A Chinese hot pot recipe guide on how to make Chinese hot pot at home with ideas on hot pot ingredients, hot pot dipping sauces, and a homemade broth.
This hot pot recipe post is sponsored by Evergreen Home, a company I’m super excited to work with because I am a huge fan of using induction cooktops for hot pot. All opinion expressed, recipes and photos are my own.
WHAT IS HOT POT?
In short, hot pot is just a pot of boiling broth in the center of the table with a large variety of ingredients (usually raw) laid out buffet-style that you use to cook in the broth on the fly. Once the food has finished cooking, you scoop it out onto your personal bowl, which usually has a personalized dipping sauce, and you eat it! 🙂
Hot pot is meant to be a communal meal which is why it is a great activity for dinner gatherings. Since the food is cooked in real-time and enjoyed hot straight out of the broth in small batches, it means that it’s usually a longer meal so you can chit chat with friends and family while you are enjoying the food.
Although it may look fancy and somewhat overwhelming, hot pot can be easily customized to be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be! You can do it with 2 people or you can do it with 15 people. The more people you have, the more variety of ingredients you can put out there are to eat. I personally do hot pot for 2 a lot in the winter as my lazy dinners. I just prepare a small amount of ingredients to eat, use a bouillon as my broth and Voila! Dinner in 10 minutes 🙂
TYPES OF COOKTOPS FOR HOTPOT
Traditionally, hot pot has always been done with a gas canister and portable gas burner but I a few years ago, I have switched from using a gas burner to using an electric portable induction cooktop and I never turned back. It’s easy to use, super quick to clean up and safe.
One of the reasons I switched over is because I feel a lot safer turning on a portable induction stove since all I have to do is plug it in (with an extension cord). Whenever I used a gas canister I always cringe a little inside. I never know if the gas canister has been seated in properly and I am always hoping that by hitting the button to ignite the spark to turn it on it won’t blow up on me (I’ve heard horror stories).
My second reason for switching over is the easy cleanup. After a long meal and a very full belly, nobody really wants to clean up and unfortunately hot pot can get a bit messy sometimes (lot of hands and sloshing around of broth, means a lot of spills and splashes. It happens a lot!) Cleanup using an induction cooktop is a breeze, just wipe the smooth surface with a damp cloth and it’s clean! No more nooks and crannies of a gas burner to clean up is always a bonus for me.
When using an induction stovetop, you’re going to want to make sure that your pot is magnetic. I found that cast iron, steel pots and any type of magnetic stainless steel pot work fine and if you are not 100% sure if a pot will work with it, just stick a magnet to it. If the magnet sticks to it, you’re good to go. (Evergreen Home’s Induction Cooktop, includes a magnet, one less thing to worry about.)
HOT POT TOOLS AND UTENSILS
A very useful utensil that is also used very commonly is a small basket-like scoop. This scoop is very helpful with fishing out slippery and hard to grab foods out of the pot and into your bowl. If you can’t find these mini hot pot scoops or you don’t want to purchase it, you can use a ladle with holes or a spaghetti/noodle ladle as well. Other than the basket scoop, you can pretty much use any type of utensil you feel comfortable eating with.
INGREDIENTS FOR HOT POT
For hot pot ingredients, there are no hard and fast rules for what to use. Honestly, the sky is the limit. Traditionally, you would use raw meats but to be honest, I have used ingredients like cooked sausages, hotdogs, and even spam! 😛
Here are a few ideas to start you off and I highly encourage you to expand this list to find what you enjoy most 🙂
MEATS & SEAFOOD IDEAS FOR HOT POT
Other Meat & Seafood ideas Not Shown in Photos: Fish (sliced) / Thinly Sliced Chicken, Turkey, Pork / Squid / Fresh Oysters / Bacon or Pork Belly / Spam / Tripe / Frozen Mussels
VEGGIES IDEAS FOR HOT POT
Other Vegetable Ideas Not Shown in Photos: Red, Yellow or Green Peppers cut into chunks / Variety of Chinese Greens (Nappa Cabbage, Tong Oh, Pea Sprouts, Watercress Greens etc) / Brussels Sprouts cut in half / Cabbage / Carrots / Brocolli / Cauliflower / Baby Corn (from a can) / Bean Sprouts / Zucchini / Garlic Chives / Taro
NOODLES & RANDOM TIDBIT IDEAS FOR HOT POT
Other Random Ingredients Not Shown in Photos: Variety of Noodles (udon, thick rice noodles, instant noodles (without the flavor packs) etc) / Shirataki Yam Noodle Bundles / Bean Curd Skin Rolls
HOT POT SAUCES
Although a good broth is important, since it’s the foundation of a good hot pot recipe, I personally find the dipping sauce just as important (and super fun to put together.) There’s no hard and fast rule on how your dipping sauce should taste, and you are not limited to only one type of dipping sauce – so mix and match it to make your own personal mix in your bowl! 🙂 Whether you like your sauces, sweet, spicy, tangy or just savory here are a few popular options that you can use to set up your sauce stations!
1.) Raw Egg 2.) Sriracha/Sambal Olek 3.) Oyster Sauce 4.) Sesame Oil 5.) Chinese BBQ Sauce (aka Shacha Sauce) 6.) Soy Sauce 7.) Green Onions 8.) Sesame Seeds 9.) Chinese Sesame Paste 10.) Chinese Black Vinegar 11.) Chili Flakes 12.) Rice Wine Vinegar 13.) Chinese Chili Oil 14.) Hoisin Sauce
I highly recommend using Chinese BBQ Sauce (Shacha Sauce) if you can get a hold of it. You can find this online or at a Chinese grocery store. 🙂
HOT POT BROTHS
Although the hot pot broth is important in a hot pot recipe, I personally find I get most of my flavors from the personalized dipping sauces in our bowls. Personally, I think a hot pot recipe shouldn’t be something you are slaving over for hours so I like to keep things simple, quick and easy. That being said, I do provide an option below to give your hot pot broth a bit more depth but it will have a longer cooking time as well for those us who are okay with taking a bit more time with it.
Lazy Day Alert: On my lazy days when I’m craving hot pot and can’t be bothered with any hot pot recipe broths, I have been known to use bouillons or chicken powder! 😛
Simple Broth (The Foundation Broth)
For this simple broth, just throw everything in a large pot and boil away! Once it’s been simmering for 30-45 minutes, strain everything out!
Silkier Broth (Optional, Will Require More Cooking Time)
For my hot pot recipe, I like to give my broths a bit more substance with a silkier broth with pork hocks (when I have time). When the connective tissues break down in the broth it gives the broth a slightly thicker and silkier consistency. Connective tissues take a while to break down so to speed up the process of this broth, you can start it off in a pressure cooker as well.
If you have a butcher, ask them to cut the pork hocks into smaller 2-3 inch chunks so that it cooks faster – if you don’t have a butcher you can cook the pork hock whole, it will just take a bit longer.
Spicy Broth (Optional, If You Like It Mildly Spicy)
Whether you are using the hot pot recipe for the simple foundation broth or the silkier broth, to get it spicy you just need to pan-fry dried chili flakes with a bit of oil. The oil will turn red and become mildly spicy, and you can pour the concoction into the hot pot broth when you’re ready to start. If you are feeling fancy, you can even add additional spices (star anise, cinnamon etc) into the oil while you are pan-frying it.
This is quite mild to me in terms of spicy. If you want to up the spicy factor for this hot pot recipe, I would either 1.) add cayenne pepper to the oil, or 2.) add hot sauce directly into your dipping sauce in your personal bowl
When it’s cold outside, gather up all your friends and huddle over some hot pot! 🙂
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The ultimate Chinese Hot Pot recipe guide on how to make Chinese hot pot at home with ideas on hot pot ingredients, hot pot dipping sauce and a homemade broth.
Ingredients
Hot Pot Broth (Simplified)
- 1800ml beef/chicken/vegetable broth (approximately 7 1/2 cups)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 slices ginger
- 1 onions
- 1/4 cup Chinese Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 whole star anise
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
(Optional) Silkier Hot Pot Broth
- 1 pork hock (cut into 2–3 inch chunks)
(Optional) Spicy Hot Pot Broth
- 3/4 cup oil
- 3 tablespoons dried chili peppers flakes
- handful of whole dried chili peppers
- 1–2 teaspoons cayenne powder (optional)
Hot Pot Ingredients Ideas (Mix & Match)
- Meats & Seafood : Fish (sliced) / Thinly Sliced Chicken, Turkey, Pork / Squid / Fresh Oysters / Bacon or Pork Belly / Spam / Tripe / Frozen Mussels
- Vegetables : Red, Yellow or Green Peppers cut into chunks / Variety of Chinese Greens (Napa Cabbage, Tong Oh, Pea Sprouts, Watercress Greens etc) / Brussels Sprouts cut in half / Cabbage / Carrots / Broccoli / Cauliflower / Baby Corn (from a can) / Bean Sprouts / Zucchini / Garlic Chives / Taro
- Noodles & Tidbits : Variety of Noodles (udon, thick rice noodles, instant noodles (without the flavor packs) etc) / Shirataki Yam Noodle Bundles / Bean Curd Skin Rolls
Dipping Sauces Ideas (Mix & Match)
- Salty : Soy Sauce / Fish Sauce / Oyster Sauce
- Sour : Rice Vinegar / Chinese Black Vinegar / Red Wine Vinegar / Lime Juice
- Sweet : Hoisin Sauce / Maple Syrup / Honey
- Spicy : Dried Chili Flakes / Sriracha / Chinese Chili Oil / Sambal Olek / Cayenne Powder
- Flavor : Chinese BBQ Sauce (Shacha Sauce) / Sesame oil
- Texture : Sesame Paste / Raw Egg / Green Onions / Sesame Seeds
Instructions
Hot Pot Broth (Simplified)
- In a large pot add all the ingredients under the ‘Hot Pot Broth’ (Simplified)
- Boil for 1 hour with lid on medium heat.
- Once the broth is done, remove the spices, onions, garlic and ginger – the broth is ready to be used. Place the broth in a pot (or use the pot it’s already in) and place it over a portable induction stove and you’re good to go!
- Note: If the broth was reduced too much (you should have enough broth to dunk food in and to cook it), add 1 cup of water into the broth before starting hot pot.
Silky Hot Pot Broth (Optional, will require more cooking time)
- In a large pot add all the ingredients under the ‘Hot Pot Broth’ (Simplified)
- Rinse the pork hock to remove any bone shards
- Add the pork hock into the pot once you have added all the spices in, in step 1.
- Boil for 2 hours and 30 minutes
- Skim off any floaty scum bits that floats on top of the broth.
- Once the broth is done, remove the spices, onions, garlic, ginger and pork hocks – the broth is ready to be used. Place the broth in a pot (or use the pot it’s already in) and place it over a portable induction stove and you’re good to go!
- Set the pork hocks at the table and snack on them with the dipping sauces.
- Note: If the broth was reduced too much (you should have enough broth to dunk food in and to cook it), add 1 cup of water into the broth before starting hot pot.
Making Your Hot Pot Broth Spicy (Optional)
- In a frying pan, set the stove on low heat
- Add the oil and dried chili flakes and toast it for 1-2 minutes. You will know it’s ready when you can smell it.
- Turn off the heat
- [Optional] Mix in cayenne powder if you like it spicier, since this is a mild spicy chili oil
- [Optional] Soak whole dried chili peppers in the finished chili oil for additional spiciness
- Set the oil aside until the hot pot broth is finished.
- Once the broth is finished, and you are ready to eat – pour the chili oil into the hot pot broth and set the pot over a portable induction stove and you’re good to go!
Notes
- You can also use a pressure cooker to make the broth (with the pork hock) more quickly!
- The chili oil for this recipe makes the broth ‘mildly spicy’ unless you add cayenne. If you still feel like the oil is not providing enough heat, I find it easier to add hot sauce directly into your personal dipping bowls.
- If you do hot pot with a large group of people, it’s a lot easier make a huge batch of broth and split it amongst 2-3 pots and burners, so that everyone can reach the pot from where they are sitting.
- The portable induction stovetop I use is the Evergreen Portable Induction Cooktop
- IMPORTANT! Always keep a glass of water close by! While you are eating, the broth will evaporate a lot since it is over a constant heat. Refill it by adding water when the liquid levels are low.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Pot of Broth
- Calories: 1477 cal
- Sugar: 48 g
- Sodium: 6508 mg
- Fat: 40 g
- Carbohydrates: 205 g
- Fiber: 15 g
- Protein: 74 g
Keywords: hot pot recipe, hot pot ingredients, chinese hot pot, hot pot dipping sauces
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I have made this recipe 4 times and it is always a hit with my culturally mixed family and friends.
★★★★★
Hi Elena!
I’m super happy you and your family and friends liked this! 🙂 Sounds like a fantastic time! 😀
Took my family to China this past summer. We all fell in love with Hot Pot while we were there. Found a local Asian market that had all the ingredients. Followed the recommendations from this post and everything was great! Easy to make and show off to friends.
★★★★★
Hi John!
I’m so happy it was easy to make! It is definitely a great conversation starter and I find it makes for a much more relaxing dinner too! Especially with friends! How is hot pot in China? Did you have any unique ingredients? 🙂
This Hot Pot is good to begin in this cool and cold season. I love all your ingredients, easy to get in the supermarkets. I personally can take medium level of chili hot sauce, so it’s fine .
★★★★★
There are so many different ingredients you can cook in hot pot, that I’m super happy to be able to have made this post to be able to remind myself of all the different foods I can serve with it! 🙂