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The ingredients of the dish include beef (fillet mignon, beef brisket, shank and other parts), coconut, young banana, cucumber, pineapple, lemongrass, perilla, basil, lettuce, onion, garlic, fresh chilli, rice paper, fresh noodles, vinegar, sugar, salt, and mam nem (a pungent sauce similar to shrimp paste).
The dipping sauce is made with two spoons of cooking oil in a pan over medium heat then minced dried onion, lemongrass and garlic is added and fried until fragrant. Then five spoons of mam nem are put in the pan as well as a cup of water, which is cooked until boiled. The sauce needs several pieces of chilli, sugar and broth mix before being scooped into a bowl.
Apart from dipping sauce, making a tasty and pure broth is also important, and the cook often uses coconut juice for the broth to be sweet, and rich but with a light and fragrant flavour.
The coconut juice is poured into a pot with a small cup of vinegar together with fried onion and shallots and then boiled. Remember to put a coffee spoon of broth mix, sugar and salt in the pot before stopping cooking.
To enjoy the dish, we should dip the beef in the boiled broth first then put it on a rice paper then wrap it with fresh noodles and fresh mint. The dish is tastier when dipped in mam nem.
The beef hotpot with its sour, sweet broth mixed with fragrant coconut juice and vinegar is unforgettable. Nhan Dan
