The Secret To Taiwanese Hot Pot Sauce: A Step-By-Step Guide

Taiwanese hot pot is a fun and social meal, often enjoyed with family and friends. It's typically eaten during the colder months, and is a great way to bring people together. The beauty of this dish is that there is no set recipe, and you can add whatever ingredients you like to a pot of broth. The key to Taiwanese hotpot is that you cook and eat together around the table.

The most common way to eat hot pot at home is to use a portable butane burner, placed in the middle of the table so everyone can reach. You'll also need chopsticks, slotted spoons, and a soup ladle.

The broth is usually made with chicken stock, and can be customised with various ingredients such as sliced meats, seafood, vegetables, and noodles.

The dipping sauce is an integral part of the hot pot experience, and there are many different types to choose from. The most common choice of ingredients includes soy sauce, garlic, ginger, spring onions, and sesame oil. You can also add other ingredients such as vinegar, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, and chilli oil.

Choosing a broth

Taiwanese hot pot is all about customisation and there is no set recipe. The broth is the foundation of your hot pot, so it's important to choose one that suits your taste and the ingredients you plan to use. Here are some options to consider:

Chicken Broth

Chicken broth is a popular choice for Taiwanese hot pot. It is simple to prepare and can be made by boiling chicken stock with water in a 1:1 ratio. This results in a savoury broth that becomes more flavourful as you cook more ingredients in it. You can also add additional ingredients such as dried shrimp, garlic, and ginger to enhance the flavour of the broth.

Bone Broth

For a richer and heartier flavour, you can opt for a bone broth. This involves roasting beef, pork, and lamb bones along with daikon, carrots, onions, and ginger. The roasted bones and vegetables are then simmered with water, rice wine, garlic, celery, bay leaves, dried shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, black peppercorns, and kosher salt. This broth takes longer to prepare but results in a deep and robust flavour.

Spicy Mala Broth

If you prefer a spicy kick to your hot pot, consider a Sichuan Mala Spicy Broth. This broth is made by combining water with chilli bean paste, sliced ginger, dried red peppers, Sichuan peppercorn, and apples. It adds a numbing and spicy dimension to your hot pot experience.

Clear Broth

A clear broth is another option, typically made with chicken stock. This type of broth allows the flavours of the meats, seafood, and vegetables to shine through, resulting in a sweet and savoury soup. It is also a pleasure to drink at the end of the meal, as the clear broth develops a rich and delicious taste.

Shabu Shabu Broth

Shabu Shabu is a Japanese variation of hot pot that is very popular in Taiwan due to historical influences. The broth for Shabu Shabu usually consists of dashi made with konbu (kelp). It offers a more subtle and delicate flavour that complements the ingredients without overwhelming them.

Selecting meat and vegetables

The beauty of Taiwanese hot pot is that there are no set rules when it comes to ingredients. You can choose whatever you like, but here are some suggestions for meat and vegetables to include.

Meat

Meat is usually sliced thinly so that it cooks quickly. You can use beef, lamb, or pork. If you want to be more adventurous, you can also add sliced fish or seafood such as shrimp, crab legs, octopus, or squid. Meatballs are also a popular choice and can be made from pork, beef, squid, fish, or shrimp.

Vegetables

There are so many vegetables to choose from! Here are some suggestions:

• Napa cabbage
• Cabbage
• Chinese watercress
• Bean sprouts
• Mushrooms (shiitake, enoki, white button)
• Crown daisy/garland chrysanthemum
• Corn
• Carrots
• Sweet potato
• Tofu
• Aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch)
• Chinese crispy fried tofu

Other Ingredients

You can also add noodles such as rice vermicelli or glass noodles, as well as dumplings, fish balls, and shrimp balls.

Making a dipping sauce

Ingredients

First, gather your ingredients. The great thing about hot pot dipping sauces is that you can easily adjust the ingredients to suit your personal taste and dietary preferences. Here is a list of common ingredients used in Taiwanese hot pot dipping sauces:

• Garlic
• Sha Cha sauce (Taiwanese barbecue sauce)
• Coconut aminos
• Rice vinegar
• Aged balsamic vinegar
• Scallions/green onions, chopped
• Toasted sesame oil
• Thai chili peppers (optional)
• Chinese sesame paste or tahini
• Cashew butter/sunflower seed butter
• Light soy sauce
• Oyster sauce (optional)
• Sesame seeds
• Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
• Doubanjiang (fermented chili bean paste) (optional)
• Cilantro, chopped (optional)
• Water, to adjust consistency

Method

Once you have gathered your ingredients, it's time to start making your sauce:

• Select one or two flavour profiles that appeal to you. For a Taiwanese-style hot pot sauce, you might choose a combination of garlic, Sha Cha sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar.
• Prepare your ingredients by crushing or grating garlic cloves, chopping scallions, and measuring out the remaining ingredients.
• Simply mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. There is no need to cook anything, as this is a no-cook sauce.
• Adjust the consistency of your sauce by adding water, a little at a time, until you reach your desired thickness. A thinner sauce will be more suitable for dipping, while a thicker sauce can be used as a glaze for grilled meats.
• Taste your sauce and adjust the seasoning, adding more of your chosen ingredients to suit your taste. Remember, it's better to add a little at a time to avoid overpowering the other flavours.
• Serve your sauce with a selection of raw ingredients such as meat, seafood, and vegetables, which can be cooked in the hot pot and then dipped in your delicious sauce.

Tips and Variations

• If you can't find Chinese sesame paste, you can use a blend of unsweetened peanut butter and tahini.
• For a vegan alternative to oyster sauce, opt for a vegetarian version made with mushrooms.
• If you prefer a soy-free option, use chickpea miso paste instead of regular miso.
• For those who can't have peanut butter, creamy almond butter is a great substitute.
• To store your sauce, keep it in an airtight glass container in the fridge. It should last for about a week. If the sauce becomes too thick, simply add a small amount of water to thin it out.

Equipment and setup

The most common way to eat hot pot at home is to use a portable butane burner. These are super easy to operate and can be placed on a dining table so everyone can cook and enjoy the hot pot together. If you're using a portable butane burner, you can use any kind of pot to hold the hot pot, but metal pots are recommended as glass ones take longer to cook. If you want to have two different types of broth, you can invest in a dual-sided pot, also known as a yuan yang pot.

Alternatively, you can use a portable induction cooktop, but this will require special induction pots. If you're in a pinch and run out of butane gas, you can also pull up some stools and gather around a gas stove, though this is not recommended for more than two people.

Here's a list of equipment you'll need for a Taiwanese hot pot:

• Portable butane burner or stove
• Metal pot (or dual-sided pot for two broths)
• Chopsticks (both personal and 'public' ones for shared use)
• Slotted spoons (for ingredients that aren't chopstick-friendly)
• Soup ladle
• Small bowls for individual servings of sauce

For the setup, place the burner with the pot on top in the middle of the table so everyone can access it easily. Arrange all the raw ingredients around the table, and lay out the ladle spoons and slotted spoons for people to use. Each person should also have their own chopsticks, plate, and bowl. The chopsticks are for eating, while the plate is for holding food to let it cool before eating, and the bowl is for the sauce.

Cooking and serving instructions

Taiwanese hot pot is a fun, social meal that's perfect for gatherings with family and friends. It's also highly customizable, so there's usually something for everyone. The basic idea is that you have a pot of broth in the center of the table, and everyone cooks their own food in it while eating, dipping it in a sauce, and enjoying it together.

Broth

First, prepare the broth by boiling a mixture of 1 part chicken broth and 3 parts water. You can also add some whole garlic cloves, sliced ginger, dried chili peppers, and outer layers of onions and nappa cabbage to the broth for extra flavor.

Ingredients

For the hot pot, gather various types of thinly sliced meats (such as lamb, pork, beef, or your choice of meat), and fresh vegetables (such as enoki mushrooms, crown daisy/garland chrysanthemum, napa cabbage, cabbage, Chinese watercress, bean sprouts, mushrooms, etc.). You can also add seafood (like shrimp, fish slices, crab legs, octopus, squid), tofu, noodles (glass/cellophane noodles are a popular choice), and other ingredients like pork/fish/beef balls, kamaboko, crab sticks, and more.

Equipment

You'll need a pot to hold the broth, and a portable burner to keep it hot. A portable butane burner is a popular choice, but you can also use a portable induction cooktop (just make sure you have special induction pots) or even a regular stovetop if you're short on options.

Utensils

Provide each person with personal chopsticks for eating, a plate, and a bowl for their sauce. It's also a good idea to have some 'spare' or 'public use' chopsticks for putting ingredients into the hot pot, to avoid any germaphobe-related concerns. Additionally, have slotted spoons and a soup ladle for serving.

Dipping Sauce

The dipping sauce is a key component of the Taiwanese hot pot experience. There are many variations, but a simple sauce can be made by mixing the following:

• Chinese sesame paste (or peanut butter if you can't find sesame paste)
• ShaCha/Chinese BBQ sauce
• Light soy sauce
• Oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce)
• Chili oil
• Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
• Minced garlic
• Chopped scallions/green onions
• Chopped cilantro

You can adjust the amounts of each ingredient to your taste and feel free to experiment with other ingredients, such as sesame seeds, sugar, roasted sesame seeds, or fermented chili bean paste.

Instructions

Once your broth is boiling, add some of the ingredients that can stay in the hot pot longer, such as veggies, tofu, meatballs, etc. Bring it back to a boil, and then it's time to eat! Add your raw ingredients to the pot, cooking them as you go, and dipping them in your sauce before enjoying. Remember to keep the broth boiling throughout the meal.

For thinly sliced meat, be careful as it cooks very fast. You can cook it on the non-spicy side first, and then move it to the spicy broth for a kick if you're using two types of broth.

Don't forget to drink the soup at the end! It will have absorbed all the flavors of the ingredients, making it a tasty finale to your hot pot feast.

Tips

• You can eat Taiwanese hot pot any time of the year, but it's especially enjoyable during colder months.
• Hot pot is meant to be a leisurely meal, so take your time and enjoy the process of cooking and eating together.
• Feel free to add more ingredients and repeat the process for multiple meals.
• If you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge and repeat the hot pot experience another day.

Enjoy your Taiwanese hot pot adventure!

Frequently asked questions