Hot Pot Essentials: A Guide To The Perfect Hot Pot Experience At Home

Hot pot is a communal dining experience that involves cooking raw ingredients in a pot of flavoured broth. It's a social way of eating, where a variety of food is cooked in a communal pot of flavoured broth.

To make hot pot, you'll need a portable stove and a pot. You can use a propane-fuel camping stove, or an induction or gas burner. For the pot, a shallow brazier is a good option, or a split pot if you want to cook with two types of broth.

For ingredients, it's your choice! Hot pot usually includes thinly sliced meat, seafood, vegetables, tofu, and noodles. For meat, beef, pork, lamb and chicken are popular options. For seafood, try shrimp, squid, scallops, mussels or clams. For vegetables, napa cabbage, bok choy, leafy greens and starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes work well. Tofu puffs and egg tofu are tasty additions, and for noodles, udon, shirataki, and mung bean glass noodles are good choices.

Don't forget the dipping sauces! Shacha sauce, sesame sauce, and soy sauce with scallions and cilantro are all popular options.

Broth

If you want to make your own broth, you can choose from a variety of flavours, including spicy, málà, sour, and sweet. A basic broth can be made with chicken, beef, or seafood/vegetable stock. You can also add ingredients like shiitake mushrooms, daikon radish, green onions, and ginger to enhance the flavour.

For a more unique and complex broth, you can try recipes like red curry broth or Thai coconut curry broth. These broths typically include additional ingredients such as curry paste, soy sauce, brown sugar, fish sauce, and various spices.

If you're short on time or don't want to make your own broth, you can purchase pre-packaged hot pot bases. There are a variety of flavours available, such as spicy Szechuan pepper base, tomato-flavoured soup, porcini mushroom base, and seafood base. You simply add these bases to water or stock and bring them to a simmer.

No matter which broth you choose, it will be enhanced by the addition of vegetables, proteins, noodles, and tofu that you add to your hot pot. So get creative, and enjoy the process of building your perfect hot pot meal!

Meat

Beef

Beef is a popular choice for hot pot. Look for cuts like ribeye, pork belly, pork jowl, lamb shoulder, or sirloin. You can either buy pre-sliced beef from an Asian grocery store, or slice it yourself at home. If slicing it yourself, place the meat in the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm it up before slicing it as thinly as possible.

Pork

Pork is another great option for hot pot. Look for cuts like loin, sirloin, shoulder, or belly. Again, you can either buy pre-sliced pork or slice it yourself at home. Just make sure to freeze it briefly and slice it thinly to ensure quick and even cooking.

Lamb

Lamb is a delicious and flavorful option for hot pot. Go for cuts like shoulder or leg, or any well-marbled slices. Lamb cooks quickly in the broth, so keep an eye on it to avoid overcooking.

Chicken

Chicken breast or thigh can also be used in hot pot. Slice it thinly or cut it into bite-sized pieces. Chicken cooks quickly, so be sure not to overcook it.

Fish

White fish works best for hot pot. You can marinate the fish with Shaoxing wine, salt, and cornstarch for a better texture. Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces or slices before adding it to the broth.

In addition to these options, you can also find pre-made shrimp cake, fish cake, and fish tofu at Asian grocery stores. These can add a nice variety of textures and flavors to your hot pot. Remember to always keep an eye on your meat and seafood while cooking, as they can overcook easily.

Seafood

If you're looking for variety, here are some ingredients to consider:

• Shellfish: shrimp, scallops, lobster, crabs, oysters, clams, mussels, abalone, and geoduck. Shrimp is one of the most popular seafood ingredients and is usually cooked whole with the shell and head on, but headless and shelled shrimp can also be used. Oysters should be shucked and take only a minute or two to cook. For clams, make sure they are scrubbed clean of any grit and sand; small clams, such as littlenecks, work best. For mussels, remove their beards and ensure they are cleaned before cooking. For a fancy touch, abalone and geoduck are excellent choices. Abalone should be thinly sliced and will cook in a few seconds, while geoduck should be thinly sliced and not overcooked.
• Fish: halibut, salmon, monkfish, bass, and most other types of fresh fish are great in a hot pot. Slice the fish about a quarter of an inch thick and use a small strainer to prevent the slices from getting lost in the pot.
• Squid and cuttlefish: both fresh and dried varieties can be used. Clean the body and tentacle parts well and slice the body into two-inch strips, making crosshatch cuts on the surface or thick rings. Dried cuttlefish requires more preparation, needing to be soaked in water for at least 24 hours and up to two days before slicing and cooking.
• Store-bought fish balls and fish cakes: these can be found in the freezer section of any well-stocked Asian supermarket and come in various shapes and flavours. Round Chinese fish balls are usually white or golden brown, with a bouncy and fluffy texture and a strong fish taste. Other popular options include fish tofu, which is square-shaped, and Fuzhou fish balls, which are stuffed with minced pork. Since these are already cooked, they only need to be heated in the broth.
• Homemade fish balls: these require more work but can be more rewarding. To make them, scrape the meat off the fish, mince it with a cleaver, and then pound it by hand. The pounding and slamming process is crucial for achieving a bouncy and springy texture.

When preparing seafood for hot pot, cut the ingredients into bite-sized pieces to ensure quick and even cooking.

Vegetables

When preparing a hot pot, it's important to have a variety of vegetables. Here are some tips and suggestions for the types of vegetables to include:

Types of Vegetables

• Crunchy vegetables: Bamboo shoots, lotus root, cauliflower, radish, broccoli, and carrot are great options.
• Starchy vegetables: Include some squash, potato, sweet potato, or taro root.
• Leafy greens: Napa cabbage, pea shoots, baby bok choy, Chinese broccoli, yu choy, and Swiss chard are good choices.
• Other Chinese vegetables: Winter melon, celtuce, and bean sprouts are less common but can add variety.

Amount and Variety

It is recommended to have at least six types of vegetables, with a preference for eight, ensuring a few types from each category. This variety ensures a balance of flavours and textures, which is essential for a satisfying hot pot experience.

Preparation

Wash and cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces or thin slices. Leafy greens can be left whole if they are small, while larger leaves should be cut into smaller pieces. For root vegetables, peel and slice them thinly to ensure quicker cooking.

Cooking Time

Noodles

There are many different types of noodles that work well in a hot pot. Here are some suggestions:

• Udon noodles: thick, chewy noodles that are great at soaking up flavour
• Mung bean noodles: excellent at soaking up flavour
• Shirataki noodles: a good low-carb or keto option
• Hand-pulled noodles: fresh noodles that are a traditional choice for a hot pot party
• Other fresh noodles
• Packaged dried noodles

When preparing noodles for a hot pot, it's a good idea to soak them in hot water for 30 seconds before adding them to the broth. This will help to remove any excess starch, which can cause the broth to become cloudy.

Frequently asked questions