As the Covid-19 restrictions are slowly being lifted, my friends and I decided to get together for Chinese hotpot one evening a few weeks ago.
Chinese hot pot (火锅) is easy to prepare and fun to eat especially with a group of people. You can literally have it all year round.
What You Need
- Hot pot – you can purchase the pot at a Chinese grocery store or online. They are not expensive. While some restaurants offer single hot pots, most available in stores are twin-divided hot pots, allowing for two different soup bases, one on each side
- Hot pot stove – portable gas stoves are less expensive than electric ones. Stores like Walmart, Amazon, Canadian Tire, and many Chinese grocery stores sell them
- Butane gas cartridge – if you purchase a portable gas stove, don’t forget to buy the butane gas at the store. They usually come in 3 or 4 in a pack
- Hot pot strainers and ladles
- Hot pot soup base – again, you can purchase them at an Asian grocery store
- Condiments for dipping sauces – you can mix whatever condiments you like – soy sauce, hoisin sauce, peanut sauce, hot sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, green onions etc.
Food Items
- Meats
- The most common meats for Chinese hot pot are beef and lamb. And they are cut into very thin slices. Unless you are great at slicing meats, the easiest way is to purchase pre-cut hot pot meats from a local grocery store. You should only dip them in the hot pot for a few seconds until they are cooked
- If you prefer chicken, make sure to cook them longer
- Beef balls, pork balls and lunch meat are also options
- Seafood
- Basically, any seafood would be fine, but make sure you don’t overcook them by leaving them in the hot pot for too long
- Shrimp balls, fish balls, lobster balls etc. are popular as well
- Vegetables – most leafy greens, root veggies, and mushrooms are all great choices
- Other items include Tofu, noodles, and eggs.
If you crave it, add it to the hot pot and enjoy!
Prepare Soup Base
This step is simple. Follow the instructions on the soup base package, and mix it with water in the hot pot. I usually heat the hot pot on the stove until it reaches a boil, then transfer it to the portable gas stove on the table. This method shortens the cooking time for the broth.
This is what we had. Instead of using the mussels for the hot pot, my friend decided to bake them in the oven. They are incredibly yummy.
The Posh Foodie 