Sizzling Style: Elevating Hot Pot With Creative Add-Ins

Hot pot is a fun and filling way to spend an evening with friends and family. It's a communal dining experience that involves cooking and eating together around a pot of roiling broth. The beauty of hot pot is that it's a choose-your-own-adventure meal once you've learned the basics.

To prepare a hot pot, you'll need a burner and a pot. For the burner, you can choose between butane and electric. As for the pot, a shallow one is preferable so that your food isn't drowning in the broth. You'll also need various meats, seafood, vegetables, tofu, noodles, and dipping sauces to complete the hot pot experience.

The key to a successful hot pot lies in the variety of ingredients offered. You'll want to include protein, seafood, leafy greens, hardy vegetables, mushrooms, accessories like dumplings and meatballs, and starches like noodles or rice. Don't forget to provide a selection of dipping sauces to elevate the flavours of your hot pot!

Choose your broth

Choosing the broth is the first step in creating your hot pot. There are two main types of broth: spicy and mild. The spicy version is typically a Sichuan-style broth, while the mild version is often a chicken stock-based broth. You can also get creative and experiment with different types of broth, such as Thai coconut curry or Japanese-style udon.

For the spicy broth, a popular option is the Sichuan spicy hot pot broth, which has a high content of fat, a strong aroma, and a distinctive mouth-numbing and spicy taste. To make this broth, you'll need ingredients like beef tallow or cooking oil, dried chili peppers, Sichuan pepper, spices like star anise and cinnamon, aromatics like scallions and garlic, and fermented ingredients like chili bean paste and black beans.

If you prefer a milder option, you can go for a chicken stock-based mild broth, which is light and easy to prepare. This type of broth typically consists of stock, aromatics, herbs, and sometimes vegetables. You can use water, scallions, and ginger for a simple version, or opt for a more flavourful option by using chicken or beef stock.

When choosing your broth, you can either make it from scratch or use store-bought soup bases. Making your own broth allows you to control the ingredients and ensure there are no preservatives or additives. However, store-bought options can be more convenient and can still taste great.

Remember, the broth is the foundation of your hot pot, so take your time to choose or create one that suits your taste preferences and the overall theme of your hot pot meal.

Pick your proteins

Hot pot is a highly customisable meal, so you can choose whatever proteins you like. Here are some options to get you started:

Meat

Beef, lamb, and pork are all popular choices for hot pot. Look for cuts like brisket, short rib, ribeye, sirloin, flank steak, pork shoulder, pork belly, and lamb shoulder. You'll want to slice these thinly so they cook quickly in the broth. If you can't find pre-sliced meats, pop them in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to firm them up before slicing.

Seafood

Shrimp, fish fillets, squid, and scallops are all great options for hot pot. You can also add pre-cooked seafood balls made from beef, pork, fish, or mixed seafood.

Vegetarian Proteins

If you're looking for vegetarian options, try soy products like tofu, bean curd rolls, and bean threads. You can also add eggs to your hot pot—just crack them directly into the broth and cook until the whites are set.

Select your vegetables

When selecting your vegetables for a hot pot, the sky is the limit. However, there are some vegetables that are more popular than others.

Greens such as spinach, baby bok choy, morning glory, kale, watercress, tatsoi, and chopped Napa cabbage are all great options. Mushrooms are also a popular choice, with oyster, brown, enoki, and shiitake mushrooms being some of the most common varieties used. If you're looking for something crunchy, go for broccoli, cauliflower, or lotus root. Starchy vegetables like potatoes, taro, and sweet potatoes are also a great addition to your hot pot.

When preparing your vegetables, make sure to cut them into bite-sized pieces. This will ensure that they cook evenly and quickly in the hot pot. You don't want to overcook your vegetables, so keep an eye on them while they're cooking and remove them from the pot as soon as they're tender.

In addition to fresh vegetables, you can also add frozen vegetables to your hot pot. Frozen dumplings, fish balls, and meatballs are all great options that can be found in the freezer section of your local grocery store or Asian market.

So, go ahead and select a variety of vegetables that you and your guests will enjoy. Just remember to prepare and cut them into bite-sized pieces before adding them to the hot pot.

Prepare your sauces

Preparing your sauces is an important part of the hot pot experience. It's a very personal thing, and you can get creative with your own combinations, but here are some ideas for sauces to prepare.

Light Sesame Soy

This simple recipe combines sesame oil, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, minced garlic, and chopped spring onion. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top for a crunchy texture.

Chilli Oil Vinegar Dip

Chilli oil is the main ingredient here, and it adds a wonderful flavour and kick to the dip. Just add minced garlic, black vinegar, light soy sauce, and chopped spring onion.

Creamy Dashi Garlic

This sauce includes peanut butter, minced garlic, and chopped coriander.

Honey Miso Dip

This dip is a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and savoury. Include chopped spring onion and chopped coriander.

Spicy Peanut Dip

This is an easy and flavourful recipe. The main ingredient is peanut butter, which adds creaminess and a nutty flavour. Include spicy bean paste and chopped spring onion.

Classic Spicy and Sweet Chilli

Combine equal parts of chilli paste and sweet chilli sauce, then add some garlic and onion powder. For extra heat, add chilli flakes or dried chilli, and some chopped coriander.

Hot and Sour Garlic Sauce

Mix a packet of McDonald's garlic chilli sauce with black/rice vinegar and light soy sauce.

Taiwanese Shacha Dipping Sauce

This sauce is savoury and garlicky with a hint of seafood flavour. Include garlic, Taiwanese Shacha sauce, chopped red chilli (optional), chopped green onion, black vinegar, and sesame paste.

Garlic Sesame Sauce

If you don't like spicy food, this sesame sauce is a great alternative. Include Chinese sesame paste, cashew butter, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, garlic clove, shiitake mushroom seasoning, and water.

Chinese Spicy Garlic Chilli Sauce

This sauce is perfect for dipping, glazing, or for garlic chilli noodles. Include garlic chilli sauce, balsamic vinegar, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, scallion, sesame seeds, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and oyster sauce.

Japanese Sesame Miso

This Japanese hot pot sesame sauce is creamy with a rich umami flavour. Include white miso paste or chickpea miso, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, Chinese sesame paste or tahini, coconut aminos, toasted white sesame seeds, and water.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

This sauce tastes a little sweet and spicy, inspired by Taiwanese dan dan noodles. Include unsalted peanut butter or almond butter, coconut aminos, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, water, garlic chilli sauce (optional), and cilantro (optional).

Get your equipment

To make a hot pot, you need two main pieces of equipment: a burner and a pot. The burner needs to be portable enough to sit at the centre of your table. It can be induction, gas, or a two-in-one pot connected to an electric source. It is not recommended to use charcoal as it will fill your home with carbon monoxide.

For the pot, you want one that is shallow so your food isn't drowning. You want to be able to see it floating in there, so a deep stockpot isn't ideal. A split pot is great for people who want two kinds of soup or to separate meat and vegetables.

You will also need hot pot strainers (the little individual scoop), shallow dishes to hold your sauces, small bowls to eat out of, several pairs of tongs, chopsticks, and a ladle.

Frequently asked questions