Hot Pot Handling: Surfaces That Can Take The Heat

Hot pot is a dining experience universally loved by Chinese people. The idea is simple: assemble a selection of raw vegetables, meats, seafood, and starches, and cook them in a boiling pot of flavoured broth. It's a deeply communal method of eating, and ingredients are meant to be leisurely cooked and enjoyed as a group over several hours.

The equipment you'll need for hot pot includes a burner and a pot. The burner needs to be portable enough to sit at the centre of your table. For the burner, you can go with induction, gas, or a two-in-one pot connected to an electric source. As for the pot, you'll want one that's shallow so your food isn't drowning.

The three basic components of hot pot are broth, dipping ingredients, and sauces. For the broth, you can go homemade or store-bought. You can make a complex and nuanced broth by slow-cooking bones and mixing and matching spices, but reasonably tasty variations can be made with bouillon cubes or even just water. There are also a variety of packaged broth bases in every flavour imaginable.

For dipping ingredients, you can include thinly sliced meats, seafood, vegetables, tofu, and noodles. And for sauces, you can provide a bunch of options and let people mix and match.

Pots and burners

The two most important pieces of equipment for hot pot are the burner and the pot. The burner needs to be portable enough to sit at the centre of your table. It can be anything you like, but make sure it's not charcoal, as this will fill your home with carbon monoxide.

For the burner, there are several options: induction, gas, or a two-in-one pot connected to an electric source. Induction burners are easy to clean – just wipe them down. Plus, you don't need to buy extra gas canisters. Two-in-one burners are also convenient as you can use a pot you already have. However, if you're going to be buying something new, induction is the best choice.

As for the pot, you want one that's shallow so your food isn't drowning. You want to be able to see it floating in there, so a deep stockpot isn't ideal. A split pot is great if you want two kinds of soup or if you want to keep one side for meat and the other for vegetables. Chinese stainless steel hot pots are ideal because of their round shape and depth—wide and deep enough to hold a good amount of food. The metal is rather thin, which allows the simmering soup to heat up quickly as additional ingredients are added. Some designs even have a "yin-yang" feature, where you can have two soup flavours simmering at the same time.

Other Equipment

• Sauce bowls: You'll need small bowls (Chinese rice bowls work great) for each person to assemble their own dipping sauce.
• Metal hot pot baskets/wire ladles: These are not completely necessary, but they are useful for cooking and retrieving food from the pot.
• Chopsticks: Hot pot is best eaten with bamboo or wooden chopsticks, which are heat-resistant and cool off quickly.
• Tongs: For placing ingredients in the pot.

Broths and bases

There are a bunch of different variations of hot pot in China, depending on the region. The broths range from fiery red and spicy (Sichuan and Chongqing) to milky and herbal.

If you're feeling adventurous, you can make your own hot pot broth from scratch. Here are two popular Chinese hot pot broths: a classic Sichuan-style spicy broth and a chicken stock-based mild broth.

Spicy Hot Pot Broth

Spicy hot pot broth is typically made from a concentrated, highly flavoursome soup base and water (or stock). The most popular type, known as Hong You Guo Di/红油锅底, comes from Sichuan and Chongqing and has a high content of fat (usually beef tallow but can be cooking oil), a strong aroma, and a distinctive mouth-numbing and spicy taste.

To make the spicy soup base, you'll need:

• Beef tallow (aka beef dripping)
• Dried chilli peppers & Sichuan pepper (for the Mala flavour)
• 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 & fermented black beans (for umami and saltiness)
• Shaoxing rice wine & sugar (for balancing the flavour)

Simply melt the beef tallow in cooking oil over medium heat, infusing it with the spices and aromatics. Then, remove the spices and add the dried chilli pepper paste, followed by the remaining ingredients. Simmer to release their flavours, and you're done!

Mild Hot Pot Broth

Mild hot pot broth, also known as Qing Tang Guo Di/清汤锅底, is a general term for non-spicy broth that typically consists of stock, aromatics, herbs, and sometimes vegetables. It's light and easy to prepare.

For a simple version, you can use water, scallions, and ginger. For a more flavourful option, use stock made from pork, beef, chicken, mushroom, or tomatoes as the liquid base.

To make the mild broth, you'll need:

• Chicken and/or pork bones
• Scallions
• Ginger
• White peppercorn
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Chinese dates (optional)
• Goji berries (optional)

Boil the chicken and bones in water with ginger, skimming off any froth. Simmer for 1.5-2 hours until the water becomes milky. Then, add the remaining ingredients and season with white pepper and salt.

Store-Bought Options

If you're short on time or don't feel like making your own broth, there are plenty of store-bought options available. You can find hot pot soup bases in powder or sauce form, and simply add them to water or stock and bring to a simmer.

Some popular options include:

• Fly By Jing Fire Hot Pot Base (for a tongue-tingling spice)
• Haidilao Hot Pot Seasoning and Soup Base (herbal and clean-tasting)
• Little Sheep Mushroom Soup Base (for a veg-forward hot pot)

Meat and seafood

When it comes to hot pot, meat and seafood are essential components. The beauty of hot pot is that you can choose your own adventure once you've mastered the fundamentals.

For meat, you'll want to opt for cuts with a good balance of fat and marbling. This ensures that the meat cooks evenly and doesn't dry out. Here are some specific types of meat to consider:

• Beef: Go for ribeye steak, brisket, beef belly, or even beef short ribs if you're feeling indulgent. You can also use leaner cuts like sirloin or eye of round, but be careful not to overcook them.
• Lamb: Leg or shoulder of lamb is ideal, especially if you're cooking it in a spicy broth.
• Pork: Pork belly, shoulder, or loin are great choices, with the latter being a more classic pairing with shellfish.

When preparing your meat, it's best to freeze it beforehand to make slicing easier. You can also buy pre-sliced meat from most Asian markets, which saves time. During cooking, you can swish the meat in the broth with chopsticks or use a small strainer ladle for better control over the doneness.

Now, let's talk seafood. This is where hot pot really shines, as it adds a briny, savoury dimension to the dish. Here are some options:

• Fish: Choose firmer fish like salmon, cod, or halibut. Flounder, for example, is too delicate and will fall apart in the broth.
• Shellfish: Shrimp, crab, clams, and scallops are all excellent choices.
• Seafood balls: These are made from pounded fish or shellfish and often have a bouncy texture. They can be filled with corn or pork for added flavour and texture.

When preparing seafood for hot pot, make sure to clean and purge clams and scrub shrimp. For fish, cut them into thin slices or small pieces to ensure quick cooking.

Remember, hot pot is all about customisation, so feel free to mix and match different types of meat and seafood to find your perfect combination. Enjoy your hot pot adventure!

Vegetables

A good hot pot features a mix of vegetables, including Chinese leafy greens and harder root vegetables. Here are some options:

Leafy Greens

• Chrysanthemum leaves (tongho)
• Baby bok choy
• Napa cabbage
• Choy sum
• Spinach
• Pea tips
• Watercress
• AA Choy/Cai

Other Vegetables

• Lotus root
• Potato
• Sweet potato
• Pumpkin/Kabocha squash
• Daikon radish
• Tomatoes
• Corn
• Winter melon
• Bamboo shoots
• Cauliflower
• Carrot

Starchy Vegetables

• Taro root
• Potato slices
• Sweet potatoes
• Japanese yam
• Corn

Mushrooms

• Enoki mushrooms
• Wood ears
• King mushrooms
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Oyster mushrooms
• Shimeji mushrooms

When preparing vegetables for hot pot, simply wash and cut them into manageable pieces. Baby leafy greens can be left whole, while larger leaves should be cut into smaller pieces. Most other vegetables should be peeled and sliced into thin pieces to ensure quicker cooking.

Noodles and dumplings

Noodles are a key component of hot pot, a Chinese way of cooking food in a simmering pot of soup at the table. They are the carb of choice for hot pot and are placed directly into the soup to soak up all the flavours.

There are a variety of noodles that can be used in hot pot, including:

• Mung bean vermicelli
• Rice noodles
• Thin fresh white noodles
• Fresh spinach noodles
• Shirataki noodles
• Glass noodles
• Udon
• Sanuki udon
• Ramen

When preparing noodles for hot pot, it is best to soak them in hot water for 30 seconds and then drain them. This helps to remove any excess starch, which can burn at the bottom of the pot and thicken the broth.

In addition to noodles, dumplings are also a popular choice for hot pot. Frozen dumplings are typically used, as they are already cooked and can be heated through in the broth. It is important to cook the dumplings according to the package instructions to ensure they are heated through properly.

When preparing dumplings for hot pot, it is best to remove them from the package and place them on a separate plate or tray. They should be added to the hot pot a few at a time to ensure they are cooked evenly and do not become overcooked or leathery.

Both noodles and dumplings can be dipped in sauce after being cooked in the hot pot. A simple sauce can be made by combining soy sauce, sesame oil, and scallions. Other popular sauce options include Chinese sesame paste, hoisin sauce, and Chinese barbecue sauce (shacha).

Overall, noodles and dumplings are excellent choices for hot pot and can be customised to suit individual preferences. By following the preparation and cooking tips provided, you can ensure that your hot pot experience is both delicious and safe.

Frequently asked questions