Vietnamese Hot Pot

The lau (hot pot) is a turban-shaped pan containing stock in the middle of which is a charcoal stove (now alcohol fuel is used). The stock is kept simmering throughout the meal.

The lau is placed in the middle of the table, around which is a variety of foods, including rice vermicelli, pig’s heart, liver and kidneys, goat meat, eel, onion and vegetables, river fish or chicken, clams, mussels, snails ...

Put as much food as you’d like to eat into the pot, give it a stir, and in about five minutes it's ready to eat.

Depending on the ingredients used, it might be called lau de (goat meat), lau luon (eel meat) or lau thap cam (with many different kinds of meat).

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