Lẩu Mắm

Mixed Vegetables and Fermented Fish Flavored Hot Pot


1 jar fermented Gourami (mắm sặc)
2 lbs pork neck bone
2/3 lb pork belly, sliced
1/2 lb small shrimp (shell-in)
2 Japanese Eggplants, cubed
15 small okras
2 cups string bean, cut into 3-inches length
2 cans coconut juice
3 stalks fresh lemongrass
1/2 T chopped lemongrass
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 shallots, minced
Vegetable oil, salt, rock sugar

Put pork bones in a pot, cover with water (about 3 quarts), bring to a boil over medium high heat, skim off foam, add some salt and lower heat, simmer for 2-3 hrs. Discard bones.

In a small pot, put fermented gourami (use a whole jar if it's a ready to use paste, 1/2-2/3 jar if it's not a ready to use paste), stalks of lemongrass (crush with side of your cleaver) and 2 cans coconut juice in, simmer over medium low heat until all become a muddy soup. Strain broth to discard bones (If using ready to use paste, just stir in and bring to a boil).

Put some oil in a skillet, add minced garlic, shallot and minced lemongrass in, stir until fragrent, add pork belly in, stir-fry, season with some fish sauce, sugar and pepper.

Add fermented fish broth to the soup pot (not all of it), bring back to boil. Taste and adjust by adding more fermented fish broth or adding rock sugar. Add shrimp, pork belly, okra, string bean and eggplant. Serve with cooked rice vermicelli (medium size) and mixed raw vegetables.
Raw Vegetables

Water Spinach (rau muống bào)
Banana Blossom (bắp chuối)
Water lily Stem (ngó súng)
Water Mimosa (rau nhút)

Bitter Leaf (rau đắng)
Beansprout (giá)
Chive (hẹ)
Herbs: Basil (húng quế), mint (húng nhũi), fish mint (dấp cá) ....