Lisa George
One of my all time favourite meals rising up was Chinese sizzling pot. Or, as we known as it, steam boat. I’m fairly positive my mother and father known as it that to make it extra enjoyable for us, as a result of boats are one thing that children like? Anyway, all of us name it sizzling pot now and it’s nonetheless one in every of my favourite issues to eat on a chilly and comfortable night time. Hot pot in Chinese known as huǒ guō (fireplace pot) or dǎ biān lú (struggle the furnace). It’s a enjoyable and filling approach to spend the night time consuming and chatting since you’re actually hanging round a sizzling pot at the desk the place you prepare dinner and eat collectively.
Hot-potting in Tokyo!
Hot pot occurs to be the one meal that Mike and I eat probably the most, partially due to the very fact it’s very simple to put collectively and partially due to the truth that Mike loves it a lot. Essentially, all you do to put together sizzling pot is make a broth that’s simmered at the desk in a, you bought it, sizzling pot. You load up the desk with a bunch of meats, veggies, tofu, seafood objects, and noodles. Everything is cooked at the desk, a la minute, scooped out of the pot, dipped into your personal custom-made sauce and devoured.
The theme of sizzling pot is, as Mike likes to say, “it’s your choice.” And it’s true, it is your selection. Don’t eat meat? Have an all veggie sizzling pot. Love seafood? Go heavy on the seafood. Really, sizzling pot is all about selecting your substances/what you’re going to put into your pot. There’s an enormous number of sizzling pot, even inside China – there’s thoughts numbing spicy sizzling pots, natural sizzling pots, curry sizzling pots, plain sizzling pots, actually there’s no fallacious approach. Here’s a fast information to get you began.
Equipment
If you’re going to have sizzling pot, you’re going to want a sizzling pot! For the fireplace portion, there are a number of methods you’ll be able to go: induction, gas, or a two-in-one. I say you go along with whichever one you may have already got, or if you’re going to be shopping for one thing, I’d select induction simply because I’ve heard horror tales of gasoline canisters exploding (not to scare anybody!). Induction is simple to clear – simply wipe it down – and bonus, there’s no probability of it exploding. We’ve undoubtedly used the two-in-one earlier than too, however it’s simply simpler to use a pot you have already got. Plus it’s simpler to wash.
Speaking of pots, you need one which’s shallow so your meals isn’t drowning. You need to find a way to see it floating in there so a deep common saucepan isn’t going to lower it. Growing up, we all the time had the split pot so my mother and father might have spicy soup whereas me and my brother caught to plain rooster inventory. The break up pot is nice for individuals who need two sorts of soup or in order for you to hold one aspect for meat and the opposite aspect for greens.
There you have got it, it’s basically all you want! Mike and I like to use a transportable induction cooker with our favorite cast iron shallow brasier. Oh wait, you’ll additionally want sizzling pot strainers (the little particular person scoop-y factor you see within the photograph), shallow dishes to maintain your sauces, small bowls to eat out of, a number of pairs of tongs, chopsticks, and a ladle, if you’re going to end on broth.
Broth
Broth is the spine of your sizzling pot, however actually, you don’t want to fear about it an excessive amount of. If you need to go all out and make a do-it-yourself inventory, go for it. Sometimes if I’m feeling notably additional, I’ll just do that, however as a rule, I’ll simply use a retailer purchased inventory or seasoning packet. Our favourite base occurs to be dashi, which isn’t Chinese at all, however, you understand, since sizzling pot is all about customization. Lee Kum Kee makes some fairly bomb seasoning packets – you’ll find these and all the substances for Chinese sizzling pot at your native Asian grocery retailer. There’s additionally a particularly well-liked sizzling pot restaurant (Little Sheep Hot Pot) that sells it’s soup base. Of course, you could possibly all the time simply go my childhood route and simply use a easy rooster inventory jazzed up with some ginger and inexperienced onions. Or possibly you’re actually into curry, make a skinny curry inventory. Maybe you have got some leftover pho broth? That’ll work too. Just be sure to’re not utilizing water 😉
Meats and Seafood
Meat, it’s what sizzling pot is for. Essentially you’ll be able to prepare dinner any type of meat in sizzling pot, so long as it’s sliced thinly. You pop it into the boiling water, swish it round a bit (or let the pot come again up to a boil when you’re tremendous fearful of uncooked meals), pull it out and eat it. Typically thinly sliced beef, pork, and rooster may be very well-liked. There are quite a lot of cuts you could get thinly sliced in trays at your Asian grocery retailer – go wild and purchase a bunch. Some of our favorites are: rib eye (on the left), pork stomach (the bacon-y wanting one), pork jowl, lamb shoulder, and pork shoulder.
Or, when you like, you’ll be able to DIY it! Pick items of meat which can be closely marbled and pop them within the freezer for about 30 minutes – it ought to really feel barely strong, however nonetheless yield, after which slice it as thinly as attainable.
Here I added in some rooster wings as a result of I like wings – I’ll add these to the inventory and simmer them for some time earlier than we begin sizzling potting the whole lot else. Wings will take about 10-15 minutes so when you’re going to have them, simply toss them in a simmer them earlier than you begin.
We even have some tripe as a result of that’s the great things! Remember, it’s your selection, so in order for you to go along with only one type of meat, you’ll be able to. Oh, and I didn’t embrace seafood right here, however typically we’ll have shrimp, scallops, squid, and fish slices too.
Suggestions: thinly sliced steak, pork shoulder, rooster, lamb shoulder, shrimp, scallops, squid, fish.
Vegetables
Vegetables are Mike’s favourite a part of sizzling pot – typically I feel he might eat sizzling pot with only a head of lettuce! I like a bit extra selection, so I normally embrace some type of Asian vegetable (gai lan, as pictured) and mushrooms. Any leafy greens will work, in addition to broccoli and cauliflower. Essentially, something goes, simply be sure to’re not over cooking your greens! Pop them in, allow them to prepare dinner, then pull them out instantly. No one likes unhappy, soggy, forgotten greens within the pot.
Suggestions: leafy greens like spinach, watercress, lettuce; cabbages like siu choi/napa, kole; mushrooms like enoki, shiitake, oyster; crunchy greens like broccoli, cauliflower, lotus root; starchy greens like potatoes, taro, candy potato.
Dumplings and Balls
This class is a straight up go to the Asian grocery retailer and raid the freezer part. You could make your personal dumplings and balls, however the enchantment of sizzling pot to me is that we all the time have a big collection of these guys hanging out within the freezer, simply ready to go.
When you get to the Asian grocery retailer, you need to go to the frozen part or typically there will probably be a case beside the fish the place recent fish balls are. Fish balls, when you haven’t had them, are THE BOMB. They have one of the best texture and should not very fishy. They’re type of arduous to clarify, however belief me, you’ll love them. I name them fish balls, however they arrive in every kind of flavors: shrimp, squid, cuttlefish, lobster – if it swims, it is available in fishball kind. I notably just like the “golden” ones as a result of they’re deep fried. Sometimes they’ll even have fish balls with issues inside, type of like a dumpling, however with a fish ball wrapper as an alternative of a dumpling wrapper.
Speaking of dumplings, seize some frozen dumplings to put in your sizzling pot. I like to get those which can be already totally cooked since you’ll be able to’t actually see inside them. That ensures that you simply don’t by chance pull out a dumpling and chew right into a uncooked filling. Get the basic pork and vegetable combo and when you see it, go for pork and corn, it’s my fave.
Oh, and seize some meatballs too, they normally have these within the deli part – in our native retailer we now have a collection of Vietnamese meatballs and I all the time seize some to throw in.
Suggestions: golden fish balls, shrimp balls, cuttlefish balls, fish tofu (it’s the dice wanting one and it’s good), Taiwanese fish tempura sticks (those that appear to be tubes), pork and vegetable dumplings, pork and corn dumplings, wonton, gyoza, Vietnamese beef balls, pork balls, pork and mushroom balls, basically something goes! I even threw in some frozen Ikea meatballs for good measure!
Tofu
Head to the tofu part and seize what tofu you like. Mike’s partial to mini tofu puffs and I like medium agency tofu. I additionally love egg tofu, the sort that is available in a tube. When you’re popping the tofu into the new pot, it doesn’t want lengthy, when you let it simmer for some time and neglect about it, you may discover that it’s disintegrated. Keep a watch on it, tofu is without doubt one of the greatest components of sizzling pot.
Suggestions: medium agency tofu, agency tofu, tofu puffs, pressed tofu, deep fried tofu, egg tofu.
Noodles
If I can wait, I like to add noodle at the tip when the broth has had an opportunity to infuse itself with the flavors of the whole lot that has been within the pot. I like noodles, so that they’re important. I normally go for udon as a result of they’re thick and scrumptious, however mung bean noodles are glorious at absorbing taste too.
Suggestions: udon (get the frozen stuff, it’s approach higher than the vacuum packs), glass noodles/mung bean noodles.
Sauces
Here’s the place the enjoyable begins: the dipping. Everything that comes out of the new pot is dipped in sauce. Well, possibly not the noodles, however you understand, you’ll be able to pour sauce on to these. Every household can have their very own model of sizzling pot dipping sauce and everybody can have private style. So, simply present a bunch of sauces and let folks combine and match. Growing up I simply dipped in a easy candy soy sauce with inexperienced onion and cilantro combine, however now I choose a mixture of Chinese sesame paste, hoisin sauce, candy soy sauce, and shacha (Chinese barbecue sauce).
If there’s a sauce that I feel is all the time supplied with sizzling pot, except for soy sauce, it’s shacha. Shacha is constructed from soybean oil, garlic, shallots, chilis, brill fish, and dried shrimp. It’s an umami bomb and so so scrumptious. People usually combine it up with a little bit of soy sauce, sesame oil, inexperienced onions, and cilantro. Some folks additionally combine in a uncooked egg yolk for an additional little bit of oomph.
Mike’s favourite sauce is a mixture of sriracha, ketchup, and sugar. It’s candy, spicy, and scrumptious. Usually I simply combine them up in equal components, however be at liberty to fiddle round and make it your personal when you attempt it.
Go forth and Hot Pot
Alright my associates! You’re prepared to go forth and sizzling pot. Set up your desk with the heating factor in the midst of the desk, and put the pot of inventory on. Place all of the substances across the pot and let everybody prepare dinner and eat to their hearts content material. Keep the pot at a simmer and when doubtful on if it’s cooked or not, you’ll be able to let it go a little bit longer. Some folks choose to dump a bunch of issues in, let it come to a boil and depart it to simmer whereas they choose issues out and eat them and a few folks like to simply put within the piece that they need to eat. Cook, dip, and eat away.
Happy hot-potting!
xoxo steph
PS – Happy Valentines! We’re having sizzling pot for our lil Valentine’s day collectively, so this publish is very becoming.
PPS – It’s additionally becoming as a result of Chinese New Year is developing (February 16) and this might be the proper meal to rejoice.
PPPS – Last one, I promise! It’s I am a Food Blog’s 6th birthday today! Crazy how lengthy we’ve been doing this for. If there’s anybody nonetheless studying this, thanks, thanks, THANK YOU for studying!!!
Stay ate up Primetweets Kitchen!
