Hot Pot Harmony: Mastering The Art Of Chinese Fondue

Chinese hot pot is a fun and social meal to share with family and friends. It's an interactive dining experience where diners sit around a pot of simmering soup at the centre of the table and add various raw ingredients such as meat, seafood, vegetables, tofu and starches. Each person can add whatever they like to the boiling liquid and cook it to their liking. They can then retrieve their cooked food with wire ladles and flavour it with individual dipping sauces.

Hot pot is a cold-weather staple in China and there are many regional variations. For example, in northern China, lamb is commonly used, while Cantonese hot pot features fresh seafood. Mongolian-style hot pot is known for its flavourful broth, which includes ingredients like goji berries, jujubes and herbs.

To make Chinese hot pot at home, you'll need a heat source such as a portable gas burner or electric hot plate, and a wide, relatively shallow pot. You'll also need chopsticks, sauce bowls, and optionally, metal hot pot baskets or wire ladles.

For the broth, you can use chicken or vegetable stock, or get creative with spices, curry paste and other ingredients. As for the food items, the sky's the limit! Popular options include leafy greens, root vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, seafood, beef, lamb, chicken, noodles, dumplings and more.

Choosing a heat source and pot

When it comes to choosing a heat source and pot for your Chinese hot pot, you have a few options. You can go for an electric portable induction cooktop, which is easy to use, quick to clean, and safe. Alternatively, a portable gas butane stove is a good option, but you'll need to buy gas canisters. If you're on a budget, a portable electric hot plate burner is the cheapest option, but it will take longer to heat up and may not maintain a consistent temperature.

For the pot itself, a traditional Chinese hot pot is made from stainless steel and has a divider in the middle so you can have two different types of broth. If you can't get your hands on one of these, any large metal pot with tall walls will do. Just make sure it's magnetic if you're using an induction cooktop.

Selecting the right utensils

When preparing to make Chinese hot pot, it is important to select the right utensils. Here are some essential utensils you will need:

• A pot: Look for a Chinese stainless steel hot pot, which is ideal due to its round shape and depth. These pots are typically wide and deep enough to hold a generous amount of food without being too deep, ensuring the food doesn't get lost at the bottom. Alternatively, any wide, relatively shallow pot will work. If you plan to offer two types of broth, consider using a split pot with a separator in the middle.
• A heat source: You will need a portable heat source to keep the broth simmering at the table. Options include an electric hot pot burner, an electric coil or induction burner, or a tabletop gas burner. If you plan on making hot pot a regular occurrence, consider investing in a hot pot set with a built-in electrical heating element for easy cleaning.
• Chopsticks: Bamboo or wooden chopsticks are recommended for hot pot as they are heat-resistant and cool down quickly. Plastic and metal chopsticks are not ideal as plastic may melt, and metal conducts heat, which could cause burns.
• Sauce bowls: Small bowls, such as Chinese rice bowls, are perfect for each person to assemble their dipping sauces.
• Metal hot pot baskets/wire ladles: While not essential, metal hot pot ladles, which are basically wire sieves with wide holes, make it easier to cook and retrieve food from the pot.
• Other utensils: Depending on your preferences, you may also want to have small strainers, spoons, tongs, and shallow bowls for eating.

Preparing the broth

Firstly, decide on the type of broth you want to use. Chicken broth is a common choice and can be easily made from scratch or bought pre-made. Other options include beef broth, seafood broth, or vegetable broth. You can also get creative and make a spicy broth by adding dried chilli flakes, cayenne powder, and whole dried chilli peppers.

Once you've decided on the type of broth, it's time to prepare the ingredients. For a simple chicken broth, you'll need chicken stock, water, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. If you want to add some extra flavour, you can also include soy sauce. For a beef broth, you might want to add onion, red curry paste, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, and ginger.

Now it's time to start cooking. Combine all your broth ingredients in a large pot and bring it to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and let it simmer for around 20-30 minutes. If you're making a spicy broth, you'll need to pan-fry the chilli flakes and cayenne powder in a separate pan with some oil before adding it to the main pot.

Taste your broth and adjust the seasoning as needed. You might want to add some lime juice, salt, or more soy sauce to enhance the flavour.

If you're making the broth ahead of time, it can be stored in the fridge for a few days or even frozen for up to three months. When you're ready to serve the hot pot, simply reheat the broth and adjust the seasoning again if necessary.

When it comes to equipment, a portable induction cooktop is recommended for keeping the broth hot during the meal. You'll also need a large metal pot, preferably one with a divider so you can have two different types of broth. Make sure you have small serving bowls, chopsticks, soup spoons, and strainers for each diner.

With these tips and instructions, you'll be well on your way to preparing a delicious broth for your Chinese hot pot.

Choosing your ingredients

Chinese hot pot is a highly customizable dish, so you can choose whatever ingredients you like. However, there are some traditional components that are commonly used. Here are some ideas for choosing your hot pot ingredients:

Meat and Seafood

Meat and seafood are usually the centrepieces of a hot pot meal. Here are some options:

• Thinly sliced beef
• Lamb
• Chicken
• Pork loin and belly
• Offal (e.g. tripe, tongue, liver)
• Shrimp
• Scallops
• Lobster
• Crab
• Oysters
• Clams
• Mussels
• Abalone
• Geoduck
• Fish (e.g. halibut, salmon, bass)
• Squid
• Cuttlefish
• Fish balls
• Meatballs

Vegetables

Vegetables balance out the heavier offerings and add flavour to the broth. Here are some options:

• Leafy greens (e.g. watercress, Chinese spinach, snow pea leaves, lettuce, chrysanthemum greens)
• Hearty greens (e.g. rapeseed vegetable, napa cabbage, baby bok choy)
• Root vegetables (e.g. daikon, carrots, lotus root, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, kabocha squash, corn, winter melon)
• Mushrooms (e.g. button, portobello, shiitake, enoki, shimeji, oyster, king oyster)

Tofu and Soy Products

• Regular tofu
• Firm tofu
• Fried tofu
• Pressed tofu
• Tofu puffs
• Bean curd sticks
• Soy puffs
• Bean threads
• Dried bean curd rolls
• Fresh tofu sheets/skin

Noodles and Starches

Noodles are a popular choice, but you could also use white rice. Here are some noodle options:

• Ho fun (wide white noodles)
• Needle noodles
• Rice stick noodles
• Fresh egg noodles
• Ramen noodles
• Rice noodles
• Vermicelli noodles
• Yam noodles (e.g. shirataki noodles)
• Udon
• Mung bean vermicelli
• Rice cakes
• Dumplings (frozen or fresh)

Dipping Sauces

There are many options for dipping sauces, and you can mix and match to create your own personal sauce. Here are some ideas:

• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Chili oil
• Chinese BBQ sauce (Shacha sauce)
• Oyster sauce
• Thai peanut sauce
• Chinese sesame paste
• Peanut butter
• Sichuan peppercorn oil
• Chili garlic sauce
• Chinese black vinegar
• Rice vinegar
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Chopped scallions
• Chopped cilantro
• Fried shallots or garlic

Setting up the table

• Provide each place setting with a small plate, a hot pot scoop or ladle, chopsticks, a bowl (for their personal sauce), and napkins.
• Place the cooktop in the middle of the table, ensuring everyone can reach it easily.
• Prepare all the ingredients. Wash and cut the vegetables and mushrooms into smaller pieces, especially starchy and root vegetables. Soak the noodles if necessary. Defrost frozen shrimp or scallops. Remove pre-sliced hot pot meat from its packaging and place on plates. If using fresh chicken or fish, thinly slice and marinate in a bit of soy sauce and corn starch to prevent overcooking.
• When plating the ingredients, group similar things together. For example, keep meats and seafood on separate plates, while vegetables, balls, noodles, tofu, and dumplings can be placed together.
• Place all the raw ingredients around the cooktop. It's okay if everyone can't reach everything—you can place ingredients in the hot pot for them if you're closer. Just be sure to use separate utensils for meat and seafood to avoid cross-contamination.
• Place a pitcher or glass of water close by. The broth will evaporate over time, so you'll need to add water and wait for it to reboil before continuing to cook.
• Prepare your soup bases and pour them into the pot. Bring the pot to the cooktop and turn on the heat. Wait for the soup to boil before starting to cook.
• Set up your sauce station, either at the table or in the kitchen. Each person can mix their own dipping sauce from a variety of options, including raw egg, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, Chinese BBQ sauce, Chinese sesame paste, Chinese black vinegar, chili flakes, rice vinegar, Chinese chili oil, hoisin sauce, and more.

Frequently asked questions