Cambodian Hot-Pot Banquet With Vegetables And Seafood
Published May 4, 1996
- Total Time
- 6 hours, plus overnight refrigeration
- Rating
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Ingredients
THE BROTH
2 large chickens, cut into pieces
8 quarts water
6 stalks fresh lemongrass (bottom 5 inches only)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 grinds fresh pepper
THE DIPPING SAUCE
4 lemons
8 cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup sugar
½ cup nuoc mam
½ cup chicken broth
1 ½ teaspoons chili-garlic sauce, plus more to taste
THE VEGETABLES (CHOOSE 5 TO 6)
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and cut into 6 wedges
4 small zucchini, trimmed, halved lengthwise and cut across into 2-inch pieces
8 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and crosswise
16 asparagus tips with 2 inches of stalk left on
16 shiitake or white mushrooms, stemmed
2 small heads Napa cabbage, quartered and tied together with string
2 small taro roots, peeled and cut into chunks about ¾ inch by 1 ½ inches
16 scallions, white and light green parts only
4 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 heads broccoli, florets only
THE SEAFOOD (CHOOSE 5 TO 6)
1 pound salmon fillet, cut into chunks about 2 inches by 1 inch by ½ inch
1 pound tuna steak, cut into chunks about 2 inches by 1 inch by ½ inch
1 pound sea bass fillet, cut into chunks about 2 inches by 1 inch by ½ inch
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound sea scallops
16 littleneck clams
16 small mussels
1 pound squid, cut into rings
Preparation
- Step 1
At least one day before serving, make the broth by placing the chickens in a large stockpot. Add the water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and skim off the foam as it rises. Cook 10 minutes. Add the lemongrass, coriander, salt and pepper. Simmer slowly for 4 hours.
- Step 2
To make the dipping sauce, juice 2 of the lemons. Peel the other lemons with a paring knife, removing all peel and pith. Cut the lemon sections away from the membranes. Squeeze out the lemon remains to get all the juice. Set aside.
- Step 3
Chop the garlic in a food processor. Add the lemon sections and juice and pulse to make a coarse puree. Scrape into a bowl and stir in the sugar, nuoc mam, chicken broth and chili-garlic sauce. Store, covered, in the refrigerator. (Let come to room temperature before serving.)
- Step 4
Strain the broth through a fine- mesh sieve. Refrigerate overnight and skim off the fat. Place in a large pot and bring to a boil.
- Step 5
Blanch the vegetables in the broth one type at a time, removing them with a slotted spoon or skimmer before adding the next group. Make sure the broth is simmering before adding the vegetables. Blanch the fennel until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes; zucchini until tender, about 3 minutes; carrots until tender, about 12 minutes; asparagus until crisp-tender, about 1 to 2 minutes; mushrooms until tender, about 3 minutes; Napa cabbage until crisp-tender, about 15 minutes, then untie; taro root until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes; scallions until tender, about 5 minutes; potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes; broccoli florets until tender, about 5 minutes. The vegetables can be blanched a few hours ahead of time.
- Step 6
To serve, strain the broth again and divide between 2 electric cook pots, large fondue pots or large pots that can be placed over electric hot plates.
- Step 7
Arrange the vegetables and the raw seafood on platters. Spoon the dipping sauce into 8 individual shallow bowls or plates. Guests should have long-handled forks, or individual dipping baskets, soup spoons, chopsticks and soup bowls.
- Step 8
At the table, heat the broth to a simmer and let guests cook the seafood and reheat the vegetables in the broth, as well as ladle some broth into their bowls.
Private Notes