Vietnamese Vegan Hot Pot

Step 1

Prepare the lemongrass by removing the outer woody layers of the stalk, washing well and setting aside to simmer. Trim the green part (it's the woodier part), washing those well and reserving for simmering. The more tender white part is for the aromatic oil, so trim the root, then finely slice the white (like a green onion) into as thin slices as you can, ideally 2-3mm thick (1/8 inch).

Step 2

In a food processor, blitz the lemongrass and garlic until the lemongrass is finely minced and the garlic is fairly pulverized. You may need to scrape down the sides a couple times. Set aside for the aromatic oil.

Step 3

In a large pot, simmer in 3L of water your dried mushrooms, corn, lemongrass pieces (not the chopped bottom parts), daikon, carrots, onion, and ginger. Cover and cook over a steady simmer for at least 1 hour (up to 2 or 3 hours is great too).

Step 4

Strain the broth and you can eat the cooked vegetables if desired but they're not part of the hot pot. Set aside.

Step 5

Prepare the aromatic oil in another small pot by heating 3 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add your garlic and lemongrass mixture and let infuse, cooking and stirring frequently to prevent any burning.

Step 6

Once the garlic starts to become a little golden, immediately add the ground paprika (and chili flakes if you want it to be spicy). Stir until everything is completely coated and evenly dispersed. Turn off the heat.

Step 7

Spoon in a few ladles of the strained broth into the oil mixture to lift up any of the spices from the bottom of the pan. Stir to pick up all the bits and then pour the whole mixture into the main broth. Season with mushroom broth powder to taste (about 1 tbsp per 1 L) and stir to incorporate.

Step 8

Over a portable stove, heat the broth, and add your desired items. Fish them out with a basket ladle (spider spoon) whenever they're cooked through and enjoy! It's a communal meal, so to keep things sanitary, use designated utensils for the soup and ingredients and individual ones for yourselves. Enjoy!