Hot pot

Hot pot(simplified Chinese:火锅;traditional Chinese:火鍋;pinyin:huǒguō;lit.'fire pot') orhotpot, also known assteamboat,is adishofsoup/stockkeptsimmeringin apotby a heat source on the table, accompanied by an array of rawmeats,vegetablesandsoy-based foodswhich diners quickly cook by dip-boiling in the broth.
Hot pot is a flavorful broth traditionally served inside a large metal pot. There are many types of hot pot, like Chongqing hot pot, Beijing hot pot, Yunnan hot pot, and so on.The broth is brought to a boil and left simmering for the duration of the meal. Raw ingredients, such as meat and vegetables, are placed into the simmering broth and thus cooked. The cooked pieces are dipped into dipping sauces for additional flavor. Hot pot is considered a main course and is usually served without rice or noodles on the side. Hot pots can be prepared and eaten at home or in a restaurant.
Typical hot pot ingredients include thinly slicedmeat,leaf vegetables,mushrooms,vermicelli, slicedpotatoes, bean products, eggdumplings,tofu, andseafood. Raw ingredients are pre-sliced into thin sections that will cook quickly and consistently in the simmering broth, which is kept at a gentle boiling temperature. Most raw foods can be cooked in a hot pot, although they may have different cooking times, and must be immersed in the soup and then removed accordingly.
At the conclusion of the meal, the broth would have acquired many flavors from the added ingredients and may be served to the diners after turning off the heat source.
ThetripodsofZhou dynastymay be the earliest prototypes of the hot pot. Diners among the nobility each had a personal pot made of bronze, calledran lu燃爐. The main part ofran luwas a small stove with a small pot above burning charcoal. Later, a hot pot made with copper was created during theThree Kingdoms period(200–280 AD), which is generally acknowledged as the origin of the hot pot. During theQing dynasty, hot pot became popular among the emperors. In particular, theQianlong Emperorwas very fond of hot pot and would eat it for almost every meal. Later, theJiaqing Emperorhad a banquet with 1,550 hot pots at his coronation.Empress Dowager Cixiwas also known to have enjoyed hot pot, especially during the winter season.
Since the 1990s, as the number of Chinese expatriates entering the United States has grown significantly, the popularity ofChinese food has also risen in the U.S.and hot pot has become globally recognized.
Chinese hot pots are often divided into "Southern style" and "Northern style", paralleling thecultural regions of China. Although there are wide regional variations, in general, Southern styles tend to have spicy broths and complex dipping sauces, and are heavier onseafood, vegetables andmushrooms, while Northern styles are simpler and focus more on meat, particularlymutton.
According to research, 67 different spices and condiments are commonly used in traditional Chinese hotpot, involving 82 plant species of 50 genera in 26 families.
Modern eateries offer a partitioned pot with differently flavored broths in each section. More traditional or older establishments often serve a fragrant, mild broth in a large brass vessel heated by burning coals in a central chimney. The broth is simmered in a deep, donut-shaped bowl surrounding the chimney.
Instant-boiled mutton(Chinese:涮羊肉;pinyin:Shuàn Yángròu) could be viewed as representative of "northern style hot pot", which focus on the main ingredients rather than the soup base. Water is used as the main ingredient of the hotpot instead of the flavored broth.
TheManchuhot pot (Chinese:東北酸菜火鍋) uses plenty ofsuan cai(Chinese cabbage pickle) (Chinese:酸菜;pinyin:suān cài) to make the broth sour.
InHubei cuisine, hot pot is normally prepared with hot spices andSichuan pepper. Items supplied to be cooked in this broth include mushrooms, thinly shaved beef or lamb, lettuce, and various other green vegetables.
One of the most famous Southern variations is theChongqing hot pot(Chinese:重慶火鍋), which usesmalaseasoningflavored withchilli peppersandSichuan pepperfor a spicy and numbing flavor. Chongqing hotpots often feature a wide variety of different meats and ingredients, and offer manysaucesandcondimentsto flavor the meat. The typical dipping sauce containssesame oiland is mixed with crushed fresh garlic and chopped spring onions.
Sichuanalso has a number of "dry" hot pots such asmala xiangguo (Chinese: 麻辣香鍋), which are similar tomalahot pot in ingredients and seasoning, butstir-friedinstead of being cooked in broth.
In neighbouringYunnan, although spicy broths are equally popular, there is another predominant type of hot pot that is made with various wild or farmed mushrooms. It is called the Wild Mushroom hot pot (Chinese:野生菌火鍋). Due to the vast forests and abundant natural resources inYunnan, people can find a wide variety of edible mushrooms. The easily accessible and fresh mushroom resources lead to the high popularity of the Wild Mushroom hot pot. The big difference between the mushroom hot pot and the spicy hot pot is that the former omits strong spice and chili, and the latter preserves the original flavor of the mushrooms. The mushroom hot pot is also seasonal, depending on the availability of local mushrooms.
ACantonesevariation includes mixing a raw egg with the condiments to reduce the amount of "heat" absorbed by the food, thereby reducing the likelihood of a sore throat after the steamboat meal, according toChinese herbalist theories.
InHainan cuisine, hot pot is generally served in smallwokswith a prepared broth containing pieces of meat. At the time of serving, the meat is not fully cooked, and approximately fifteen minutes are required before it is ready to eat. Items supplied to be cooked in this type of hot pot include mushrooms, thinly shaved beef orgoat meat, lettuce, and other green vegetables. This dish varies somewhat in different parts of the province.Coconut milkand juice is commonly added into the hot pot.
InJiangsuandZhejiang cuisine,chrysanthemumflowers are cooked in the broth to give it a floral essence.
In Japan, hot pots are known asnabemono. There are many variations, includingsukiyaki,yosenabe,shabu-shabu,oden, andchankonabe.
The Chinese-style hot pot is transliterated as Hinabe(火鍋,Hinabe).
In Korea,JeongolandJjigaecan be compared to Hot pot. There are many variations, includingBudae-jjigaeandKimchi-jjigae.
The Chinese-style hot pot is transliterated as Hwogwo (火鍋, 훠궈).
InTaiwanese cuisine, it is very common to eat hotpot food with a dipping sauce consisting ofshacha sauceand raw egg yolk with stir-fried beef. (沙茶牛肉炉). One of the most authentic hotpot restaurants that locals widely praise is a hotpot restaurant called "Xiao Haozhou's sha-cha beef hot pot." This restaurant was founded in 1949 by a man named Musheng Chen. The popularity of this hot pot restaurant and its unique secret recipe of sha-cha sauce has become one of the iconic sha-cha sauce brands in Taiwanese cuisine nowadays.Initially, this hotpot is only assorted with a light broth and dip with sha-cha sauce. Influenced by Japanese cuisine, thesha-chasauce is now commonly served with raw egg yolk.
The Taiwanese also developed their own homegrown culinary sensibilities with a style of chili hotpot originated from the Sichuan chili hotpot style. In the Taiwanese style of chili hotpot, people who barely tolerate spicy favor are included. Rather than using animal offal as the main ingredient, the Taiwanese style of chili hotpot uses seafood and beef as their main ingredient due to Taiwan's location near the sea.
In Taiwan, people usually have a hotpot meal during the Lunar New Year's Eve. Different from the usual days of cooking hotpots with whatever ingredients they like, the Taiwanese follow the principles of Wu-Xing (the five-element principle) when cooking the Lunar year Taiwan hotpot. They believe that by following the current principle of these five elements, then the food they eat can gain a "mutual generation sequence" (xiangsheng 相生) that is beneficial to the ones that eat them. In Taiwanese hotpot, these five elements are represented with the food in five colors: white, black, yellow, red, and green. Therefore, the five indispensable foods are
Moreover, locals believe that the more color there are shown in a hotpot, the more different nutrients they will gain from eating it. The reason why it is so crucial for Taiwanese people to consume hot pot during theLunar yearis that hot pot not only represents rich nutrition and blessings for family health, but it also represents family reunion and harmony.
InCambodian cuisine, hot pot is calledyao hon(យ៉ាវហន), though some regions call itchhnang pleurng(ឆ្នាំងភ្លើង,lit.'pot fire'). It is usually eaten during celebrations or family gatherings. Just like the Chinese version, Cambodian hot pot consists of similar ingredients although the dish differs in thatcoconut milkis used as the base of the soup. Another variation of the dish is called "buttered yao hon" or "buttered chhnang pleurng"; the same ingredients are used but are instead cooked on a flat grill pan where butter is used as the base (this is similar toKorean barbecue). An herb sauce is usually added to "buttered yao hon", since the ingredients are not flavored by immersion in a broth.
InLao cuisine, hot pot is calledsin joomorseen joom/joum(ຊີ້ນຈຸ່ມ) which means meat dipped, although seafood is also a popular option.Sin joomis generally a leisurely meal enjoyed among family members at home, or among colleagues and friends in restaurants in cities across Laos. Usually, Lao style hot pots use the brown clay pots that are immediately evident in restaurants or stalls that serve the dish along the side of the streets. The broth is prepared from beef ribs, pork bones, or chicken combined with galangal, lemongrass, white onions, and coriander roots, and sometimes with coconut water. Ingredients include a variety of fresh vegetables, such as water spinach, watercress, bukchoy, napa cabbage, mushrooms, glass vermicelli noodles. Thinly sliced marinated pork, beef, or chicken meat, seafood or eggs are protein source options. The condiments for a Lao hot pot normally include crushed chilies and minced raw garlic, lime wedges, coriander leaves, fish sauce. In the capitalVientiane, there are also numerous restaurants serving the Japanese Shabu-shabu, and the Korean and regional Chinese hot pots.
InPhilippine cuisine, hotpot is commonly served by Chinese specialty restaurants, and in some all-you-can-eatbuffets. The termsshabu-shabuand "hotpot" are also used interchangeably for this style of food preparation.InCebu City, a specialty restaurant offers a "hot pot" that is literally a huge ceramic pot filled with cooked rice, choice ofbeef,pork, orchickenslices, special sauce, and choice vegetables such asbroccoli,carrot,shallot,ginger,pechay,kangkong leaves, spices, and some slices ofhard-boiled eggson top; it is more similar tokamameshithan the namesake.
InThai cuisine, hotpot is calledThai suki, although it is quite different from the Japaneseshabu-shabuvariation calledsukiyaki. Originally a Chinese-style hot pot, the number of ingredients to choose from was greatly increased and a Thai-style dipping sauce withchili sauce, chilli,lime, andcorianderleaves was added. Another variation ismu kratha, the Thai hot pot which originated from Korean barbecue combined withThai suki. In the Northeast region, a similar style of cooking calledchim chumwhere thinly sliced meat is cooked in clay pots on charcoal stove is also popular.Tom yumis a common soup base for Thai hot pot.
InVietnamese cuisine, a hot pot is calledlẩu. There are many styles of lẩu ranging from seafoodlẩu hải sản,canh chuasoup-base (lẩu canh chua) or salted fish hot pot (lẩu mắm).
InSwiss cuisine, a variation of the traditional Chinese hot pot locally calledfondue chinoise(lit. "Chinese fondue") is a popular Christmas meal. Various types of meat, fish and vegetables are boiled in a shared pot of broth. Various sauces and pickled condiments are provided on the side. After all the diners have finished cooking, they eat the now-well-flavored broth often combined with thin noodles.
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