Lẩu Gà Lá É
VietnamDa LatLẩu Gà Lá É: The Herb-Scented Chicken Hotpot That Warms Da Lat Nights
Ask what to eat for dinner in Da Lat and you will often hear lẩu gà lá é, a chicken hotpot loaded with a fragrant herb called lá é. Here is what the herb is, where the dish comes from, what goes into the pot and how to eat it.
What Is Lá É?
Lẩu gà lá é means chicken hotpot with lá é leaves, and the real star is the herb rather than the chicken. Lá é is a leafy herb eaten across the south-central coast and the Central Highlands, and is especially associated with Phú Yên province. A recipe feature in the Vietnamese daily VnExpress says that dipping lá é into hot broth brings out a peppery yet nutty flavour, and advises leaving it in only briefly so it keeps its colour and aroma. Other local sources describe its taste as gently spicy with a cool, mint-like scent. That fragrance spreads through the whole pot and sets the dish apart from an ordinary chicken hotpot. Its botanical name and English equivalent vary between sources, so we simply call it by its Vietnamese name here.
A Hotpot That Came to Da Lat From Phú Yên
Many travellers assume lẩu gà lá é is a Da Lat original, but VnExpress explains that it began as a specialty of Phú Yên on the south-central coast and became a well-known Da Lat dish after spreading to other regions. That makes sense, since lá é itself is a vegetable of Phú Yên and the neighbouring coast and highlands. Its popularity in Da Lat is also on record. The Vietnamese news site Znews lists it as the famous dish every visitor to Da Lat stops for. Local travel guides add that its rise as a city signature happened only in the past several years. The plateau's weather, cool all year with frequent rainy evenings, suits a dish built around gathering at a steaming pot and sipping fragrant broth.
What Goes Into the Pot
The base broth is a light, clear stock of chicken bones and mushrooms, with chunks of chicken cooked in it. Local write-ups single out the meat's firm, springy texture as one of the dish's strengths. Sourness comes from fermented bamboo shoots (măng chua), and the heat from chili and the lá é itself. Common extras are mushrooms such as oyster mushrooms and more sour bamboo shoots, and some places add a side of stir-fried chicken gizzards and offal. The lá é usually arrives heaped on its own plate so diners can add as much as they like to the bubbling broth and fish it out once it wilts. The result layers sour, spicy and herbal notes over a clear chicken stock, quite unlike a plain boiled-chicken soup.
How to Eat It: Dip in Chili-Pepper Salt
The chicken in lẩu gà lá é is usually dipped not in a sauce but in a spicy salt mixed with chili and black pepper. Some cooks, as in the VnExpress recipe, also pound lá é and green chilies into the salt. When salty, peppery heat meets chicken lifted from the clear broth, the meat's sweetness comes forward. If lime is served, many people squeeze a little into the salt first. There is no fixed order, but a natural flow is to fish out the chicken and dip it, then add lá é and bamboo shoots to deepen the broth before ladling it into your bowl. Local articles describe diners slurping the broth noisily as part of the scene. Lá é loses its aroma if boiled too long, so add it a little at a time. If you are sensitive to heat, leave out the chilies and just touch the meat lightly to the salt.
When, Where and How to Order
Lẩu gà lá é is meant for two, three or more people. You normally order by the pot and pick a size for your group, and each place portions it in its own way. Tell them how many of you there are first and they will suggest the right size. The busiest times are said to be weekend evenings and cool or rainy nights. Several hotpot restaurants cluster in central Da Lat and the lanes around it, so larger groups should check for a table in advance on weekends. Whether you can add noodles or rice to the leftover broth varies by place, so ask. Plenty of travellers fill a Da Lat day with grilled rice paper in the afternoon and this hotpot at night.