Meeting around a delicious hot potHUIZENG HU (Getty Images)
Hot
pot
or “huoguo” (火锅), literally translated as “hot pot,” is the combination of a dish and a social practice originating in China.
It consists of a pot of broth seasoned with spices, herbs and some fat that boils continuously in the center of the table in which each diner cooks the ingredients to the moment.
Very fine cuts of different types of meat, vegetables, seafood, fish and offal make up the wide range of possibilities offered by this practice.
There are numerous types of broth and ways to prepare it: throughout this article we are going to detail its most common options and why it is advisable to prepare it at home.
Broths and bases
Probably the most widespread version of
hot pot
is that of Chongqing: a beef fat broth with a large amount of chilies, Sichuan pepper and other spices such as star anise, black cardamom or licorice root.
Although the most current versions come from Chongqing, given that it was common to eat
hot pot
around the Yangtze River, it must be taken into account that it previously belonged to the province of Sichuan, so the culinary similarities are evident between one and the other (of That's why in many restaurants it is directly classified as
Sichuan
hot pot ).
Personally, this is my favorite style of broth and base, but there is a wide variety that I will summarize in flavor profiles.
Of course, the broth bases can be found in absolutely any Asian food store, in case you don't feel like preparing them from scratch.
Málà
:
a spicy profile that causes a certain tingling in the mouth due to the Sichuan pepper.
The most popular versions are those from Chongqing and Sichuan.
The spiciness level can always be adapted.
It contains a large amount of beef fat along with broth and spices.
A shortened version of its preparation requires chili peppers, Sichuan pepper, ginger, black cardamom, garlic, chives, sugar,
doubanjiang
, and beef or pork fat.
The broth is usually pork, chicken, beef or simply water (as a general rule, the soup is not consumed).
If you want to make it from scratch, here is a recipe.
Suan cai yu
(fish and sour vegetables):
a slightly more atypical profile without the power of spiciness and fat.
A broth is prepared with the bones and head of the fish until it has a creamy consistency and a whitish color.
The pickled vegetable of choice is usually
ya cai
or fresh fermented mustard (easily substituted for sauerkraut).
Chopped garlic, ginger, coriander and Sichuan pepper are added and boiling oil is poured over the top to activate the aromas.
To prepare it, you can start with any fish stock and add, once prepared, 200 grams of sauerkraut or pickled mustard, three cloves of chopped garlic, a piece of ginger, coriander to taste and a tablespoon of Sichuan pepper.
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Congee
:
In the city of Shunde, Guangzhou province, it is common to replace spicy broths with a simple congee, which is nothing more than a type of rice broth.
The idea, in principle, is to build the flavor of the congee as you cook the ingredients in it.
You can follow the instructions in this video which explains how to prepare a Cantonese congee: the only extra recommendation would be to replace the cooking water with chicken broth - thus avoiding the teaspoon of powder - and add a piece of crushed ginger about four centimeters.
Vegetarian
:
a tremendously common option, the most common are tomato broth and mushroom broth.
The first is nourished by fresh and sweet vegetables, along with some ingredients that provide acidity to give greater complexity.
The mushroom one, well prepared, is rich and has a large amount of
umami : the flavor comes mainly from dehydrated
shiitake
mushrooms
, and is usually combined with fresh ones so that they can be eaten as they absorb the broth.
To prepare a good vegetable broth, you have this recipe as a guide.
Few changes: add at least 12 dehydrated mushrooms and skip step six of reducing the broth.
If any ingredient is missing from the list, nothing happens (as long as it's not mushrooms and tomatoes, of course).
Citrus and
coconut
: in more tropical areas, such as Hunan,
hot pot
is prepared
with very refreshing, citrus and coconut broths.
The Thai versions also fit this profile: kaffir
lime leaf
,
galangal
, lemongrass, fish sauce, fresh chilies, lime juice and water or coconut milk for a much fresher and lighter result (I like to mix it with
málà
).
You can follow a tom yum
recipe
by replacing part of the water with broth, or directly prepare a
thom ka kai
(replacing, in both cases, the seafood).
Seasoning sauces
A peculiarity of
hot pot
is that each diner must create their own sauce to accompany the ingredients they cook: it is generally served in a small bowl and is based on the type of broth that is on the table.
The options are practically endless, and if you visit a
hot pot
restaurant , they usually have a large table with ingredients to prepare it yourself.
The most common options are these (they can be found with a few fewer ingredients, but the attraction is in trying the different options until you find the one you like the most):
Minced garlic, sesame oil, oyster sauce, cilantro, black rice vinegar, salt, and monosodium glutamate.
The most common option to accompany any broth.
Peanut and sesame sauce, chopped peanuts, toasted sesame, sesame oil, salt and black rice vinegar.
The best option to combat spiciness.
Chopped fresh chili peppers, chili powder, chopped peanuts, toasted sesame, Sichuan peppercorn oil, chili oil, soy sauce, black rice vinegar, salt and sugar.
For non-spicy broths.
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What do we put to cook?
Due to its humble origins, the variety of ingredients that have been used in
hot pot
is practically limitless.
In the past, consumers could not afford cuts of meat, so it was common to use offal, since it was much cheaper (today, organs such as intestine, stomach, brain or tongue can have higher prices than other organs). cuts).
A good hot pot table should currently have the following groups:
Meat:
very thin cuts of beef, lamb or pork, and thicker cuts previously marinated with egg and chili peppers that are easily found in the frozen section of Asian stores.
Vegetables
: bok choy, tomato, corn, spinach, pak choi, bean sprouts, lotus root, potato, etc.
Mushrooms:
needle mushrooms,
shiitake
,
shimeji
, wood ear, button mushrooms, etc.
Seafood and fish:
shrimp, squid, thin cuts of white fish, meatballs - they are also available in the frozen section of Asian stores -, etc.
Tofu:
fresh, fried, smoked, frozen tofu and in different presentations.
Offal:
cow stomach, duck intestine, duck tongue, cow tongue, lamb kidneys, duck or chicken gizzards, brain, pig aorta, etc.
Carbohydrates:
noodles of all kinds and
gyozas
, mainly.
How to prepare
hot pot
at home safely
Although everything is simpler when it is put in front of us, there is something special about gathering family and friends around a table and investing hours in conversations while eating at home.
Preparing
hot pot
at home is relatively simple, although it has a series of elements that you have to go out and look for.
A camping gas or a ceramic hob or similar portable is essential to keep the pot boiling all the time to cook the ingredients.
The choice of pot does not matter: as long as it is large, it is enough.
If it is a practice that you are going to make habitual, it is advisable to get one of the Chinese pots divided into two compartments to use two different types of broth.
It is not as difficult as it seemsAlfonso D. Martín
There is another thing we have to take into account: food safety.
We have a table full of dishes with raw meat, with a possible risk of cross contamination when picking up the meat with the same chopsticks that are used to eat and pick up other foods without as much risk, such as vegetables or carbohydrates.
These factors are already taken into account, as a general rule, in restaurants, and it is possible to correct them at home:
Meat is usually not taken from the refrigerator, but from the freezer.
The cuts are so thin that they defrost quickly or directly into the boiling soup.
We can replicate this practice by leaving the dishes for a minimum of an hour and a half, and removing them as they are consumed and not all at once.
Specific utensils must be used to pick up raw meat, and that these do not mix with the rest of the ingredients or with the already cooked food.
Having each group of ingredients have their own tweezers is the best option.
Cooking times for meat, fish and seafood must be respected.
Luckily, the cuts are usually so thin that the product is cooked in a matter of seconds, but you don't have to risk it: the heat must reach all parts of the ingredient equally.
If the soup is going to be consumed, we must keep in mind that we are continuously introducing raw ingredients into it: give it the necessary cooking time to eliminate possible risks.
By complying with these basic rules, we can safely consume
hot pot
at home.
Give some thought to what type of broth, seasonings and ingredients you want to prepare, or go to the nearest Asian supermarket to buy the base and the cuts already prepared if you don't want to work too much.
Call a few friends and approach it the same way you would gather around a barbecue;
to create a new ritual together, strengthen ties and spend hours sharing space, food and anecdotes: a small parenthesis from everyday life and the hardness of the days, with the people you care about.
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