How to Make Vietnamese Chicken Hotpot with Giang Leaves

Prepare the Chicken

Remove the tail and head (the head contains grit) of the chicken, then rub coarse salt thoroughly over the skin and inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken well, let it drain, and then chop it into bite-sized pieces. Place the pieces in a large bowl.

For the best flavor, choose free-range chicken for this hotpot. Compared to industrially raised chickens, free-range chicken is firmer and sweeter.

To enhance the flavor of the chicken hotpot, marinate the chicken before cooking. In a mortar, grind 1 tablespoon of coarse salt with 2-3 bird's eye chilies, then add it to the bowl of chicken. Season with 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 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 flavors for about 30 minutes.

Prepare Giang Leaves

Pick the tender leaves and young shoots of the Giang leaves, discarding the older stems. Soak them in salted water for 2-3 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and let them drain. Finally, lightly crush the Giang leaves to release their sourness during cooking.

Giang leaves have a sour taste, so adjust the quantity accordingly to avoid making the dish too sour. With the given ingredients, about 100g of Giang leaves is suitable for the hotpot broth.

Prepare Other Ingredients

Peel the shallots, garlic, and ginger, and rinse the ginger, keeping the skin on. Slice or finely chop them as desired.

Peel the outer layers of the lemongrass, rinse, then crush and cut into 2 cm lengths.

Rinse the lime leaves thoroughly.

For the vegetables to accompany the hotpot, such as water spinach and mushrooms, pick, soak, and wash them thoroughly in salted water, then let them drain. Shredded banana blossom should be soaked in diluted salted water and only removed just before serving to prevent browning. Rinse again and let it drain.

If you plan to serve the hotpot with vermicelli, blanch the vermicelli in boiling water to remove its sourness, then drain.

Cook the Chicken Hotpot with Giang Leaves

Add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil to a pot. Once the oil is hot, sauté the shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and lime leaves until fragrant. Then add the chicken, increase the heat, and stir until the chicken is firm.

You can either add all the chicken or reserve some of the more presentable pieces to be served separately for dipping into the hotpot later. Use the wings, neck, and bones to create a rich broth.

Stir-fry the chicken until it is firm and no longer bloody, then add water to make the broth. For 4-5 servings, about 4-4.5 liters of water is sufficient. Here, Cookbeo uses 4.5 liters of water.

When the water comes to a boil, add half of the crushed Giang leaves and simmer for about 20 minutes until the chicken is tender.

Remember to skim off the foam during cooking to keep the broth clear.

When the chicken is tender and the broth is flavorful, adjust the seasoning with seasoning powder, MSG, fish sauce, and rock sugar. The standout flavor of this chicken hotpot is its mild sourness.

In this case, for 4.5 liters of broth, Cookbeo uses:

• 4 teaspoons of seasoning powder
• 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder
• 2 teaspoons of fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of MSG
• 1 tablespoon of rock sugar.

When seasoning the broth, avoid making it too salty because the flavor will intensify as you dip ingredients into the hotpot. Additionally, you may be dipping the chicken into salt and pepper lime sauce, which will further enhance the flavor.

Finally, once the broth comes to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and transfer the broth to a hotpot cooker. Add a few bird's eye chilies, dip in some vegetables, and enjoy the hotpot while maintaining a gentle simmer. For a more flavorful experience, dip the chicken in salt and pepper lime sauce.

Make Salt and Pepper Lime Sauce

Add 3 tablespoons of coarse salt to a pan and dry-roast it. Separately, crush 2 bird's eye chilies and 3 lime leaves. Then, grind the roasted salt with the chili-lime mixture and dry-roast it again. Once the salt is dry, transfer it to a bowl and mix in 1/2 tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.

Chicken Hotpot with Giang Leaves captivates diners with its vibrant green vegetables, white chicken meat and mushrooms, the rustic color of Giang leaves, and the bright red and light brown of chili and banana blossom. However, the main attraction of this hotpot is its mild sourness, refreshing aroma, and light sweetness.

If you don't have time to prepare the accompanying vegetables and noodles, you can follow the recipe above to make a simple yet delicious Giang Leaf Chicken Soup to serve with hot rice.

In addition to instant noodles, egg noodles are also great for stir-frying and dipping in hotpot.