Hot pot date this weekend

Vegetarian hotpot with a variety of vegetables is also a suitable choice for summer. Photo: TRUC NGUYEN

Adapt to suit everyone's taste

The unique mix of ingredients makes hot pot easy to conquer even the most picky people. In a big pot, there will be something they like. If not, then just order some side dishes.

Variations according to demand, and then without knowing when, this dish became a way to convey the nostalgia of people from all over the country. It is the salty taste of the Western fish sauce hotpot. It is the sour and spicy taste of Thai hotpot. It is a mixed hotpot for groups of friends, each with their own taste. Sometimes it is a vegetarian hotpot with all fresh vegetables and mushrooms. Or it is oxtail hotpot, goby hotpot, goat hotpot... for "drinkers" clinking glasses of draft beer at roadside stalls after work.

Hot pot, therefore, has both regional and local characteristics, strangely blended. Perhaps because this land is increasingly integrating with the four directions, a multi-colored palette, from accents, habits, to license plates or cuisine. Quang Nam is gradually transforming itself into a whole with many pieces.

The first delicious thing about a dish is definitely the broth. For fish hotpot or seafood hotpot, people often use tamarind juice or Thai hotpot spices, cooked with pineapple, tomatoes, and chili peppers to mask the fishy smell of seafood. For beef hotpot or chicken hotpot with perilla leaves, the ingredients are blanched with shallots, lemongrass, ginger, star anise, cloves, etc. to remove the bad smell and stimulate the diners' sense of smell in the strong aroma of spices.

Vegetarian hotpot is a pot of stewed vegetables and mushrooms, adding white radish or cut corn to create a natural sweetness. Unlike the spicy hotpots that warm you up in the rainy season, vegetarian hotpot is less spicy, lighter, suitable for hot summer days that need to cool down.

Another equally attractive point is the variety of side dishes. From thinly sliced vinegar beef, tiger prawns, crayfish, and cut squid. Sometimes there are clams and snails that have fallen out of their shells, making everyone work hard to scoop them into their bowls and then laugh because they are all empty shells. In addition, the side vegetables are also systematically mixed.

Thai hot and sour hot pot cannot be without water spinach leaves. Okra and bitter herbs cannot be absent from the fish sauce hot pot. Pumpkin flowers, squash or jute go extremely well with beef and fish hot pot. Gradually, they have become typical side dishes that hot pot connoisseurs love.

Hot pot is easy to eat and versatile, with broth like soup to avoid dryness, and salty dishes and vegetables to satisfy hunger like a main meal. With just one hot pot, we can eat like a meal with enough salty dishes, vegetables, and soup.

Gather around

Not only that, people also like hot pot because of the way they gather together. The hot pot is boiling, emitting hot air. People are busy putting in slices of fish and meat. Some people add vegetable stalks and pieces of mushrooms. Those who eat instant noodles add some more to the pot. Those who eat fresh rice noodles put it in their bowls. Those who want it to be more flavorful add a plate of dipping sauce.

Those who have free time add ice to their glasses, pour in soft drinks or draft beer. Each person has their own job. The hot pot helps them learn to wait for each other during meals, and then share the delicious food.

They sat around the hot pot, telling each other daily stories between the quiet moments while waiting for the food to cook. The distance between them was shortened. Whether they were working-class uncles and aunts, college friends, or office colleagues, hot pot was always the choice for meetings and connections after the hard work of making a living.

From street stalls to luxury restaurants, food is a connection to each person. Like this country, whether it is splendid or simple in every alley, it always maintains the purity of generosity and tolerance.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/cuoi-tuan-hen-lau-3265030.html