingredient Notes
You can buy É leaves at large vegetable stalls or clean agricultural produce stores. Previously, É leaves were commonly found in southern regions, but in recent years, they have been cultivated and widely grown in farms across the northern regions. The market price for É leaves is around 50,000 VND per kg.
Giang leaves grow abundantly in the forests of mountainous areas. This climbing plant is easy to cultivate and can be harvested year-round. Like É leaves, Giang leaves can be found at vegetable stalls or agricultural produce stores, with an average price of 50,000 VND per kg. However, Giang leaves have a sour taste, so you need to adjust the quantity accordingly when purchasing.
Bird's eye chili, also known as green chili or green Siamese chili, can be found at agricultural produce stores with prices ranging from 50,000 to 130,000 VND per kg.
In addition to the ingredients listed above, many places also add oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and other types of mushrooms when cooking Chicken Hot Pot with É Leaves.
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken
Rub the chicken thoroughly with coarse salt on both the skin and the inside, then rinse clean and let it drain before cutting into bite-sized pieces.
For more flavor, after cutting the chicken, place it in a large bowl. Take about 10 É leaves, 1 tablespoon of coarse salt, and 4-5 bird's eye chilies, and pound them into a paste using a mortar and pestle. Add this mixture to the chicken for marinating. Additionally, season with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of MSG, and 1/2 tablespoon of ground pepper. Mix well and let the chicken absorb the seasoning for about 30 minutes.
Choose free-range chicken to enhance the flavor of the hot pot. Free-range chicken has firmer and sweeter meat, unlike industrially raised chicken, which can be bland and mushy.
Prepare the É Leaves
Pick the tender young É leaves. Don't discard the stems; instead, select the older stems, remove the leaves, and wash them thoroughly. Bundle the stems (~20-30g) together. These stems will be added to the broth to infuse it with their distinctive flavor.
After cleaning the É leaves, rinse them and soak them in a mild saltwater solution for 3-4 minutes. Rinse again and let them drain.
Prepare the Other Ingredients
Pick and clean the Giang leaves, rinse thoroughly, and let them drain before lightly bruising them.
Peel the tough outer layers of lemongrass, rinse clean, crush, and cut into short sections about 2 cm long.
Peel and finely chop the shallots.
Remove any dark or withered parts of the ginger, rinse clean, and finely chop.
Blanch the vermicelli noodles in boiling water to remove any sourness, then drain them in a colander.
Wash the bamboo shoots thoroughly and slice them thinly. Place the bamboo shoots in a pot, cover with water, add a pinch of coarse salt, and boil. Let the bamboo shoots boil for about 5 minutes, then drain and discard the boiling water. Rinse the bamboo shoots again and boil a second time. After boiling, rinse the bamboo shoots again and drain them in a colander.
Since bamboo shoots contain toxins and are often heavily soaked, you should boil them 2-3 times until the water becomes clear. Do not cover the pot while boiling, allowing the toxins and impurities to evaporate.
Cook the Chicken Hot Pot with É Leaves
Add about 3 tablespoons of cooking oil to a pot, and when the oil is hot, sauté the shallots, lemongrass, and ginger until fragrant. Then add the chicken.
Stir-fry until the chicken is firm, then add water to make the broth. For a hot pot serving 4-5 people, use about 3.5-4 liters of water.
When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, add the É stems, and cook for about 20 minutes until the chicken is tender.
When the chicken is cooked, add the bamboo shoots and 6-7 bird's eye chilies, and cook for another 10 minutes.
Add the bamboo shoots later to keep them crunchy, and to prevent their flavor from overpowering the É leaves.
Adjust the seasoning to taste, including salt, MSG, a bit of fish sauce for aroma, and a small amount of rock sugar.
Once the broth returns to a boil, turn off the heat and transfer to a specialized hot pot pot. When serving, bring the hot pot to a gentle boil, dip the É leaves in, and enjoy with the chicken.
Chicken Hot Pot with É Leaves is very aromatic, thanks to the distinctive scent of the É leaves. The broth is sweet, with a subtle sourness from the Giang leaves, and a slight spiciness from the bird's eye chilies. The chicken is well-marinated, making it fragrant and flavorful.
When eating Chicken Hot Pot with É Leaves, dip the chicken in salt and pepper with bird's eye chili and É leaves for an incredibly delicious and enticing taste.
How to Make Salt and É Leaf Chili Dip
Take 3 tablespoons of coarse salt, grind it finely, and dry roast it. Meanwhile, take about 5-6 É leaves and 3-4 bird's eye chilies, and pound them into a paste using a mortar and pestle. Once the salt is dry, add the É leaves and bird's eye chilies, and roast until the É leaves are completely dry.
Transfer this salt mixture to a bowl, and mix in 1/2 tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of ground pepper. When serving, squeeze in some lime juice.
Additional Information
É leaves are a type of herb, belonging to the basil family, and are known by various names such as white É, white basil, and fuzzy basil. É leaves have a pale greenish-white color, and both the stems and leaves have fine hairs. They have a very distinctive aroma, reminiscent of basil with a hint of lemongrass. É leaves have a slightly spicy flavor and are warming. When cooking, you should adjust the amount of leaves used to avoid an overpowering broth.
According to traditional medicine, É leaves help alleviate indigestion, stomach aches, colds, headaches, promote urination, and prevent gum inflammation and toothache.
Many people think that Chicken Hot Pot with É Leaves originated from Da Lat. However, this dish is actually associated with the cuisine of Tuy Hoa, Phu Yen. Perhaps when it was introduced to the misty land of Da Lat, the romantic scenery and cool climate enhanced the strong flavor of Chicken Hot Pot with É Leaves, making it a memorable experience for diners.
