查看原文
其他

Bring the Fire Inside: How to Make Hot Pot at Home

Tracy W. theBeijinger 2019-04-02

Now that you've acquired a taste for all things fiery thanks to the Beijinger's recent inaugural Hot & Spicy Festival, be sure to check out our ongoing chili-related restaurant coverage and our latest hot & spicy-themed magazine. Here is a feature from that spicy issue about making hot pot at home.

With a history that dates back a thousand years, hot pot has gone on to birth seemingly just as many variations, including Sichuan spicy hot pot, Cantonese hot pot, Hainan coconut hot pot, Mongolian hot pot, Guizhou sour and spicy hot pot, and even Japanese nabemono and Korean jeongol ... the list goes on. To make things increasingly complicated, every popular hot pot chain has its own tried and tested secret broth recipe, for which they would sooner guzzle unadulterated gutter oil than consider ever giving it up, and no one wants to see that. Luckily, we’re seasoned in the ways of DIY hot pot and have the perfect recipe for when you want to pig out at home.

There are three parts to any good hot pot:
the broth, the ingredients, and the sauce. The broth acts like the soul of the dish and often contains meat bones that have been cooked for hours alongside herbs and spices. You can buy the condensed broth at any supermarket or order them online to save the hassle, but if you decide to make your own and have plenty of time to kill, this will make a decent base:

You don't need to go out to get hot pot anymore


Broth instructions

  1. Boil a large pot of water, then add beef bones or chopped chicken, ginger slices, scallions, salt, and chopped garlic.

  2. Heat up a wok, add oil, ginger, and garlic. Once nicely fried, add Sichuan peppercorns, dried red chilies, fennel, star anise, chili oil, a bay leaf, a stick of cinnamon, and cloves and stir-fry for about two minutes.

  3. Add the stock from step 1 to the wok and heat until boiling. Your broth is now ready and can be transferred to a shallow pot on an electric plate so that you (and potentially your guests) can begin the long hot pot session.


Ingredients for dipping

Protein: Thinly shaved beef, pork, and lamb; fish fillet, meatballs, seafood, minced shrimp paste.
Bean products: Sponge tofu, frozen tofu, soft tofu, fried tofu.
Staples: Noodles, mung bean vermicelli, dumplings, wontons.
Vegetables: Chinese cabbage, lettuce, spinach, potato, sweet potato, lotus root, celeriac, broccoli.
Fungus: Mushrooms, needle mushrooms, mu’er.

Sauces

Even if you visited a hot pot restaurant, you would be expected to mix your own dipping sauces. Go authentic Chongqing-style with a can of sesame oil, chopped garlic, and chopped coriander, or if you like a sesame (majiang) base, simply mix vinegar, sesame paste (or peanut butter), chili powder, chili oil, salt, and chopped green onion. Add fermented tofu, oyster sauce, minced peanuts, green peppers, and bird’s-eye chilies for an optional oomph.

Delivery

Finally, if you’re just too damn lazy to be running around trying to track down a steel pot, ingredients, and spices, you can always beckon Haidilao, the perennially popular hot pot chain via any one of Beijing’s delivery platforms. Not only will they deliver the hot pot, broth, ingredients, dipping sauces, and even trash bags, they’ll come back and pick it all up once you’re incapacitated. Could there be anything more comforting?

This article appears in our latest issue, which you can click here to read online


Photos: recipler, Uni You



Top Stories This Week

Beer Lovers Shocked by Sudden Closure of Great Leap Brewing #12


Beicology: Beijing's Recent Smog Resurgence Explained


When Populism Wins: Lotte Mart to Close All 21 Beijing Stores


Beijingers are Buzzing About

The 6th Beijing Burger Festival Returns Jun 16-17!


3 Little Pigs Brings Good Ol' American Grub to the Hutongs


Beijing's Newest Public Bathroom is Made Out of Flowers


The Beijinger
Always something fresh

Long press the QR code above to follow us!

Tap on the cover to access the latest print issue.

    您可能也对以下帖子感兴趣

    文章有问题?点此查看未经处理的缓存