Chinese Hot Pot

A communal feast — simmering broth at the table with meats, vegetables, and noodles.

Ingredients

• Broth: 8 cups chicken stock, 4 slices ginger, 4 garlic cloves, 2 scallions, 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns, 4 dried chiles
• Proteins: thinly sliced beef, shrimp, fish balls, tofu
• Vegetables: napa cabbage, mushrooms, bok choy, corn, lotus root
• Noodles: glass noodles or udon
• Dipping sauces: sesame paste + soy sauce + chili oil + garlic + scallions

Method

1. Simmer broth with aromatics 20 min. Strain or leave aromatics in.

2. Arrange all raw ingredients on platters around the table.

3. Set up a portable burner with the pot of simmering broth at the center of the table.

4. Each person cooks their own ingredients in the broth — thin beef takes 10 seconds, vegetables 1-2 min, noodles 3 min.

5. Dip cooked items in your personalized dipping sauce.

What You're Practicing

• Hot pot is as much a social experience as a meal — it''s communal cooking at its best.
• Slice beef paper-thin (freeze it for 30 min first) so it cooks in seconds.