Get rid of boredom with fish hotpot

Since the afternoon of February 11 (the second day of Tet), many families in Hai Duong have gone to the market to buy fish to make hot pot. This is one of the solutions to relieve the feeling of fullness after many consecutive meals of nutritious foods such as ham, sausage, chicken, spring rolls, fried dishes, banh chung, etc.

The freshwater fish that people buy to cook hotpot to relieve the feeling of fullness during Tet are usually grass carp, black carp, common carp and snakehead fish.

The ingredients for making fish hotpot are familiar, abundant, easy to find and sold in almost all markets from urban to rural areas such as: tomatoes, ginger, pineapple, fresh chili, pepper, sour star fruit or tamarind, dill, fresh onion, Vietnamese coriander, Vietnamese coriander. Fish hotpot is served with celery, chrysanthemum greens, water spinach, Malabar spinach, watercress, vermicelli, rice paper or instant noodles.

In addition to the necessary spices, fish hotpot must have finely ground Vietnamese yeast. Vietnamese yeast plays an important role in creating the unique flavor of the fish hotpot broth. If you don't have Vietnamese yeast, use rice wine yeast instead.

After the fish is scaled and gutted, it is rubbed with salt, lemon juice or kumquat, and a little wine is added to remove the fishy smell. Next, the fish is washed with clean water several times, and dried with a cloth or paper towel. Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces or thinly slice the meat and marinate it with spices such as ginger, chili, minced lemongrass, turmeric powder and a small spoon of fish sauce. The head and tail of the fish are kept separately to make broth.

Because it is a dish to relieve the feeling of fullness, the fish hotpot broth usually does not involve meat or grease. Instead, many people will boil a pot of water, then add tomatoes, pineapple, and star fruit, boil and puree. The next step is to put the head and tail of the fish in the pot, add a piece of crushed grilled ginger, chili, me and season with common spices. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the head and bones of the fish are tender, filter the bones and take the broth into the hotpot to enjoy.

For fish hotpot to be delicious, the broth must be sour and spicy. However, depending on taste, diners can adjust the sourness, spiciness, and sweetness of the broth by adding yeast, chili, seasoning powder, and MSG. Some people also like it spicier, so they add chili paste.

When the hot pot in the middle of the tray is boiling, the diners just need to pick up the sliced ​​fish or thinly sliced ​​meat that has been marinated with spices and dip it in. When the fish is cooked, scoop it into a small bowl, sprinkle some Vietnamese coriander, dill, and chopped Vietnamese coriander, add a little water and you can start slurping.

When enjoying the hot pot dish above, diners can easily feel the sweet aroma of fish meat, the sour and spicy taste, both elegant and familiar, rustic of vegetables, tubers, fruits, spices and fermented rice mixed together to create...

Gathering around a pot of fish hotpot with your family in the chilly weather during this year’s Tet holiday is a suitable choice. The hotpot not only helps everyone relieve boredom but also makes the family atmosphere warmer and happier.

According to Hai Duong Newspaper reporters, on the afternoon of February 11, some fish stalls at Dong Ngo Quyen market (Hai Duong city), Yen market (Tu Ky)... have resumed operations. The selling prices of fish have increased slightly compared to normal days. Grass carp and common carp range from 75,000-90,000 VND/kg (depending on the type), snakehead fish 120,000 VND/kg...