Recipe #3: Mongolian Hot Pot

Hotpot is a prominent cooking method among Chinese, Mongolian, Korean and Taiwanese cuisines. It is prepared by simmering a pot of soup stock with the addition of thinly-sliced meat, mushrooms, tofu, vegetables etc.

It is an easy and quick dinner option. I make it quite frequently and sometimes skip the noodles if I feel like going low carb.

For guests: Works best if you have a portable induction cook top. Then you could have the hot pot in the middle of the table and set out the raw ingredients around the soup pot. It is really fun way to have a meal together from the same pot.

Preparation time: 5-10 mins
Cooking time for each ingredient varies. Bring the soup base to boil, then add various ingredients. Veggies usually take 3 mins, while meats take 5-6 mins and noodles around 3-5 mins.

Here are the common ingredients I use in preparing a hotpot meal.

Soup base

• Chicken stock or
• Soup stock ( I usually get this from the Korean store)

Spices and condiments (optional)

• Soy sauce
• Garlic
• Sesame oil 
• Chilli oil (I like to add a little garlic chilli sauce to my soup base to keep things interesting)

Meat

• Thinly sliced meats (lamb and chicken are my go-to options) - the meat has to be super thinly sliced for it to get cooked quickly. So I would not suggest this item for a home made hotpot (unless you have access t o a professional cut meat). 
• Prawns/ shrimp 
• Scallops
• Fish/ Shrimp balls (Frozen ones are available in H mart/ Korean markets)

Eggs

• Hard boiled egg - Add fully cooked egg into the soup to get the flavor of the soup (like a ramen)
• Open the egg into the boiling soup for a poached form. 

Noodles/ Rice (optional)

• Glass noodles (Sweet potato noodles are my favorite)
• Udon noodles (I've tried flavored udon noodles like tomato and spinach)
• Rice noodles (be careful not to over cook)
• Rice cake (frozen versions of it are available in the store) 

Vegetables (I've only tried these, but sure you can your style to it) 

• Bok Choy
• Cabbage
• Spinach
• Bean sprouts
• Cilantro
• Seaweed
• Scallions

Mushrooms (sliced, except for Enoki, of course)

• Enoki 
• Shitake
• Wood ear
• White / button mushrooms