Combination Hot Pot: The Ultimate Guide To This Culinary Sensation

A combination hot pot is a popular communal dish, where a kettle of broth is placed in the centre of the dining table, surrounded by a variety of raw, cook-it-yourself ingredients. The broth is kept simmering throughout the meal, and diners add their chosen ingredients to cook in the broth. These can include meats, seafood, vegetables, noodles, and dumplings.

Hot pots are ideal for communal dining, with diners participating in the cooking process, and sharing their cooked ingredients with others.

Broth options

The two main types of broth are spicy and mild. A spicy broth is typically made with a concentrated, highly flavoursome soup base and water (or stock). The most popular variety is the Hong You Guo Di/红油锅底, which originates from Sichuan and Chongqing. This broth has a high fat content, a strong aroma, and a distinctive mouth-numbing and spicy taste. It usually contains beef tallow or cooking oil, dried chilli peppers, Sichuan pepper, and other spices such as star anise, cassia cinnamon, and bay leaves.

A mild broth, on the other hand, is typically a clear broth that is light and easy to prepare. It can be made with water, scallions, and ginger, or with a stock base made from pork, beef, chicken, mushroom, or tomatoes. This type of broth is often served before any ingredients are cooked in it, and diners may choose to drink some of it before the meal.

There are also many other varieties of broth, including:

• Herbal Mushroom Broth: This vegan broth is umami-rich and can be served alongside a spicy broth as a refreshing palate cleanser.
• Chongqing Hot Pot: This Southern-style broth uses mala seasoning flavoured with chilli peppers and Sichuan pepper, resulting in a spicy and numbing flavour.
• Wild Mushroom Hot Pot: This variety, popular in Yunnan, omits strong spices and chilli in favour of highlighting the original flavour of the mushrooms.
• Taiwanese Sha-Cha Beef Hot Pot: This style is usually served with a light broth and a dipping sauce consisting of sha-cha sauce and raw egg yolk.
• Japanese Shabu-Shabu: A popular style of hot pot in Japan, with many variations.
• Lao-Style Hot Pot: This variety uses a broth prepared from beef ribs, pork bones, or chicken, combined with galangal, lemongrass, white onions, and coriander roots, and sometimes coconut water.

With so many broth options to choose from, diners can truly customise their hot pot experience to their personal preferences and tastes.

Meat and seafood choices

When it comes to meat and seafood choices for a hot pot, the options are endless. The most widely used meats are beef, lamb, and pork. For beef, opt for sliced ribeye steak, brisket, or beef belly for a good balance of lean and fat. If you prefer leaner cuts, sirloin or eye of round can work too, but be careful not to overcook them. Pork belly, shoulder, or loin are great choices for pork, while lamb shoulder or leg are perfect for lamb lovers.

For those who are more adventurous, animal offal cuts like liver or kidneys are also popular options in Chinese hot pots. These can be found in any Asian market and should be sliced thinly to ensure the best texture.

Fish is another great addition to a hot pot, but it's important to choose a species with firmer flesh, such as salmon, cod, or halibut. Any type of shellfish, from shrimp and crab to clams, will also be a delicious choice. Chinese hot pot is all about the combination of flavors, so don't be afraid to mix and match different types of seafood and meat.

A unique element of Chinese hot pot is the inclusion of fish and shellfish balls. These are made from pounded fish or shellfish that is moulded into balls with a distinct bouncy texture. Some variations even have fillings such as corn or pork. These seafood balls can be found ready-made at any Chinese grocery store.

So, to summarise, here are some key meat and seafood choices for a hot pot:

• Beef: ribeye steak, brisket, beef belly
• Lamb: shoulder, leg
• Pork: belly, shoulder, loin
• Offal: liver, kidneys
• Fish: salmon, cod, halibut
• Shellfish: shrimp, crab, clams
• Seafood balls: fish, shrimp, squid, scallops, mussels, clams

Vegetables and starches

A combination hot pot is a dining experience that involves cooking a selection of raw vegetables, meats, seafood, and starches in a boiling pot of flavoured broth. The idea is simple: assemble your chosen ingredients and cook them in the broth.

Vegetables

• Leafy greens: Baby bok choy, napa cabbage, spinach, pea tips, watercress, chrysanthemum leaves, and Chinese leafy greens are popular choices. Cut the vegetables into manageable pieces—smaller pieces will cook faster in the broth.
• Other vegetables: Pumpkin, kabocha squash, tomatoes, corn, lotus root, potato, sweet potato, daikon radish, winter melon, and broccoli are all great options. Peel and slice these vegetables into thin pieces to ensure they cook evenly and quickly.
• Mushrooms: Enoki, wood ear, king, shiitake, oyster, shimeji, and king oyster mushrooms add a variety of textures and flavours to the hot pot. Remove any woody stems and separate the mushrooms into smaller clumps before adding them to the broth.

Starches

• Noodles: Thin fresh white noodles, spinach noodles, shirataki noodles, rice noodles, and mung bean vermicelli are excellent choices for hot pot. They cook quickly and won't add too much starch to the broth.
• Rice cakes: Thin ovals are preferred over thick Korean-style rice cake logs, as they cook faster and are easier to manage.
• Dumplings: Frozen dumplings are a good option, as they are already cooked and just need to be heated through. Smaller dumplings are better, as they will cook faster and be easier to eat.
• Soy products: Bean threads, soy puffs, frozen tofu, firm tofu, dried bean curd rolls, and fresh tofu sheets/skin are all great options. These soy products add variety and texture to the hot pot.

The key to a successful hot pot is to offer a variety of ingredients and allow your guests to personalise their experience by choosing what they want to cook and how long to cook it.

Dipping sauces and condiments

Hot pot is an interactive and customisable meal, where thinly sliced meats, vegetables, noodles, and more are cooked in a pot of seasoned broth. The cooked pieces are then dipped into sauces for additional flavour.

There are three basic components to hot pot: broth, dipping ingredients, and sauces. The dipping sauces and condiments are an important part of the hot pot experience, as they add flavour to the cooked ingredients.

Taiwanese Shacha Dipping Sauce

This sauce is savoury and garlicky with a hint of seafood flavour. It is made with garlic, Shacha sauce, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, scallions, toasted sesame oil, and Thai chilli peppers (optional).

Garlic Sesame Sauce

A creamy, garlicky, and savoury sauce. It is made with Chinese sesame paste, cashew butter, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, garlic, shiitake mushroom seasoning, and water.

Chinese Spicy Garlic Chilli Sauce

A spicy sauce with a savoury and slightly tangy flavour. It is made with garlic chilli sauce, balsamic vinegar, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, scallions, sesame seeds, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and oyster sauce.

Japanese Sesame Miso

A creamy, nutty, and umami-rich sauce made from miso paste, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, Chinese sesame paste, coconut aminos, toasted white sesame seeds, and water.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

A nutty, spicy, savoury sauce with a mildly sour and sweet flavour. It is made with unsalted peanut butter, coconut aminos, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, water, garlic chilli sauce (optional), and cilantro (optional).

Light Soy Sauce

A simple yet effective dipping sauce, light soy sauce is commonly used as a seasoning sauce in Chinese cuisine. It can be used on its own or as a base for other sauces.

Oyster Sauce

Oyster sauce is a Chinese pantry essential, providing umami and a well-rounded, sweet flavour with a light hit of MSG. It is made from oysters and is often used as a dipping sauce for hot pot.

Sesame Oil

Sesame oil is a common condiment in Asian cuisine, providing a rich, nutty flavour. It can be used as a dipping sauce on its own or added to other sauces to enhance their flavour.

Chinese Black Vinegar

Black vinegar is a type of vinegar commonly used in Chinese cuisine. It has a dark colour and a bold, malty flavour. It can be used as a dipping sauce or added to other sauces to enhance the flavour.

Fish Sauce

Fish sauce is made from fermented fish and has a strong, savoury flavour. It is a popular condiment in Southeast Asian cuisine and can be used as a dipping sauce for hot pot, especially for those who love fish sauce.

Hoisin Sauce

Hoisin sauce is made from fermented soybeans and has a sweet flavour. It is commonly used as a dipping sauce or added to other sauces to enhance the sweetness.

Chili Oil

Chilli oil is a popular condiment in Asian cuisine, made by infusing oil with chillies and other spices. It adds a mild heat and a rich flavour to the dipping sauce.

Sriracha

Sriracha is a type of chilli garlic sauce that is commonly used as a condiment. It has a vinegar-forward spice that can add a kick to your hot pot dipping sauce.

Chopped Chillies

For those who like their food extra spicy, adding finely chopped chillies to the dipping sauce will provide even more heat. Just be careful not to add too much, as it can be very spicy!

Roasted Chopped Peanuts

Chopped peanuts add a crunchy texture and nutty flavour to the dipping sauce. They are a popular condiment in Asian cuisine and can be used on their own or in combination with other sauces.

These are just a few examples of the many dipping sauces and condiments that can be used for hot pot. The possibilities are endless, and you can get creative by mixing and matching different ingredients to find your perfect combination.

Hot pot history

Hot pot, or huǒ guō in Chinese, is a dish that involves cooking various raw ingredients in a simmering soup broth. The broth is typically flavoured with soy sauce, sesame oil, and Sichuan peppercorns, and the raw ingredients include thinly sliced meat, vegetables, seafood, and tofu. While hot pot is typically considered Chinese, there are many variations of the dish across Asia, including in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

The history of hot pot can be traced back over a thousand years, with several theories about its origins. One theory suggests that hot pot was introduced to East Asia by the Mongolian Empire thousands of years ago. Mongolian soldiers would cook a simple broth with horse meat and mutton in their helmets over a fire. As they travelled, they would add local ingredients, spreading the dish across China and East Asia. Another theory suggests that hot pot originated with boatmen on the Yangtze and Jialing rivers in Chongqing, China, who would cook inexpensive and efficient meals in a communal broth.

The earliest prototypes of the hot pot may have been the tripods of the Zhou dynasty, where diners among the nobility had personal bronze pots called ran lu, consisting of a small stove with a small pot above burning charcoal. The hot pot is generally acknowledged to have originated during the Three Kingdoms period (200-280 AD) when a copper pot was used for cooking. During the Qing dynasty, hot pot became popular among the emperors, particularly the Qianlong Emperor, who ate it almost daily. The Jiaqing Emperor also held a banquet with 1,550 hot pots at his coronation. The Empress Dowager Cixi was also known to enjoy hot pot during the winter season.

Since the 1990s, with the increasing number of Chinese immigrants entering the United States, hot pot has gained global recognition. Today, it is a popular dish enjoyed by many for its interactive and customizable nature, offering a communal dining experience.

Frequently asked questions