Veg Hot Pot: A Hearty, Healthy Comfort Food

Veg hot pot is a fun, social and hands-on meal to make for yourself or to share with friends and family. It's a great way to get your guests involved in the cooking process and is perfect for dinner parties. The basic components of a hot pot are broth, protein, fresh herbs and aromatics, and a dipping sauce. You can use a variety of vegetables, such as leafy greens, mushrooms, onions, peppers, and starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes. The sky is the limit when it comes to choosing your veggies!

Choosing a pot and broth

When it comes to choosing a pot for your veg hot pot, you have a few options. If you're going for the traditional method, you'll need a pot with a divider so you can serve two different broth bases at the same time. You can place this on a portable burner. If you want to make things a little fancier, you could try an electric hot pot with a divider, like the Zojirushi model, which is safer and more convenient for a home party.

If you don't want to offer multiple broths, you can simply use a single deep-sided electric frying pan or an Instant Pot. You can also find hot pots with grills at the base, allowing you to grill meats and seafood before adding them to the broth.

Now, let's talk about the broth. The broth is an essential component of a veg hot pot, providing the foundation of flavour. You can either make your own broth or purchase a pre-made hot pot base. If you're making your own, you have a lot of freedom to choose the flavours you prefer. Here are some popular options:

• Spicy broth: You can make this by adding chilli bean paste or crushed red pepper to the broth. If you want to tone down the spice a little, try using less spice and adding some tomato to the broth.
• Non-spicy broth: A plain hot pot base is the most common option, but you can also add fun flavours like mushroom or tomato. These bases tend to pair well with vegetarian hot pots.
• Red curry broth: This broth includes ingredients like red curry paste, lime juice, and onion. You can adjust the amount of curry paste to your desired level of spiciness.
• Thai curry broth: This coconut-based broth includes ingredients like chicken or vegetable stock, brown sugar, and fish sauce.

Remember, it's a good idea to offer at least two different broths to your guests, preferably with one mild and one spicy option. This gives your guests more variety to choose from and makes your hot pot even more fun and interesting!

Selecting vegetables and mushrooms

Crunchy Vegetables

Bamboo shoots, lotus root, cauliflower, radish, broccoli, and carrots are great options for adding crunch to your hot pot. These vegetables can be cut into bite-sized pieces and cooked in the broth for a few minutes until tender.

Starchy Vegetables

Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, taro root, and parsnips will add substance to your hot pot. It is important to slice these vegetables thinly so that they cook through easily.

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens such as napa cabbage, spinach, watercress, bok choy, and Swiss chard are nutritious and delicious options for your hot pot. They cook quickly, so be sure to add them to the broth just before serving.

Other Fun Vegetables

In addition to the standard options, you can include some less common vegetables such as winter melon, celtuce, bean sprouts, and courgettes. These will add unique flavours and textures to your dish.

Mushrooms

When it comes to mushrooms, the more variety, the better! Black fungus, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, and brown mushrooms are all excellent choices. Soak dried mushrooms in water overnight or for at least 1-2 hours before using.

Preparing a dipping sauce

A basic hot pot dipping sauce can be made by mixing together Chinese sesame paste, Chinese black vinegar, soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, sugar, chili oil, garlic, green onions, and fresh cilantro. You can adjust the quantities of these ingredients to your taste and customize the sauce according to your preference. For example, you can add more or less chili oil to adjust the heat level.

If you want to get creative, you can experiment with additional ingredients such as roasted sesame seeds, fermented chili bean paste, or minced garlic. You can also add small bowls of sesame oil and/or chili oil on the side to enhance the flavor of the sauce.

For a richer and more fragrant dipping sauce, you can make a sesame paste-based sauce. This type of sauce pairs perfectly with vegetables and tofu. Here is a recipe for a sesame dipping sauce:

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste
• 1-2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar, adjust to taste
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon chili oil, adjust to desired heat
• 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Chopped green onions or scallions
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• 2-3 tablespoons water, adjust to desired consistency

Instructions:

Simply mix all the ingredients together. This sauce is customizable, so feel free to adjust the quantities to your preference.

Remember, the dipping sauce is a key component of the hot pot experience, so take your time to prepare it and make it as flavorful as possible.

Cooking with the hot pot

Once your guests have arrived, place the hot pot over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil.

While you wait for the broth to boil, prepare the dipping sauce by mixing together the desired quantities of Chinese sesame paste, Chinese black vinegar, soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, sugar, chili oil, garlic, green onions, and any other ingredients of your choice.

When the broth is boiling, you and your guests can start cooking your chosen ingredients. The cooking time will depend on what you've selected. For example, leafy greens and crunchy vegetables will take around 1-3 minutes, whereas starchy vegetables and frozen tofu will take longer and need to be checked regularly until tender.

Once an item is cooked, remove it from the broth immediately and transfer it to an individual serving plate. If left in the pot, it will continue cooking and may overcook. Finally, dip your cooked items in the sauce and enjoy!

Remember to keep adding boiling water to the hot pot to maintain the broth's level, as it will decrease as the food cooks.

Serving the veg hot pot

Once all the ingredients have been cooked in the soup, it's time to serve your veg hot pot. If you're hosting a hot pot party, it's a good idea to prepare small plates and dipping sauce bowls for each guest. This is because sometimes cooked ingredients are left to cool slightly before eating, and guests can personalise their sauce with garnishes like green onions, cilantro, and sesame oil.

If your guests are new to hot pot, it's a good idea to explain how it works, what the ingredients are, and how to put together a dipping sauce.

If you're serving your veg hot pot as a standalone dish, it can be paired with a salad or rice.

For a more interactive experience, guests can cook their own ingredients in the hot pot and transfer them to individual plates once cooked. This is a fun and engaging activity that encourages chatting and drinking.

Frequently asked questions