Cambodian Hot Pot Banquet With Vegetables And Seafood

CAMBODIAN HOT-POT BANQUET WITH VEGETABLES AND SEAFOOD

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.)
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.