Chinese Hot Pot at Home

Ingredients

• Hot pot soup base (with water) or stock
• baby bok choy ((thoroughly washed))
• napa cabbage ((washed, cut into 1-2 inch pieces))
• choy sum ((thoroughly washed))
• spinach ((thoroughly washed))
• pea tips ((thoroughly washed))
• watercress ((thoroughly washed))
• AA Choy/Cai ((washed, trimmed))
• Chrysanthemum Leaves ((washed, trimmed))
• lotus root ((cut into 1/4 inch thick half moons))
• potato ((cut into 1/4 inch thick half moons))
• sweet potato ((cut into 1/4 inch thick half moons))
• pumpkin/kabocha squash ((cut into 1/4 inch thick half moons))
• daikon radish ((cut into 1-inch chunks))
• tomatoes ((sliced into wedges))
• corn ((whole ears, cut into 1-inch pieces))
• winter melon ((cut into 1-inch chunks))
• Enoki mushrooms ((slice 1/2-1 inch of the base off, and separate the bundle of enoki’s into smaller more manageable bundles)
• Wood ears ((soak to reconstitute, rinse any dirt or sand off, and remove any woody ends))
• King mushrooms ((trim the ends, thinly slice))
• Shiitake mushrooms ((trim woody stems, slice, and add to the pot early))
• Oyster mushrooms ((thoroughly cleaned))
• Shimeji mushrooms ((separated into individual pieces))
• Beef ((brisket, short rib, ribeye, sirloin, flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain))
• Pork shoulder or loin ((thinly sliced))
• Pork belly ((thinly sliced))
• Lamb shoulder or leg ((thinly sliced))
• Boneless chicken breast or thighs ((thinly sliced))
• Fish fillets ((such as tilapia, bass, fluke/flounder, thinly sliced))
• Shrimp
• Scallops
• Squid or cuttlefish
• Beef balls
• Pork balls
• Fish balls
• Squid balls
• Mixed seafood balls
• Fish cakes
• Fish tofu
• Mung bean vermicelli ((soak in warm water for 10 minutes))
• Rice vermicelli ((boil to par-cook, rinse in cold water, drain))
• Thin fresh white noodles
• Fresh spinach noodles
• Shirataki noodles ((add directly to boiling broth, cooks in seconds))
• Rice cakes ((the thin ovals are best; the thick Korean-style rice cake logs take too long to cook))
• Frozen dumplings ((smaller is better; cook time 7-10 minutes))
• Bean threads ((AKA dried bean curd sticks; soak in warm water for 3-4 hours, cut into 2-inch pieces))
• Soy puffs ((left whole or cut in half))
• Frozen tofu ((cut into 1-inch pieces))
• Firm tofu ((cut into 1-inch pieces))
• Dried bean curd rolls
• Fresh tofu sheets/skin
• Pressed tofu
• Chinese sesame paste or sauce
• Peanut butter or peanut sauce
• Soy sauce
• Sha Cha sauce
• Sesame oil
• Sichuan peppercorn oil
• Chili oil/sauce
• Chili garlic sauce/sambal oelek
• Chinese black vinegar/rice vinegar
• White pepper
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Minced garlic
• Chopped scallions
• Chopped cilantro
• Fried shallots or garlic

Directions