Lau chay (or Vegetarian hot pot) is one of the best vegetarian foods in Hoi An Vietnam. In this article, HoiAn Day Trip Company will provide more information about it.
You may also like: Best Vegetarian Foods in Hoi An, Vietnam
• Content by Tam Le, founder of HOIAN DAY TRIP CO.,LTD
• Designed by Giang Cong Minh, co-founder of LS E&C LTD and his team
• Photo by Dang Cong Loi, Dao Xuan Son, Tam Le & others
Must Knows about Vegetarian Hot Pot in Hoi An
– Other name(s): Lau chay
– Origin: Vietnam
– Ingredients: (see below)
– Where to find: (see below)
– Served for: lunch, dinner
– Price: 100,000-500,000 VND per pot
– Vegetarian:
– Foodie guide: https://hoiandaytrip.com/vegetarian-hot-pot-hoi-an
– Fact:
HOIAN DAY TRIP Company daily organizes food tours in Hoi An Vietnam. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or hoiandaytripcompany@gmail.com or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
Ingredients of Vegetarian Hot Pot in Hoi An
The ingredients of Lau chay (vegetarian hot pot) in Hoi An are:
1. Broth (Nước Lẩu Chay):
A base made from simmering various vegetables, roots, and aromatics for natural sweetness and depth. Common additions include:
Carrots
Daikon radish
Sweet corn
Mushrooms (especially dried shiitake or wood ear for umami)
Sometimes coconut water for extra sweetness.
The broth is often seasoned with:
Lemongrass (bruised stalks)
Ginger
Tomatoes (often for a slightly sour, reddish broth)
Pineapple (or other sour elements like vinegar or tamarind for a sweet and sour flavor)
Vegetarian seasoning powder, salt, and sugar.
2. Protein/Fillers (Đồ Nhúng):
Tofu (fresh soft or firm tofu, fried tofu puffs)
Assorted Mushrooms (shiitake, enoki, oyster, straw mushrooms)
Sometimes mock meats or seitan (made from soy or wheat gluten).
Tofu skin (fresh or fried bean curd sheets).
3. Fresh Vegetables and Greens:
A variety of local leafy greens and vegetables that cook quickly:
Napa cabbage
Water spinach (Rau muống)
Bok choy
Watercress
Morning glory
Spinach
Taro or lotus root (for heartiness)
Sometimes local specialties like star fruit or green banana slices are included for a tart contrast.
4. Carbs:
Noodles (vermicelli, instant noodles, or fresh rice noodles)
Rice paper (sometimes used to wrap the cooked ingredients).
5. Dipping Sauce (Nước Chấm):
This varies, but a popular one is a blend of fermented tofu (Chao), chili, sugar, and water, or a mix of soy sauce, chili, and lime/vinegar.
HOIAN DAY TRIP Company daily organizes food tours in Hoi An Vietnam. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or hoiandaytripcompany@gmail.com or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
How to Eat Vegetarian Hot Pot in Hoi An
Here is steps at eat Lau chay (vegetarian hot pot):
+ The setup
The pot (Lẩu): a pot of simmering vegetarian broth (often a sweet and sour or lemongrass/mushroom base) is placed on a portable burner in the center of your table.1
The raw ingredients: plates of raw ingredients are arranged around the pot, including:
Tofu and mock meats.
Assorted mushrooms.
Fresh leafy greens (like water spinach, napa cabbage).
Root vegetables (like taro, carrots).
Noodles or vermicelli.
The pipping sauce: each person gets a small bowl for their dipping sauce. A common one for vegetarian hot pot is Chao (fermented tofu), which is salty, sweet, and pungent.5 You can also use a simple mix of soy sauce and chili.
+ The eating process:
Prep your dipping sauce: customize your dipping sauce first.6 If you have a base like chao, you might add a bit of chili, sugar, or lime to your liking.
Add slow-cooking Items: once the broth is boiling, use the communal serving utensils (often a slotted spoon or long chopsticks) to add the ingredients that take the longest to cook:
Root vegetables (carrots, taro).
Thicker tofu pieces (firm tofu, some mushrooms).
Do not dump everything in at once. Cook in small batches as you eat.9
Cook and Dip:
Once an item looks cooked (e.g., the tofu puffs are swollen, the mushrooms are soft), use your personal chopsticks or the communal slotted spoon to remove it from the pot.
Dip your cooked food into your personal bowl of Nước Chấm.
Eat the item. Be careful, as it will be very hot!
Add fast-cooking items: Add the leafy greens, thinner mushrooms (like enoki), and noodles later, as these cook very quickly (often in 30 seconds to a minute).
Eat with noodles/rice: You can also add some cooked noodles or fresh vermicelli to your main bowl and ladle a bit of the cooking broth and a few cooked ingredients over top to make a delicious soup-noodle bowl.
Etiquette tips
Communal vs. personal utensils: use the communal serving utensils (long chopsticks or slotted spoon) to put raw food into the pot and to take cooked food out. Use your personal chopsticks only for eating from your own bowl. This keeps the pot clean and sanitary.
Don’t overcrowd the pot: only add a handful of ingredients at a time. Overcrowding drops the temperature and slows down the cooking for everyone.
Share: hot pot is a communal meal. Make sure to share the items you ordered and ask your dining partners if they would like to try something before finishing a plate.
Finish with the broth: by the end of the meal, the broth will have absorbed all the flavors of the vegetables, tofu, and mushrooms. It will be incredibly rich! It is customary to ladle some of this final, flavorful broth into your bowl and enjoy it as a satisfying end to the meal.
HOIAN DAY TRIP Company daily organizes food tours in Hoi An Vietnam. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or hoiandaytripcompany@gmail.com or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
Where to Eat Vegetarian Hot Pot in Hoi An?
Every local vegetarian restaurants and many tourist restaurants serve Lau chay (vegetarian hot pot). Visitors can go to these places in Hoi An to try it:
HOIAN DAY TRIP Company daily organizes food tours in Hoi An Vietnam. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or hoiandaytripcompany@gmail.com or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
Best Food Tours in Hoi An Vietnam
Here are the best food tours with local guide in Hoi An Vietnam:
– Hoi An Old Town Food Tour with Lantern Boat Ride & Night Market
– Hoi An Night Walking Food Tour (Best Food Tour in Hoi An)
– Hoi An Night Market Food Tour with Lantern Boat Ride
– Hoi An Morning Walking Food Tour with Local Market
– Hoi An Street Food Walking Tour
– Hoi An History & Food Tour – Famous Landmarks & Specialty Dishes
– Hoi An Food Tour by Motorbike
HOIAN DAY TRIP Company daily organizes food tours in Hoi An Vietnam. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or hoiandaytripcompany@gmail.com or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
Other Foods to Try in Hoi An
Besides tofu pudding, visitors will see these dishes in Hoi An: Mi Quang noodles, White rose dumplings, Hoi An style Banh Mi sandwich, Hoi An style chicken rice, Cao Lau noodles, Fried wonton, Hoi An style Pho (beef noodle soup), Banh xeo (crispy rice pancake), Banh xoai (mango cake), Banh uot thit nuong (Hoi An grilled pork), Nem lui (Hoi An pork skewers), Banh dap (smashing rice paper), Stir-fried baby clams with rice cracker, Banh beo (steamed rice cake), Banh trang nuong (grilled rice paper or rice paper pizza), Chuoi nep nuong (grilled banana sticky rice), Hoi An banana pancake, Che (sweet soup), Black sesame soup, Kem cuon (ice cream rolls), Dau hu (tofu pudding), Bo la lot (grilled beef wrapped in betel leaf), Bun thit nuong (grilled pork noodle), Bun mam nem (fermented anchovy rice noodle), Banh canh (thick noodle soup), Chao ngheu (clam porridge), Banh trang cuon thit heo (rice paper rolls), Banh bot loc (tapioca cake), Banh da lon (pig skin cake), Banh it la gai (Ramie leaf rice cake), Banh to (ancestor cake), Green/Mung bean cake, Banh can (mini pancake), Banh cam (fried sesame balls), Banh tieu (hollow donut), Banh phu the (husband and wife cake), Banh bo (cow cake), Banh u tro (Lye water rice dumpling), Mot herbal tea, Da tron (pig skin salad), Banh khoai mon (taro cake), Com tam (broken rice), Bun dau mam tom (rice noodle, shrimp paste and fried tofu), Bun cha ca (fish cake noodle), Trung lon (fetal duck egg or balut),…
HOIAN DAY TRIP Company daily organizes food tours in Hoi An Vietnam. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or hoiandaytripcompany@gmail.com or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
Better to Know about Eating Local in Hoi An
– Local family-run restaurants always serve better local foods than tourist restaurants. Places inside small alleyways potentially are hidden gems. The price is even more affordable at these lesser known spots.
– Restaurants where you can see a queue or crowds, food or drinks there are absolutely better or safer than others. Vietnamese people also avoid places without people eating, such as roadside eateries.
– Hot foods are often safe to eat for non-Vietnamese people. Refuse cold food (especially ones sold on the street, markets) or things you don’t see people cooking.
– Make sure that you learn some basic Vietnamese words or sentences to order foods, such as xin chao (hello, hi), cho toi mot (something) (I want one…), toi an chay (I am vegetarian), khong cay (no spicy), cam on (thank you), tam biet (goodbye) or numbers (mot/one, hai/two, ba/three, bon/four, nam/five, sau/six, bay/seven, tam/eight, chin/nine, and muoi/ten).
– Ask any local people you know (tour guide, driver, hotel receptionists, bellmen, etc) to receive their recommendation for good places to eat local.
– Raw vegetables are popularly used in local dishes, such as noodles or noodle soup or sandwich. They are often washed by tap water or unwashed. If can not drink tap water, remove or refuse them. Likewise, in most iced drinks (such as coffee or herbal tea), people add ice made by tap water also.
– On the 1st day and 14th-15th days of each lunar month, Hoi An citizens eat vegetarians. Many local restaurants and street businesses will be closed by that.
– If you don’t eat pork or beef, due to diet or religious restrictions, be careful when want to try local food here, if don’t see the ingredient description. Pork and beef are very popular meats, so they will be in numerous dishes. Street vendors may say ‘no pork’ or ‘no beef’ for better business, but please check before buying!
– Consider joining a food tour guided by locals who know much better about dishes in the city, including things never mentioned in guidebooks or on the internet.
– If have an allergy (milk, egg, peanut, wheat,…), ask anybody you know before trying or search for ingredients on the internet. By the way, fish sauce is popularly used to marinate Vietnamese foods, so make sure that you know this information if you’re fish allergic.
– Food portion (or size) here is often not really big (locals prefer eating with their family at home). You may try double or some different dishes for main meals.
– If don’t see the price on the menu, please ask in advance to avoid overcharging, especially when you are not a local. In Vietnamese, how much is bao nhieu.
– Most popular cutleries are chopsticks and spoons. To know how to use it, browse here
HOIAN DAY TRIP Company daily organizes food tours in Hoi An Vietnam. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) or hoiandaytripcompany@gmail.com or browse www.hoiandaytrip.com to see tours and make a reservation. Thank you very much!
Photos, Videos about Vegetarian Hot Pot in Hoi An
Here are photos, videos about vegetarian hot pot in Hoi An Vietnam:
