The Perfect Hot Pot: A Gentle Simmer Or Rolling Boil?

Hot pot is a traditional Chinese dish that has been enjoyed for over a thousand years. It is a social dining experience where a pot of soup base is placed on a hotplate and boiled throughout the meal. The diners then cook their choice of raw ingredients in the boiling broth and dip the cooked pieces in sauces for added flavour. The hot pot is usually served as a main course without rice or noodles.

What temperature should the broth be?

Hot pot is a Chinese dish where a heat source is placed on the dining table to keep a pot of soup stock simmering. The broth is brought to a boil and left to simmer throughout the meal. The temperature of the broth is important to ensure that the ingredients are cooked properly.

The ideal temperature for the broth in a hot pot is a gentle boiling temperature. This ensures that the raw ingredients, such as meat and vegetables, are cooked thoroughly. It is important to wait for the broth to reach a boil before adding any ingredients, especially meat, to make sure everything is cooked properly.

To maintain the temperature, it is recommended to cook the food in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. Dumping everything at once can lower the temperature, causing the food to take longer to cook. While ingredients that take longer are sitting in the broth, you can dip ingredients with shorter cooking times into the broth. This ensures that you always have something to eat and don't have to wait for the food to cook.

In addition to temperature control, it is important to use separate utensils for eating and cooking, especially when handling raw meat. If using the same utensils, you can sterilise them by dipping them in the boiling broth.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your hot pot broth is at the ideal temperature for cooking the ingredients and maintaining food safety.

How long should you wait for the broth to boil?

When preparing a hot pot, it is important to wait for the broth to boil before adding any ingredients. This ensures that everything is cooked properly. The hot pot will be placed on a hotplate to maintain a boil throughout the meal.

The length of time it takes for the broth to boil will depend on various factors, such as the volume of liquid, the intensity of the heat source, and the type of pot used. A larger volume of liquid will take longer to boil than a smaller amount. Similarly, a stronger heat source, such as a high-powered stove, will heat the broth more quickly. The material and thickness of the pot can also affect boiling time; for example, a thin pot made of a conductive material will heat up faster than a thick pot made of an insulating material.

While waiting for the broth to boil, you can prepare the ingredients that will be cooked in the hot pot. Raw ingredients such as meat and vegetables should be thinly sliced to ensure they cook quickly and consistently in the simmering broth. It is also important to have all your utensils ready. It is recommended to use two sets of utensils: one for eating and one for cooking, especially if you are handling raw meat. If you only have one set, you can sterilize them by dipping them in the boiling broth before eating.

Once the broth has reached a rolling boil, you can start adding the ingredients that take longer to cook. It is important to cook your food in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, which can lower the temperature and increase cooking time. While the longer-cooking ingredients are simmering in the broth, you can dip the shorter-cooking ingredients into the broth to cook them. This ensures that you always have something to eat and don't have to wait too long between batches. Remember to keep an eye on the time and give the broth a swirl occasionally to ensure even cooking.

What ingredients should be used?

The ingredients used in a hot pot can vary depending on personal preference, but here is a list of common and traditional ingredients that can be used:

Meat and Seafood:

• Thinly sliced lamb, goat, beef, pork, chicken, or other poultry
• Whole or sliced fish
• Clams and other bivalves
• Shrimp, crab, mussels, and other seafood
• Offal, especially beef tripe
• Squid and other inkfish

Tofu and Soy Bean Products:

• Tofu (silken, soft, firm, or extra firm), sliced or cubed
• Yuba sheet (tofu skin), sliced
• Deep-fried tofu puffs
• Frozen tofu, thawed and sliced
• Soybean-based ingredients like bean curd sticks and dried tofu skin

Vegetables:

• Leafy greens such as napa cabbage, baby bok choy, Chinese broccoli, yu choy, and chrysanthemum leaves
• Root vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, daikon radish, lotus root, and winter melon
• Squash, such as kabocha or pumpkin
• Corn on the cob
• Mushrooms, including enoki, shiitake, oyster, king oyster, shimeji, and wood ear mushrooms

Noodles and Dumplings:

• Fresh wheat noodles, rice noodles, and rice cakes
• Mung bean vermicelli, rice vermicelli, and glass noodles
• Fresh spinach noodles, shirataki noodles, and other thin noodles
• Frozen or fresh dumplings, preferably small-sized

Dipping Sauces and Condiments:

• Sesame paste or sauce
• Peanut butter or peanut sauce
• Soy sauce (light soy sauce, seasoned soy sauce, or seafood-flavoured soy sauce)
• Sha Cha sauce (Chinese barbecue sauce)
• Sichuan peppercorn oil
• Chili garlic sauce or sambal oelek
• Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Fried shallots or garlic
• Scallions, coriander, fresh chilli, and other aromatics

What utensils should be used?

When preparing a hot pot, it's recommended to use two sets of utensils: one for eating and one for cooking. This is because you'll be handling raw ingredients, such as meat, and you don't want to risk contaminating your food. If you only have one set of utensils, you can sterilise them by dipping them in the boiling broth.

For cooking utensils, you'll need ladles, chopsticks, strainers, and skimmers. These will help you with cooking and retrieving your ingredients. You'll also need serving utensils, such as platters for vegetables and proteins, and bowls for frozen items.

For eating utensils, you'll need chopsticks or tongs, and a small sauce bowl for each diner. It's also a good idea to have a large bowl to catch cooked ingredients that no one is ready to claim yet.

In addition to utensils, you'll need a portable heat source and a compatible cooking vessel. A portable butane stove or a portable induction cooktop are good options, depending on your preferences. For the cooking vessel, a pot with a divider is traditional for hot pots, allowing you to cook two different broths at once. You can also use a Dutch oven, a braiser, a wok, or a bouillabaisse pot.

What is the history of hot pot?

Hot pot, also known as 'huǒ guō' in Mandarin, has been a beloved part of Chinese cuisine and culture for over 1,000 years. The social dining experience is believed to date back to the Jin Dynasty, with roots in the dining practices of Mongolian horsemen who rode into northern China. Legend has it that these horsemen would use their helmets as cooking vessels, simmering broth over open fires and cooking meat in it.

Over time, the Chinese adapted this style of cooking, and during the Song Dynasty, it spread further south, with each region adding its own twist. The Chongqing or Sichuan hot pot, for example, is known for its rich broth made with beef tallow, butter, Sichuan peppercorns, and chillies. Beijing-style hot pot, on the other hand, tends to be milder, focusing on the quality of the ingredients rather than the broth.

Hot pot became popular among royalty during the Qing Dynasty, with the Qianlong Emperor eating it for almost every meal. It has since become a globally recognised dish, especially since the 1990s, with the increasing number of Chinese immigrants to the United States.

Today, hot pot is a communal dining experience, bringing people together to cook and eat from the same pot of flavourful broth.

Frequently asked questions