Some broths announce themselves. This one does not.
The chicken and pork collagen base arrives pale and understated beside the deep red of a mala pot. Then you take the first spoonful. It has body without feeling heavy, with a savoury depth that lingers after you swallow.
That texture comes from time as much as ingredients. At a Cantonese restaurant in Bali, it is also the kind of broth that rewards a long, unhurried meal.
Understanding a Collagen Broth
Collagen is a connective protein found in skin, bones, and cartilage. When collagen-rich ingredients are cooked for a prolonged period, the collagen breaks down and converts into gelatin, which contributes body and a fuller mouthfeel to the broth.
That is part of what makes a collagen broth different from a lighter stock. The liquid feels fuller on the palate, giving ingredients cooked in it a richer coating without requiring a heavily seasoned base.
It is also why traditional stocks can set into a soft jelly when chilled. Time, heat, and the ingredients themselves all contribute to the final texture.
The Texture That Sets It Apart
Flavour is only half of what a broth contributes to hot pot. Mouthfeel is the other half, and it is often the first thing you notice when a broth has real body.
A lighter stock passes quickly over an ingredient. A collagen-rich broth feels more substantial. Sliced beef picks up the savoury liquid as it cooks, while tofu and bean curd skin absorb the broth and carry its flavour to the plate.
The broth also changes as the meal progresses. Meat, seafood, vegetables and other ingredients add their own flavours to the pot, creating a deeper and more layered broth by the end of the meal.
That is when noodles become particularly worthwhile. They give you a way to enjoy the broth after the table has already contributed several rounds of ingredients.
Nourishment in the Cantonese Tradition
Slow-simmered soup has a long history in Cantonese cooking. One of the best-known traditions is lou fo tong, often translated as “old fire soup”, referring to soups made by simmering meat, vegetables and other ingredients for several hours.
These soups occupy an important place in Cantonese home cooking and are closely associated with ideas of warmth, care and nourishment. Different families and cooks have their own combinations of ingredients, from meat and vegetables to seafood and herbs.
The Chicken & Pork Collagen broth at Golden Monkey is a hot-pot base rather than a traditional lou fo tong soup, so the two should not be treated as the same thing. The connection is in the appreciation for time, slow cooking, and a broth with substance.
That is part of what makes this base such a natural fit for a Cantonese-style hot pot. It gives the meal a sense of warmth and depth without asking the broth to dominate everything that goes into it.
Our piece on braised pork belly and the slow flavours of Cantonese cooking covers a similar appreciation for time and technique elsewhere on the menu.
Ingredients Best-Suited to It
A broth with a rounded, savoury character works particularly well with ingredients that can absorb or complement it without being overwhelmed.
Seafood is a natural choice. Sliced barramundi, prawns and scallops keep their own character in the pot, while the collagen broth adds another layer around them. The Golden Monkey hot-pot menu also includes a broad selection of seafood and premium meats.
Beef works just as well. Thinly sliced cuts need only a brief cooking time, making them easy to move between the broth and your dipping sauce.
Tofu and bean curd skin are particularly good at taking on the broth. Egg tofu gives you a softer texture, while fried bean curd skin absorbs the liquid more readily.
Green vegetables and mushrooms balance the richer ingredients. Pak choy, cabbage, enoki and other mushrooms add freshness and texture to the table.
Leave the noodles or rice until later in the meal. By then, the broth has taken on the flavours of everything that has passed through the pot, making the final bowl a fitting way to finish.
Ordering It Alongside Something Fiercer
Not every person at the table wants the same level of heat, which is one reason a double soup works so well.
The pot divides into two sides. The Chicken & Pork Collagen broth stays savoury and gentle, while the Golden Monkey Signature Spicy Mala Soup brings chilli heat and the characteristic numbing sensation of mala cooking.
One person can cook gently while another goes for something much more intense. There is no need for the whole table to compromise.
The contrast is also worth trying simply for the comparison. Cook the same slice of beef in both broths, and you get two very different expressions of the same ingredient.
The Golden Monkey Signature Set is built around this pairing and serves 2–4 people. It includes the Double Soup option with Chicken & Pork Collagen and Signature Spicy Mala recommended, alongside seafood, Wagyu striploin, pork belly, chicken meatballs, vegetables, mushrooms and fried bean curd skin. Hot-pot sets also come with free soup refills.
Where to Order It
Hot pot is available at the Sanur branch and does not appear on the Ubud menu, making the Chicken & Pork Collagen broth a Sanur-specific experience.
You will find Golden Monkey on the ground floor of ICON BALI Mall at Jalan Danau Tamblingan No. 27. The Sanur branch is open daily from 11:00 AM, with last orders at 9:30 PM.
Our wider guide to hot pot in Sanur covers the other broths, ingredients and set menus available at the table.
Give the evening time. A collagen broth takes patience in the kitchen, and hot pot gives you a reason to slow down at the table.
Reserve through the reservations page or call the Sanur branch on +62 811-3821-0190.
Order the double soup. Save the noodles for last.
