Goat hotpot

“Lau De” (goat hotpot) is quite famous in Vietnam for its nutritional value and appetising flavour. The goat is burnt on a fire until well-done and pungent. And then the meat and bones are separated and aromatised with a lot of flavouring spices before cooking it with medicinal herbs for half a day.

Illustrative image
Illustrative image

The goat meat and bones are tender, creating a sweet and flavourful broth, typical of “Lau De”. Unlike other hotpots, “Lau De” is boiled in a clay pot by a coal cooker. Little by little, various veggies including fresh cabbage, water morning glory, carrot, celery, as well as tofu, “my banh da”, a kind of vermicelli and taro are added into the boiling clay pot.

And when the food becomes tender and imbued with the sweet flavour of the stock, the dish can be enjoyed. Just pick up some hot meat slices, dip it into a special sauce, called “chao”, and then savour the meat sweetness mingled with the spicy, sweet, greasy, and salty “chao”. Instead of “chao”, northern people often serve “tuong” that is not less yummy. Additionally, the medicinal herb fragrance in the broth makes the hotpot more intriguing.

Each restaurant has its own recipe for spices, herbs and sauces.