The Perfect Hot Pot Cooking Time

Hot pot is a fun and social way of cooking and eating. It involves a pot of broth placed at the centre of the table, into which raw ingredients are cooked and then eaten with dipping sauces. The ingredients are cooked for varying times, depending on what they are. For example, raw beef should be cooked for 10 seconds, whereas dumplings should be cooked for 8-9 minutes. The broth is usually light and drinkable, and the ingredients are fresh and of high quality. Hot pot is a great way to spend an evening with friends and family, chatting and eating together.

Canton-style hot pot

Meats

• Red meats: 15-45 seconds. Red meats can be eaten pink.
• Other meats (e.g. pork): 30 seconds - 2 minutes. Make sure to cook these meats thoroughly.
• Chicken: opt for marinated breast or thigh and cook for a little longer.

Seafood

• Salmon: thinly sliced, about 2cm in thickness.
• Abalone: thinly sliced.
• Fish balls, cuttlefish balls, and pork balls: 3-5 minutes.
• Shrimp: 1-2 minutes.
• Octopus: 1-2 minutes. Avoid undercooking or overcooking, as it will become tough and chewy.

Vegetables

• Leafy greens (e.g. Chinese broccoli, Chinese cabbage): Quick-cooking, best slightly undercooked.
• Mushrooms (e.g. shiitake, king oyster, enoki): Leave in the broth for a longer time to absorb flavour.
• Firm tofu: Leave in the broth while cooking other ingredients.
• Bean curd sheets: Leave in the broth to soak up the flavours.
• Root vegetables (e.g. potatoes, carrots, taro, lotus root, daikon, sweet potato): 4-8 minutes. Avoid overcooking, as they may disintegrate.

Noodles and Dumplings

• Noodles (e.g. ramen, udon, rice noodles): 1-3 minutes. Remove before they overcook and disintegrate.
• Dumplings: 8-9 minutes, or according to package directions.

Some general tips for cooking Canton-style hot pot:

• Take it slow. Add ingredients individually or in small batches to avoid overfilling the pot and making it difficult to manage.
• The broth starts off light, so enjoy dipping the cooked ingredients into your sauce of choice!
• Finish the meal with the broth, as it will have evolved and gained complexity from the ingredients cooked in it.
• Share the meats and other ingredients with your fellow diners!

Meat cooking times

When it comes to hot pot, the cooking time for meat depends on the type and cut of meat, as well as your personal preference. Here are some guidelines for meat cooking times in a hot pot:

Beef

For beef short ribs, cook slices for about 15 seconds and cubes for up to 30 minutes. Presliced fatty beef (usually brisket or chuck) will take around 8 seconds for a medium cook, but you can cook it for up to a minute depending on your preference. Raw beef slices will be done in about 10 seconds. For a beef ball, which is usually pre-cooked, warm it through in the broth for about 3 minutes.

Lamb

For leg of lamb, cook for around 90 seconds for tender meat, or dip for 15 seconds if you prefer it rare.

Pork

Presliced pork belly can be cooked for up to 10 minutes.

Chicken

Chicken meatballs will take around 2 minutes to cook.

In general, meats that are thinly sliced or cut will cook quickly in a hot pot, while larger cubes or chunks may take longer. It's also important to note that red meats can be eaten pink, but other meats like pork should be cooked thoroughly. Additionally, it's recommended to cook meats per bite as they cook quickly and it's easier to manage the cooking process when adding ingredients individually.

Vegetable cooking times

The cooking times for vegetables in a hot pot will vary depending on the type of vegetable and the desired texture. Here is a guide to help you cook your vegetables to perfection:

• Leafy greens, such as spinach, baby bok choy, kale, and Napa cabbage, require a quick dip of about 30 seconds to 4 minutes. Overcooked leafy greens can become bitter, so it is best to slightly undercook them to retain their crunch and sweetness.
• Mushrooms, including enoki, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms, can be cooked for 2 to 10 minutes. Smaller mushrooms will cook faster, while larger varieties like shiitake can take up to 5 minutes or more. Mushrooms are impossible to overcook and will continue to absorb flavour from the broth the longer they are left in.
• Root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes, should be cooked until tender. This will take around 4 to 8 minutes. Undercooked root vegetables will be crunchy, while overcooked ones may disintegrate into the broth.
• Starchy vegetables, such as taro, lotus root, and daikon, can be cooked for a longer period, around 5 to 15 minutes.
• Other vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage can be added to the hot pot and cooked according to your desired texture.

Remember, the key to a successful hot pot is to add a small amount of food at a time and only cook what you plan to eat immediately. This ensures that the broth temperature remains high and the food cooks quickly and evenly. Enjoy experimenting with different vegetables and finding your perfect hot pot combination!

Noodle cooking times

Noodles are a staple in hot pot, acting as the perfect vehicle for your delicious bespoke hot pot sauce. The type of noodle you use is important, as some noodles are better at soaking up the flavours of the broth and sauces than others. Mung bean noodles are excellent at this, as are glass noodles, which are also light and cook quickly.

When cooking noodles in a hot pot, it's best to cook them in small batches to avoid overcooking and disintegration. You should also follow the package instructions for cooking times, as different noodles will have different requirements.

If you're making hot pot sauce noodles without the hot pot, boil the noodles according to the package instructions and add your sauce and any vegetables or meat.

• Cook noodles in small batches to avoid overcooking.
• Follow package instructions for cooking times.
• Use noodles that soak up the flavours of the broth and sauces, such as mung bean or glass noodles.
• If making hot pot sauce noodles without the hot pot, boil the noodles and add your desired sauce and ingredients.

Seafood cooking times

Seafood is a very common addition to hot pots, although some people skip it. It cooks quickly, so be careful not to overdo it.

If you're using frozen seafood medley packs with shrimp, squid, scallops, mussels, and clams, you'll want to cook them for 1-2 minutes. Fresh fish is also an option if you're splurging or feeling healthy.

For seafood hot pot, mussels, clams, and calamari go into the broth and are cooked over low heat for 8-10 minutes. Season the fish pieces with salt and pepper and fry them in hot oil until they're golden on both sides, then transfer them to the broth. Season the prawns and sauté them until they're pink on both sides, then place them in the broth and cook over a very low heat for another 5 minutes.

For Chinese seafood hot pot, you'll need green onions, seafood or chicken stock, ginger, garlic, dried bean thread noodles, leafy greens, sea scallops, squid, soft tofu, and shrimp. Bring the stock, ginger, garlic, and green onions to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Cut the noodles, greens, scallops, and squid into bite-size pieces, and the tofu into cubes. Arrange the noodles, seafood, vegetables, and tofu on a platter and chill until you're ready to cook. Reheat the broth and pour it into a Mongolian hot pot or electric wok in the center of the table. The guests use chopsticks or Chinese wire strainers to cook the seafood, vegetables, and tofu slices in the boiling water and then dip them into the sauce of their choice.

Other seafood options for hot pot include octopus, which takes 1-2 minutes to cook, and shrimp paste, which takes 30-90 seconds.

Frequently asked questions