Hot Pot, Solo Style: A Guide To Making Chinese Hot Pot For One

Chinese hot pot is a fun, interactive, and communal dining experience. It involves a pot of broth placed at the centre of the table, with a variety of thinly sliced raw ingredients such as meat, seafood, and vegetables that diners can add to the pot and cook themselves.

Hot pot is highly customizable, with a wide array of ingredients to choose from. It is also versatile and can be enjoyed all year round, not just during cold weather.

To make a Chinese hot pot, you will need a heat source such as a portable gas, electric, or induction burner, and a wide and shallow pot or wok that sits stably over the heat source. You will also need plates for holding the various food items, bowls for dipping sauces, and chopsticks.

For the broth, you can use chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, and add ingredients such as scallions, ginger, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese dates, and Goji berries. You can also add meat such as beef, lamb, or pork, thinly sliced, and a variety of seafood, vegetables, noodles, and tofu.

To enjoy the hot pot, wait until the broth is boiling before adding your ingredients. Use a ladle to fish out your food, especially if serving a large group.

Choosing a broth

The broth is the liquid base in which you cook the various food items. There are two types of broth for hot pot: spicy and clear. The spicy version is known as "红汤" in Chinese, while the clear version is called "清汤".

The spicy broth is usually a combination of a premade, concentrated soup base and water or stock. The soup base consists of chillies, Sichuan peppercorns, fermented ingredients, aromatics, and beef tallow or regular cooking oil for vegetarians. You can make your own soup base from scratch or buy a premade one from Chinese stores.

The clear broth is a simple combination of stock, scallions, ginger, and a few optional dried ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, Chinese dates, and Goji berries. The stock can be made from meat (chicken, pork, or beef), mushrooms, or tomatoes.

Spicy broth

For a classic Sichuan-style spicy broth, you will need the following ingredients:

• Beef tallow (or cooking oil for a vegan alternative)
• Dried chilli pepper and Sichuan pepper
• Other spices such as star anise, cassia cinnamon, bay leaves, and Chinese black cardamom
• Aromatics such as scallions, onion, coriander, garlic, and ginger
• Sichuan chilli bean paste and fermented black beans
• Shaoxing rice wine and sugar

First, rehydrate the dried chillies in hot water until soft, then chop them into a coarse paste. Add the Sichuan pepper to the rice wine and set aside.

Next, melt the beef tallow in cooking oil over medium heat and infuse it with the spices. Remove the spices and add the aromatics to fry. This step adds maximum aroma to the tallow.

After removing the aromatics from the oil, add the chilli paste, Sichuan chilli bean paste, fermented black beans, minced garlic, and ginger. Simmer to release their flavour. Finally, add the sugar, Sichuan pepper, and rice wine.

Transfer the mixture to a heat-proof container and refrigerate until cooled. The soup base will solidify and can be stored in the freezer for future use.

Clear broth

For a mild hot pot broth, you can use either water or stock as the liquid base. If using stock, it can be made from pork, beef, chicken, mushroom, or tomatoes.

• Boil a whole chicken or chicken pieces in water with sliced ginger. Skim off any froth that appears on the surface.
• Simmer for 1½ - 2 hours until the water becomes slightly milky.
• Pour the broth into your serving pot and top up with hot water if needed.
• Add rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, scallions, Chinese dates, and Goji berries. Season with white pepper and salt.

Your hot pot broth is now ready to be placed at the centre of the table, along with the various food items for cooking.

Selecting meats, seafood, and tofu

When selecting meats, seafood, and tofu for a Chinese hot pot, it's important to ensure you have a good variety of options for your guests. Here are some tips and suggestions for choosing these ingredients:

Meats

The most commonly used meats for Chinese hot pot are beef, lamb, and pork. It's best to choose cuts with a good amount of fat and marbling to ensure they stay juicy and tender. Here are some specific cut recommendations:

• Beef: ribeye steak, brisket, beef belly, sirloin, or eye of round.
• Lamb: Leg or shoulder.
• Pork: Belly, shoulder, or loin.

If you want to slice the meat yourself, freeze it beforehand to make slicing easier. You can also buy pre-sliced meat from Asian grocery stores, which often carry meat specifically intended for hot pot.

Seafood

A wide variety of seafood can be used in a Chinese hot pot. Here are some options:

• Fish: Choose firmer fish like salmon, cod, or halibut, and slice them thinly.
• Shellfish: Shrimp, crab, clams, mussels, or scallops.
• Seafood balls: Fish balls, shrimp balls, cuttlefish balls, or mixed seafood balls. These are often filled with corn or pork and can be found in Chinese grocery stores.

Tofu

Tofu is a must-have for any Chinese hot pot meal. Here are some options to consider:

• Firm tofu: Cut into small chunks.
• Frozen tofu: Frozen tofu has a unique spongy texture that soaks up the broth. Cut it into small pieces before serving.
• Tofu puffs: Deep-fried tofu puffs add a crispy element to your hot pot.
• Pressed tofu sheets: Cut into strips.
• Dried tofu skin: Rehydrate before adding to the hot pot.

Remember to have a variety of sauces and condiments available for your guests to customize their dipping sauces. Enjoy creating your own Chinese hot pot feast!

Picking vegetables

Firstly, it's important to have a good mix of vegetables, including Chinese leafy greens and harder root vegetables. You can prepare the vegetables by washing them thoroughly and cutting them into manageable pieces. For baby leafy greens, such as baby bok choy, you can leave them whole. For larger leaves, like napa cabbage, cut them into smaller 1-2 inch pieces.

Now, let's get into some specific vegetable options:

• Chrysanthemum Leaves (tongho)
• Pumpkin or Kabocha Squash (cut into 1/4 inch thick slices)
• Tomatoes (cut into wedges)
• Corn (cut whole ears into 1-inch pieces)
• Enoki Mushrooms (remove 1/2-1 inch of the base and separate into smaller bundles)
• Wood Ears (soak to reconstitute, rinse, and remove any woody ends)
• King Mushrooms (trim the ends and thinly slice)
• Shiitake Mushrooms (trim woody stems and slice; add early to flavour the broth)
• Oyster Mushrooms (clean thoroughly)
• Shimeji Mushrooms (separate into individual mushrooms)
• Lotus Root (cut into 1/4 inch thick slices)
• Potato (cut into 1/4 inch thick slices)
• Sweet Potato (cut into 1/4 inch thick slices)
• Daikon Radish (cut into 1-inch chunks)
• Winter Melon (cut into 1-inch chunks)
• Bamboo Shoots
• Bell Peppers or Spicy Peppers
• Baby Corn

Remember, you don't have to choose all of these vegetables. Picking 3-5 options from each category (leafy greens, root vegetables, and mushrooms) should be plenty for a varied and enjoyable hot pot experience.

Preparing sauces and condiments

Ingredients

You can use a variety of ingredients to make your hot pot dipping sauce. Here are some common options:

• Chinese sesame paste or sauce
• Peanut butter or peanut sauce
• Soy sauce (light soy sauce, seasoned soy sauce, seafood-flavoured soy sauce)
• Sha Cha sauce (Chinese BBQ sauce)
• Sichuan peppercorn oil
• Chili garlic sauce/Sambal Oelek
• Chinese black vinegar/rice vinegar
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Fried shallots or garlic
• Oyster sauce
• Cilantro
• Scallions
• Minced garlic
• Chilli oil/XO sauce
• Chicken bouillon
• Sesame oil

Instructions

• Choose a base for your sauce. Common options include sesame sauce, peanut butter, soy sauce, or Sha Cha sauce.
• Add additional flavourings to your base, tasting as you go. You can use any of the ingredients listed above, such as sesame seeds, fried shallots, garlic, oyster sauce, or cilantro.
• Adjust the sauce to your preferred consistency by adding water.
• Prepare individual sauce bowls for each person, allowing them to mix their own dipping sauce according to their preferences.
• Keep extra ingredients on hand, such as scallions, coriander, fresh chilli, and chilli oil, in case someone needs an adjustment or top-up.

Cooking and serving

To cook and serve a Chinese hot pot, you will need the following equipment:

• A tabletop heat source, such as a portable gas, electric or induction burner.
• A wide and shallow pot or wok that sits stably over the heat source.
• Plates for holding various food items.
• Bowls for dipping sauces (usually one bowl per diner).
• Chopsticks (wooden or bamboo).
• Slotted spoons (optional).

For the broth, you can use chicken, beef, seafood or vegetable stock. You can also add aromatics such as scallions, ginger, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese dates and goji berries. For a spicier broth, add chillies, Sichuan peppercorns and fermented ingredients like Sichuan chilli bean paste.

When preparing your ingredients, cut them into thin slices or small pieces for quick cooking. You can include:

• Meat such as beef, lamb, pork, chicken or fish.
• Seafood such as shrimp, squid, mussels or scallops.
• Vegetables like leafy greens (baby bok choy, spinach, napa cabbage), mushrooms, corn, tomatoes, potatoes or sweet potatoes.
• Starches such as rice, noodles, dumplings or tofu.

Arrange the fresh ingredients on plates, grouping similar kinds together. Turn on the heat source and place the pot in the centre of the table. Pour in the broth and bring it to a boil.

Once the broth is boiling, start adding ingredients in batches. Start with ingredients that take longer to cook, like root vegetables or meat, before adding quicker-cooking items like seafood or leafy greens. Cook your ingredients in small batches to keep the broth at the right temperature and avoid overcrowding the pot.

Use chopsticks or a ladle to take out the cooked ingredients from the broth. Dip them in a sauce before eating. You can use soy sauce, sesame sauce, peanut sauce or chilli oil for dipping.

As the meal proceeds, keep topping up the broth with hot water as it evaporates.

Frequently asked questions