If you haven't had hot pot, you have to try it at least once. Once you try it, you will be addicted to it! There are not really any rules to hot pot but there are essential parts. All you really need are a portable burner, a pot of good broth and ingredients to cook in it! But wow are there so many choices of what you could cook in your hot pot!
I start with a good mushroom chicken broth. I keep it simple. Sometimes in restaurants we get a half and half of a hot spicy broth and a mild one. There are special pots with a divider in the middle to keep the two broths separate. All of the ingredients are raw and not marinated. Flavor comes from cooking it in broth then adding a little of your own custom sauce.
Before the pandemic we used to go out for hot pot. We loved the huge selection of ingredients to choose from as well as all the ingredients to make your own sauce. With a little planning, making it at home can be just as delicious!
Let me break it down for you. For veggies, we always have napa cabbage. Just because it is mild and as it cooks it softens absorbs the wonderful flavor of the broth and everything that you cook in it. For darker greens, it varies on what is fresh in the market. In the photo above I have napa cabbage, broccoli, Chinese yu choy, baby bok choy and enoki mushrooms.
For meats that day we had thin sliced pork, mixed seafood and mixed fish cakes. All of them come frozen. You can get fresh seafood. Sometimes we get beef sometimes pork. The meat is sliced super thin to ensure quick and thorough cooking.
Other items we cook include eggs and noodles. I like bean thread vermicelli while the rest of my family goes for thick wheat based noodles.
For sauces, the sky's the limit! Create your own. You could simply go with soy sauce. My oldest uses just straight up homemade chili oil. My youngest likes mixing soy sauce, oyster sauce, a tiny bit of garlic and sesame paste. My husband likes soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, garlic and scallions. Me? I like sesame paste, chili oil, garlic and scallions with a little soy sauce to thin it out.
Just get ingredients that you like. You can even start with ready made store bought broth. You can keep your sauce simple or check out the Mix and Match section for some ideas for dipping sauces or try mixing up one of our favorites! Have fun with it and experiment! You can't really go wrong!
Comments