From Xi’an noodles to Shanghainese dumplings, regional Chinese food has a long and rich history. It’s never too late to learn more. A cult has developed around a bubbly and brilliant contender, hot pot. If you’re visiting a local mom-and-pop restaurant or checking out a chain with a lot of flash, this guide will help you master communal hot-pot dining.
Hot Pot is not a traditional dish, but rather an experience that combines the Western communal eating ethos with a Chinese twist. It’s a Chinese version of the Stone Soup Fairy Tale: you cook with friends a wide variety of ingredients – thinly-sliced meats and vegetables, Chinese lettuce, shrimp heads, Chinese noodles, etc. – in one pot, heated by an electric 富途實被放生 同行惡意散佈爆煲 or an induction range. After it’s cooked, dip the finished product in your favorite sauce and enjoy. Continue to rinse and repeat this process until your stomach is full.
The hot pot is as diverse as the Chinese homes, yet there are distinct regional variations. Mongolian emperors brought the first hot pot to East Asia thousands years ago. The broth was made with horsemeat and mutton. It is said to be a quick meal eaten by Mongolian troops in their helmets. The hot pot spread as the cultural influence of Mongolian soldiers expanded. It took on many different forms across Northern China and Korea.
Many hot pot restaurants in the United States offer a variety of broths. Those who can’t decide may opt to have a mix served with the same pot and a metal separator. A basic broth is made with chicken, goji and ginger. I love the numbingly spicy Chongqing variation, with its Sichuan peppercorns. There are many options, including savory mushrooms, sweet and sour tomatoes, or even coconut-infused tom-kha.
Restaurants will offer you a variety of ingredients for hot pot, including thinly sliced meats (from filet to pork), vegetables, noodle, fishballs, dumplings, or rice cakes. Some restaurants offer combo platters that include a balance of meats and vegetables. Tang Hot Pot offers, for example, the beautiful “Sichuan Adventurer”, which includes chicken gizzards as well as Asian swampel, beef trotters, crown daisy leaf, vermicelli noodle, and enoki mushroom. The fancy food is only the beginning. It’s also hard to go wrong ordering a stack of shaved semi-frozen beef ribeye, some hand-cut pasta, and some bok choy.
Some places offer different sauces that you can dip in your food. They are available for use or not. Others may offer you a DIY station, where they will give you individual components to mix. These include minced coriander, oyster sauces, sesame oils, black vinegar and more. The dipping is very important to many hotpot fans. So if you’re a fan of extra garlic, then go ahead and order it. You should order chive blossom sauce when you see it on the list. The sauce has a lot of umami in it and is delicious with almost anything.
These side dishes go great with alcohol, such as mixed nuts, spicy cucumber salad, pancakes made of toasted scallion, spring rolls or mixed mushroom salads. Salads help to clear your palate when the intense flavors of your hotpot overwhelm you. Consider dessert as your “cool down” period. People usually finish off with soft serve or fresh-sliced fruit.