The Art Of Indulging: A Guide To Savoring Seafood Hot Pot

Seafood hot pot is a warm, comforting, and social meal, often shared with close-knit family or friends. It is a simple recipe with mixed seafood like mussels, fish, clams, prawns, tofu, and vegetables cooked in boiling hot water seasoned with dashi by diners. The concept of hot pot is simple: you set a pot of simmering broth on a portable burner in the middle of the table, surrounded by plates of meat, seafood, and vegetables, all prepped and ready to be cooked in the broth.

Seafood hot pot equipment

To make a seafood hot pot, you will need a pot and a burner to keep the broth simmering at the table. There are various pots and portable burners to choose from. Electric and induction hot-pot sets are the easiest to clean, while portable butane burners offer more precise heat control. Butane burners, however, require separate pot purchases and fuel replacements every few hot pot sessions.

When choosing a pot, look for one with a separator in the middle to accommodate two broths in a single pot, maximising the variety of flavours. A single pot that is about 12 inches in diameter can serve anywhere from two to six people. For larger groups, a second pot and burner will be needed.

In addition to the pot and burner, some basic accessories are required:

• Chopsticks (separate sets for dipping into the communal pot and eating)
• Mini tongs
• Small strainers
• Spoons
• Shallow bowls for eating
• Small bowls for dipping sauces

How to make hot pot broth

Making hot pot broth is a fun and interactive experience, and you can easily make it at home. There are two types of broth for hot pot: a spicy version and a clear version. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make both types of hot pot broth:

Spicy Hot Pot Broth:

Ingredients:

• Beef tallow or cooking oil
• Dried chilli peppers
• Sichuan peppercorns
• Other spices (star anise, cassia cinnamon, bay leaves, Chinese black cardamom, etc.)
• Aromatics (scallions, onion, coriander, garlic, ginger)
• Sichuan chilli bean paste
• Fermented black beans
• Shaoxing rice wine
• Sugar
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

• Rehydrate the dried chillies in hot water until soft, then chop them into a coarse paste.
• Add Shaoxing rice wine to Sichuan pepper and set aside.
• Melt the beef tallow or cooking oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the spices (star anise, cassia cinnamon, bay leaves, Chinese black cardamom) and infuse the oil with their aroma.
• Remove the spices and add the aromatics (scallions, onion, coriander) to the pot. Fry until the onion starts to brown.
• Add the dried chilli paste, Sichuan chilli bean paste, fermented black beans, minced garlic, and ginger to the pot. Simmer for a few minutes to release their flavours.
• Finally, add sugar, Sichuan pepper, and rice wine to the pot.
• Transfer the mixture to a heat-proof container and refrigerate until cooled. The broth will solidify and can be stored in the freezer for future use.
• When ready to serve, place one or two blocks of the broth into a pot and dilute it with hot water or stock.

Clear (Mild) Hot Pot Broth:

Ingredients:

• Chicken broth
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Daikon radish
• Green onions
• Ginger
• Tomatoes
• Red dates
• Celery
• Corn
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

• Cut the chicken into large chunks and clean it along with the pig bones. Break the ginger and cut the scallion into large sections.
• In a large pot, add the chicken, pig bones, ginger, scallion, and white peppercorn. Bring to a boil and skim any foam that forms on the surface.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes to 1 hour.
• In your serving pot, add tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, red dates, scallion sections, celery, and corn. Season with salt.
• Pour the light stock into the serving pot and it is ready to be served!

Tips:

• You can also add other ingredients to your broth, such as beef or pork bone broth, corn on the cob slices, jujube, goji berries, or beef meatballs.
• If you are short on time, you can use store-bought chicken stock and add aromatics to it.
• You can also purchase pre-made hot pot soup base from Asian grocery stores or online.

Hot pot food items

Hot pot is a highly customizable meal, and you can include a wide variety of food items. Here are some ideas for a seafood hot pot:

Seafood

• Shrimp/prawns
• Scallops
• Lobster
• Crab
• Oysters
• Clams
• Mussels
• Abalone
• Geoduck
• Squid/Cuttlefish
• Fish (salmon, halibut, monkfish, bass, tilapia, fluke/flounder)
• Fish balls
• Shrimp balls

Meat

• Beef (brisket, short rib, ribeye, sirloin, flank steak)
• Lamb (shoulder, leg)
• Chicken (breast, thigh)
• Pork (loin, belly, shoulder)
• Offal (tripe, tongue, kidney, liver)

Vegetables

• Leafy greens (baby bok choy, napa cabbage, spinach, pea tips, watercress, chrysanthemum leaves, Chinese spinach, lettuce, etc.)
• Root vegetables (daikon, carrot, lotus root, potato, sweet potato, pumpkin/kabocha squash, corn, winter melon)
• Mushrooms (enoki, shiitake, king oyster, portobello, button, etc.)

Starches/Carbs

• Rice
• Noodles (rice noodles, udon, yam noodles, mung bean vermicelli, shirataki noodles, etc.)
• Dumplings
• Rice cakes

Soy Products

• Tofu (firm, frozen, silken)
• Bean curd sticks
• Soy puffs
• Tofu puffs
• Tofu sheets/skin

Remember to prepare and cut the ingredients into bite-sized pieces or thin slices for quick cooking. Enjoy experimenting with different combinations of food items and creating your perfect hot pot!

Hot pot dipping sauces

Hot pot is a great way to enjoy a variety of ingredients with your favourite sauces. The best part about hot pot is that all the guests get to personalize their meal. Here are some hot pot dipping sauce recipes to try at home:

Taiwanese Shacha Dipping Sauce

This savoury and garlicky sauce has a hint of seafood flavour.

• 1/2 oz garlic clove, crushed or grated
• 2 tbsp Shacha sauce (1.5 tbsp if store-bought)
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos
• 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
• 1 bulb scallion, chopped
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp chopped Thai red chilli peppers (optional)

Creamy Garlic Sesame Sauce

This sauce is creamy, garlicky, and savoury.

• 1.5 tbsp sesame paste
• 1 tsp dashi powder
• 2.5 tbsp black vinegar
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1.5 tbsp Taiwanese Shacha sauce
• 2 tbsp black vinegar
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp chopped red chilli (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp green onion (chopped)

Spicy Garlic Hot Sauce

This sauce is perfect for those who enjoy spicy food.

• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 – 1 tbsp red chilli (chopped)
• 1 tbsp green onion
• 1/3 tsp Korean red chilli flakes
• 1/4 tsp ground Sichuan pepper
• 0.5 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1.5 tbsp black vinegar
• 1.5 tbsp oyster sauce

Light Sesame Soy

This simple recipe is perfect for those who are in the mood for an Asian-inspired dish.

• 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp chopped spring onion
• Sprinkle of sesame seeds

Chilli Oil Vinegar Dip

Chilli oil adds a wonderful flavour and kick to the dip.

• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tbsp black vinegar
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp chopped spring onion

Japanese Sesame Miso

This sauce is creamy, nutty, and umami-rich from the miso paste.

• 1 tbsp chickpea or white miso paste
• 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp Chinese sesame paste or 1.5 tbsp tahini
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos
• 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
• 2-2.5 tbsp water, or more to thin the sauce

Hot pot etiquette

Hot pot is a social dining format, where people gather around a table to cook and share a meal. It is a communal dining experience, so it is important to be mindful of others and follow some basic rules of etiquette. Here are some guidelines to follow when enjoying a hot pot meal:

Chopstick Washing

Avoid using your eating chopsticks to swish around in the broth to rescue a lost piece of food. Use a hot pot strainer instead to retrieve it.

Respect Others' Food

Do not take food that does not belong to you. Make sure that the piece of food you are about to eat is yours, and check if someone else has already claimed it.

No Double-Brothing

If there are multiple broths available, do not cook a piece of food in one broth and then finish cooking it in another. Respect the divide and stick to one broth per piece of food.

House Rules

Ultimately, the most important thing is to enjoy the company of family and friends. Do what makes everyone comfortable, and feel free to adapt the rules to suit your group.

Frequently asked questions