Vịt Nấu Chao (Vietnamese Duck and Fermented Bean Curd Hot Pot)

Vịt Nấu Chao in a bowl surrounded by greens, a spoon, chopsticks and dipping sauce in a dish

5 from 7 votes

Vịt Nấu Chao (Vietnamese Duck and Fermented Bean Curd Hot Pot)

Try our Vịt Nấu Chao, a creamy broth with nutty flavor. This slurp-worthy noodle soup will bring the joys of family dinners to your table!

Prep Time40

Cook Time2

Total Time2 40

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese

Servings:

Calories: 763kcal

Author: Jeannette

Equipment

Grater

Ingredients

For The Noodle Soup

1 duck (fresh or frozen)
1 kg / 2.2 lb taro (we get it from the Asian supermarket)
2 L / 8 1/2 US cup coconut water
150 g / 0.33 lb red fermented bean curd cubes (including 1 tbsp liquid; we buy it from the Asian supermarket)
6 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
30 g / 0.07 lb ginger
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
3 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
6 tbsp salt (for washing duck)
2 US cup cooking oil
1 packet rice noodles (we use dried bún)
water (for cooking the noodles)

For The Dipping Sauce

70 g / 0.15 lb white fermented bean curd (we buy it from the Asian supermarket)
2 tsp sugar (or to taste)
2 tbsp lemon/lime juice

For The Garnish

water spinach
chrysanthemum leaves (also known as 'crown daisy')

Instructions

Clean the duck by rubbing 2 tbsp salt all over its outer and inner body, then rinse it off with cold water. Repeat this 3 times and let it dry completely in a colander or pat it dry using paper towels.
Cut the duck into 5 x 5cm (2 x 2") pieces.
Note: To see a video of how to cut the duck, follow these instructions on how to cut a chicken.
Use a grater to grate the ginger into a bowl.
Mash the red fermented bean curd until it forms a paste.
Combine the ginger, garlic, chicken bouillon powder, sugar and 1 tsp salt.
Marinate the duck with the mixed paste. Leave it to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes.
Peel and cut the taro into large chunks, roughly 5 cm (2") wide.
Note: If you would like a thicker broth, cut the taro pieces smaller. It will soften faster and melt into the soup.
Fill a wok or pan with 2 US cup oil and fry on the taro medium heat for 2 minutes on each side or until they're golden brown. Let them drain in a colander or on paper towels.
Tip: Fry them in small batches to avoid boiling the taro.
Use the same oil to fry the marinated duck on high heat for 3 minutes or until all sides are seared.
Tip: Again, fry them in small batches to avoid boiling the duck.
Pour the coconut water in and bring to a boil.
Skim the scum off the top of the broth and turn the heat to medium to simmer for 20 minutes.
Scoop the floating scum off the top again, turn the heat to high and put the taro in to cook on a medium heat for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles in boiling water for 10 minutes or until al dente, drain and run under cold water to cool, then set to drip dry in a colander.
While the soup is cooking, make the dipping sauce by mashing the white fermented bean curd and combining it with the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan on low heat for 30 seconds. Stir until well mixed, then set aside for later.

How To Serve Vịt Nấu Chao

Set the broth in the middle of the table over a portable gas stove. Surround it with cooked rice noodles, fresh garnish and cut up limes.
Put noodles in your bowl, then bring the hot pot to a boil to cook the green vegetables. Scoop some taro, duck and greens into your bowl to enjoy hot!

Notes

Remove as much duck fat as you can. Duck has a strong gamy smell which can be unpleasant to some, so try to cut off the fat to help reduce that.
Simmer the Vịt Nấu Chao for longer. This will help the taro melt into the broth, making it thicker and creamier.
Marinate the duck overnight. Allow the meat to absorb all the sauce for the deepest flavors.
For this Vịt Nấu Chao recipe, we bought our duck fresh from the supermarket but you can also get them frozen.
The soup uses red fermented bean curd and the dipping sauce uses white fermented bean curd. Both can be found in the Asian supermarket with or without spice. Any will work in this dish.
We used water spinach divided into shorter segments and chrysanthemum leaves (also known as 'crown daisy') for our hot pot, but any leafy green will work well.

Nutrition