Sweet chicken hotpot with perilla leaves in the middle of winter

Featured ingredients

Perilla leaves are a type of herb, belonging to the basil family and have many different names such as white perilla, white basil, hairy basil... with a very distinctive aroma, similar to basil, and a bit of lemongrass scent. This unique flavor makes the Perilla leaf chicken hotpot different, not to be confused with any other hotpot dish in the Vietnamese culinary treasure.

To cook a pot of chicken hotpot with perilla leaves, in addition to easy-to-find ingredients such as chicken, bamboo shoots, oyster mushrooms, etc., you must have ingredients such as perilla leaves, giang leaves, and green chili peppers, which are typical ingredients only available in Da Lat.

In Hai Duong city, there is currently a chain of chicken hotpot with perilla leaves called Tao Ngo Quan, which retains the original flavor of chicken hotpot with perilla leaves from Da Lat. The sweet taste of the hotpot broth and the spicy taste of perilla leaves make diners easily "addicted". Tao Ngo Quan has also become a familiar address for many people to eat chicken hotpot with perilla leaves whenever they want to experience Da Lat's specialty dish in Hai Duong.

According to Mr. Pham Van Duc, the owner of the chain of stores, to have a delicious pot of chicken hotpot with fresh basil leaves, the quality of the ingredients is the most important. Tao Ngo restaurant imports ingredients from Da Lat and Phu Yen to ensure the original taste of Da Lat chicken hotpot with basil leaves.

To have a delicious hot pot, you must choose fresh, firm chicken, not too young but not too old. The chicken skin has a characteristic golden yellow color, but not too fatty so that when eaten, it is not greasy. The perilla leaves imported from Phu Yen or Da Lat must be green, fresh, hard and intact, not bruised or broken. The bamboo shoots cooked with the chicken hot pot must also be medium-cooked bamboo shoots, soft and slightly sour. The oyster mushrooms are stewed thoroughly to add sweetness to the broth.

The highlight of the chicken hotpot with basil leaves is the very different dipping sauce. It is not fish sauce or seasoning powder with lemon leaves like normal dipping sauce for chicken, but the dipping sauce is coarse salt combined with Da Lat chili. The chili is finely chopped with a mild spicy taste combined with refined salt, black pepper and a little lemon. Mixed together, diners will have a bowl of dipping sauce with enough sour, spicy and salty flavors to enhance the deliciousness of the dish.

The difference is that when enjoying this dish, diners can only combine it with perilla leaves and should not combine it with any other food or vegetables. The hot pot broth will include chicken, bamboo shoots, mushrooms... cooked before use. When eating, this hot pot dish is served with a plate of perilla leaves and a plate of vermicelli. Put the perilla leaves into the boiling hot pot, when it is just cooked, take it out and eat immediately, immediately feeling the very special spicy taste.

“I really like to eat chicken hotpot with perilla leaves because of the light sweetness of the broth. Perilla leaves when dipped in the hotpot have a fragrant smell and a very appealing spicy taste. Especially on cold days, I really like to enjoy chicken hotpot with perilla leaves with friends,” said Mr. Pham Van Nam, in Hai Tan ward.

Easy to prepare

If you don't want to eat out, many people can make this dish themselves to treat their loved ones. Chicken hotpot with perilla leaves is the most suitable choice on cold days, when the temperature drops, everyone gathers around a hot pot of chicken hotpot with perilla leaves.

In Hai Duong, there are also some households that grow and sell perilla leaves, so buying ingredients to make it yourself is not too difficult. As a hot pot lover, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong, living on Chu Van An Street, Quang Trung Ward (Hai Duong City) often tries to cook new dishes for her family. After eating at a restaurant once, the strange taste of chicken perilla leaf hot pot made Ms. Hong want to cook it herself to treat her husband and children on the weekend. According to Ms. Hong, chicken perilla leaf hot pot is not too difficult, fresh ingredients are half the success, and the processing depends on the family's taste.

Cooking chicken hotpot with perilla leaves is not too complicated. After pre-processing, marinate the chicken with a little perilla leaves, crushed onion and garlic, season and stir well to absorb. After marinating for about 30 minutes, stir-fry the chicken with cooking oil. When the chicken is firm, add about 2 liters of water to boil, at the same time add bamboo shoots, crushed lemongrass and bring to a boil. When the water boils, simmer the chicken for another 15-30 minutes until the chicken is tender, add oyster mushrooms and cook until the ingredients are cooked. This delicious dish should be enjoyed while still hot, perilla leaves should be added as you eat to enhance the aroma of the vegetable.

This dish is suitable for winter or cold rainy days because of the spicy taste of chili, the cool taste of perilla leaves and the heat of the hot pot broth that warms the diners' stomachs.