Chinese Hot Pot Recipe Guide
A Chinese hot pot recipe guide on what tools you'll need and pot at home and ideas on what hot pot ingredients, sauces, and a homemade broth to use.
Servings: 1 pot of broth for 2-4 people
Calories: 1477kcal
Equipment
- Electric Portable Induction Cooktop
- Stainless Steel Pot with Divider for Multiple Soup Bases
- Hot Pot Strainer Scoops
Ingredients
Hot Pot Broth (Foundation)
- 1800 ml beef/chicken/vegetable broth (approximately 7 ½ cups)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 slices ginger
- 1 onions
- ¼ cup Shaoxing Cooking Wine (or dry sherry)
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 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
- ¾ 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: Thinly Sliced Fish, Chicken, Turkey, Pork / Squid / Fresh Oysters / Bacon or Pork Belly / Tripe / Frozen Mussels) / Clams
- Vegetables: Sweet Peppers (Red, Yellow, Orange) / 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 / Button Mushrooms / Lotus Root / Kale / Corn (cut into half) / Daikon Radish
- Noodles, Tofu, Pre-Made Balls and Dumplings: Udon, thick rice noodles, instant noodles (without the flavor packs etc) / Vermicelli Noodles / Shirataki Yam Noodle Bundles / Bean Curd Skin Rolls / Shrimp Wontons
- Non-Traditional Ingredients: Hotdogs / Chicken Wings / Chayote /Thick Slices of Ham / Asparagus / Baby Corn (from can) / Spam
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
- Extra Flavor : Chinese BBQ Sauce (Shacha/Satay Sauce) / Sesame oil
- Texture : Sesame Paste / Raw Egg / Green Onions / Sesame Seeds
Instructions
Hot Pot Broth (Foundation)
- In a large pot add all the ingredients under the 'Hot Pot Broth' (Foundation)
- 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)
- Rinse the pork hock to remove any bone shards
- In a large pot add all the ingredients under the 'Hot Pot Broth' (Foundation)
- Add the pork hock into the pot with the rest of the ingredients
- 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.
- Alternative Instant Soup Bases (Pick One) : Instant Tom Yum Paste, Miso Paste, Hondashi Dashi Powder, Chicken Boullion, Gochujang, Store-bought soup bases, Red/Yellow Thai Curry Paste. See blog post for more details.
