Hot Pot Havoc: Mikey Chen's Guide To A Flavorful Feast

Mikey Chen, the famous travelling YouTube foodie, has collaborated with Kitsby to create an ultimate hotpot kit. The kit includes 30+ items, including Chen's favourite food items and secret recipes. It features two handcrafted hotpot soup bases: Rich Tomato and Chongqing Heat. The former is a mildly sweet and savoury broth made by simmering farm-fresh tomatoes with Chongqing spices and vegetable oil. The latter is a fiery Mala broth made with authentic Sichuan chilli peppers. The kit also includes a range of sauces, from sweet to spicy to savoury, and re-usable hotpot tools such as a stainless steel dual hot pot and branded chopsticks. Chen's hotpot kit promises to bring the authentic hotpot experience to your home, allowing you to eat hotpot just like Mikey Chen himself.

Mike Chen's hot pot kit

The kit features 11 types of authentic hot pot foods and ingredients, such as fried bean curd rolls, baby shiitake mushrooms, seaweed knots, ramen noodles, and firm tofu. To add even more flavour to your hot pot, there are seven delicious sauces included, ranging from sweet to spicy to savoury.

But the heart of Mike Chen's hot pot kit is the two handcrafted soup bases: Rich Tomato and Chongqing Heat. The Rich Tomato soup base is a mildly sweet and savoury broth, made by simmering farm-fresh ripened tomatoes with Chongqing spices and vegetable oil. It's the perfect choice for those who want a more familiar flavour in their hot pot.

If you're feeling adventurous, try the Chongqing Heat soup base. This spicy soup base is a fiery Mala broth made with authentic Sichuan Chili peppers. It will definitely spice up your hot pot experience! Both soup bases are vegetarian and gluten-free, made with real spices and herbs such as anise, cinnamon, fennel, and bay leaf.

In addition to the food and soup bases, the kit also includes reusable hot pot tools: a high-quality stainless steel dual hot pot, a pair of Strictly Hotpot Branded XL Chopsticks, and a "Hotpot Head" apron. Please note that a hot plate or induction stove is not included, but the pot is compatible with both.

Hot pot soup bases

When it comes to store-bought soup bases, popular options include the Little Sheep Hot Pot Soup Base, which offers both spicy and non-spicy varieties. The "hot" flavour is noted for its savoury, umami taste and balanced spice level. Another well-known brand is Haidilao, which offers a non-spicy broth with a distinct flavour profile. These soup bases are readily available at Asian grocery stores or online retailers.

For those who prefer to make their own soup base, there are two common types of hot pot broth: the Sichuan spicy broth and the chicken stock-based mild broth. The Sichuan broth is characterised by its high fat content, robust aroma, and the signature Mala flavour of Sichuan cuisine. This broth typically includes beef tallow or cooking oil, dried chilli peppers, Sichuan pepper, and various spices and aromatics. On the other hand, the mild broth, known as Qing Tang Guo Di, is a non-spicy option that usually consists of stock, aromatics, herbs, and sometimes vegetables. It is lighter in taste and easier to prepare.

Additionally, Mikey Chen, in collaboration with Kitsby, has launched an Ultimate Hotpot Kit, which includes two handcrafted soup bases: Rich Tomato and Chongqing Heat. The Rich Tomato soup base offers a mildly sweet and savoury broth, while the Chongqing Heat soup base delivers a fiery Mala experience with authentic Sichuan chilli peppers.

Whether you opt for a store-bought soup base or decide to craft your own, the variety of options ensures that you can customise your hot pot experience to suit your taste preferences.

Hot pot ingredients

Hot pot is a communal dining experience that involves cooking various ingredients in a pot of roiling broth placed at the centre of the table. The beauty of hot pot is that you can choose your own adventure once you've learned the basics. Here are some ingredients you can use to create a delicious and varied hot pot:

Meats

• Beef short ribs
• Fatty beef (brisket or chuck)
• Leg of lamb
• Pork belly

Seafood

• Manila clams
• Shrimp
• Salmon sashimi
• Fish balls

Vegetables

• Napa cabbage
• Chrysanthemum greens
• Yu choy
• Mountain yam
• Taro
• Lotus root
• Celtuce
• Kabocha squash
• Potato

Mushrooms

• Enoki
• Beech
• Shiitake
• King oyster

Accessories

• Fried bean curd rolls
• Fish tofu
• Beef balls
• Frozen tofu
• Egg dumplings

Starches

• Vermicelli noodles
• Instant ramen
• Rice
• Glass noodles

Sauces

• Chinese BBQ sauce
• Chili oil
• Fried garlic
• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Sesame paste
• Peanut butter
• Satay sauce

Hot pot broths

Hot pot is a fun and communal dining experience where a simmering pot of broth is placed at the centre of the table, and everyone cooks their choice of thinly sliced meats and vegetables in the broth. The most popular type of hot pot broth is the Sichuan spicy broth, which has a high fat content and a distinctive Mala (numbing and hot) taste. This can be made with beef tallow or cooking oil, dried chilli and Sichuan pepper, aromatics such as scallions, onion, coriander, garlic and ginger, and spices like star anise, cassia cinnamon and bay leaves.

If you prefer a non-spicy broth, you can opt for a chicken stock-based mild broth, which is a general term for any non-spicy broth made with stock, aromatics, herbs and sometimes vegetables. A simple version can be made with water, scallions and ginger, but for a more flavourful option, you can use chicken, pork, beef, mushroom or tomato stock.

For a light and healthy broth, you can follow a Cantonese recipe, which uses chicken broth for a mild taste, with added shiitake mushrooms, daikon radish, green onions and ginger.

If you're short on time, you can also add ingredients to a store-bought broth. For example, you can add aromatics like mushrooms, corn on the cob slices, green onions, beef meatballs, and spices like cinnamon, cloves, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns.

Hot pot meats

Hot pot is a highly customizable meal, and the fun lies in choosing your ingredients. The most basic meat option is thinly sliced beef, lamb, or pork. The thin slices ensure the meat cooks quickly while still having enough surface area to absorb the oils in the broth. Meat can also be served in meatball form, which is easy to cook and floats to the surface when ready. Fried pork is another option, though it only needs to be placed in the broth for a few seconds as it is already cooked.

If you're looking for more variety, you can also add chicken, fish, or seafood to your hot pot. Fish fillets, such as catfish, mullet, snakehead fish, or cod, are a classic addition, especially in southern China-style hot pots. Squid is another popular choice, and it comes in two forms: body and tentacle. The body is usually softer, while the tentacles are chewy. Shrimp is another seafood option and is often served as a shrimp slide, where the shrimp is minced and mixed with water and flour to form a thick paste that can be shaped into balls and cooked in the hot pot.

Frequently asked questions