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Got some fresh eels? Let PasGo guide you to making the perfect eel hotpot, so you can have a mouthwatering pot of goodness to share with your family this weekend. Click now to see how to cook a delicious eel hotpot with authentic flavors of home.
• Standard preparation & cooking time: approximately 2 hours
Tips for selecting quality freshwater eels
- Opt for slender eels with two distinct dark eyebrows along the spine and a glossy yellow belly. These are the freshest and most delicious eels.
- Avoid selecting overly large eels as their meat tends to become tough and less appetizing.
Properly preparing eels to prevent fishy taste
To keep eels clean and free from any unpleasant taste, simply follow these steps below.
Step 1: Place the eel in a dry basin, sprinkle some lime or coarse salt over it. Hold one end of the eel, while using a scouring pad with the other hand, scrub vigorously to remove all the slime. Then, use a knife to cut horizontally across the neck and across the anus (for easy gutting). Use the tip of the knife to cut straight from the neck to the anus in the middle of the belly line and then remove the eel's guts.
Step 2: Rinse the eel once again with water to clean off any blood clinging to its body, then squeeze a lemon over the eel's body, inside the eel's stomach once again to remove any fishy taste and rinse one final time with water.
Step 3: Cut the eel into bite-sized chunks.
Note: In step 1, you can place the eel in the freezer for about 20 minutes to make it easier to handle. Here, I don't use boiling water because I've tried it before but found the meat to be tough and not as fragrant as when done raw, so if you want a delicious and authentic eel hotpot, please bear with me a little.
1. Gather the basic ingredients
Basic ingredients listed here are essential for any eel hotpot recipe. I'm listing them to avoid any confusion, and when we delve into specific dishes, I'll only mention the unique ingredients for each eel hotpot recipe.
- Pre-prepared eel: 0.5kg
- Backbone or fish bones: 0.5kg
- Fresh rice vermicelli: 1kg
- Fermented rice: 1/4 bowl of rice meal
- Vegetables for hotpot: banana blossom, cowpea, split water spinach, bean sprouts.
- Tomatoes: 4 fruits
- Fresh chili peppers: 2 fruits
- Satay sauce
- Tamarind: You can use either fresh tamarind (3 fruits) or tamarind paste (80ml). Here, I'm using tamarind paste. (If you don't have tamarind, you can substitute with sour mango or sour fruit)
- Fresh turmeric 1 bulb or 1 teaspoon turmeric powder. Use turmeric to remove the fishy smell and add beautiful color. Here, fresh turmeric will taste better.
- Herbs: Shallots, cilantro, basil, Chinese chives, dried shallots, garlic, lemongrass.
- Seasonings: Fish sauce, MSG, broth powder, seasoning powder, pepper.
2. How to Cook Spicy and Sour Eel Hotpot with Banana Blossom
Spicy and sour eel hotpot with banana blossom is incredibly enticing.
How to Make Delicious Banana Blossom Eel Hotpot
- Wash all the hotpot vegetables thoroughly and drain them.
- Crushed garlic, dried shallots, lemongrass finely chopped, and slice the tomatoes.
- Grind the turmeric and strain out the juice.
- Marinate the eel with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, MSG, broth powder, fermented rice, turmeric extract, a handful of garlic, shallots, lemongrass, and lemongrass to absorb the seasonings.
- Put the bones in a pot, boil for about 2 minutes to remove impurities, then discard that water, rinse again, then add water and a pinch of salt to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Occasionally skim off the foam to make the broth clearer and tastier.
- Heat the cooking oil in a pan, sauté the garlic, lemongrass, chili, satay sauce until fragrant, add half of the tomatoes to soften for a beautiful color, then pour into the broth pot.
- In the same pan, stir-fry the eel until firm.
- Once the broth is ready, add tamarind paste and the remaining tomatoes along with the eel meat into the pot, bring to a boil again and season to taste.
Spicy and sour banana blossom eel hotpot offers a delightful blend of sweet, fragrant banana blossom, flavorful eel meat, and tangy, spicy broth that will surely tantalize your taste buds. This dish pairs wonderfully with fresh rice vermicelli.
3. How to Make Fragrant and Delicious Eel Hotpot with Giang Leaves
Eel hotpot with giang leaves is a must-try delicious dish.
To make this dish, instead of tamarind, prepare a handful of giang leaves.
Method:
- Prepare the vegetables, eel, and bones similarly to the spicy and sour hotpot recipe.
- Crush the giang leaves to release their sour flavor when cooking.
- Heat the oil in a pan, sauté garlic, lemongrass, chili, add half of the tomatoes and cook until softened, then pour into the broth pot.
- Stir-fry the eel until firm, then add giang leaves to release their sour flavor.
- Once the broth is ready, add the eel meat and remaining tomatoes to the pot, bring to a boil and taste.
4. How to Cook Authentic Northern-Style Eel Hotpot
Eel hotpot bursts with flavor just from its name.
For this dish, prepare the following additional ingredients:
- 200g pork belly
- 300g banana bulbs
- Shrimp paste
Method:
- Prepare the vegetables and bones just like the spicy and sour hotpot recipe.
- Cut the pork belly into bite-sized pieces and fry in oil.
- Fry the eel without marinating it in oil.
- Take the good part of the banana, cut it into small strips, blanch in turmeric-infused fermented rice water until soft.
- Heat oil, sauté garlic until fragrant, add the banana, season with fermented rice water, turmeric, shrimp paste, broth powder, let it absorb, then transfer to the broth pot.
- Add the eel and meat, simmer over low heat. When serving, sprinkle with spring onion, cilantro, pepper. Serve hot with vermicelli and delicious fish sauce.
5. How to Cook Unforgettable Eel Hotpot from the Land of Nghệ
Eel hotpot from the land of Nghệ has a sweet and spicy taste.
For this dish, you add similar ingredients to the northern-style eel hotpot but replace banana with banana fruit and add 2 sticks of lemongrass.
Method:
- Fry the meat until golden, cut the beans small, blanch them.
- Prepare the vegetables, eel, and bones just like the spicy and sour hotpot recipe.
- Peel and slice the banana, soak in rice water or lime juice to remove bitterness.
- Sauté garlic until fragrant, add tomatoes, then add the banana and stir-fry.
- Add meat, turmeric, tamarind, shrimp paste, and banana to the broth, bring to a boil, then season to taste.
- Arrange beans, vegetables, and eel around the hotpot.
The hotpot broth is specially crafted to bring out a unique sweet and spicy flavor, with fresh and firm eel meat. Accompanied by beans, green bananas, and fresh vegetables. You'll salivate at the sight of the steaming hotpot, the boiling broth urging all senses to focus on that enticing eel hotpot.
6. How to Cook Eel Hotpot Braised with Banana and Beans
How to Cook Delicious Eel Hotpot Braised with Banana and Beans
Since this dish is not exactly an eel hotpot, you don't need to prepare bones or various hotpot vegetables, the ingredients are similar to the Nghệ-style eel dish.
Method:
- Peel the green bananas, remove the cores, soak in rice water or lime juice. Then lightly boil for 4 minutes and soak with half of the turmeric extract.
- Parboil pork belly, slice into bite-sized pieces, then pan-sear until golden brown on the edges.
- Cut beans into bite-sized pieces, then pan-fry until golden brown on both sides.
- Heat oil in a pan, sauté garlic, lemongrass, chili, add eel and sear until firm.
- Then add beans, green bananas, pork belly, along with turmeric extract, tamarind water, shrimp paste, stir-fry for about 5 minutes, pour in cold water to cover, bring to a boil for about 10 minutes, season to taste.
