How (and why) you should Hot Pot at home

You should be eating more hotpot, and you should be doing it at home.
I know hotpot is one of those cultural things that some of you might not "get". If that describes you, we want to try to make you a convert - it's a fun way to eat that takes an enormous amount of pressure off the cook. It's like... if you smashed together a 'one pot meal' and a 'cookout' in the best possible way.
We wanted to stay away the firey Sichuan style of hotpot - it's quite difficult thing to execute at home, and most people would just purchase a pre-made base if you want it (links to both Chef Wang Gang and the blog ChinaSichuanFood Sichuan hotpot recipes, in the pinned comment below). Instead, we wanted to talk about more 'general', not-spicy hotpots that can form a base for whatever hotpot you want to whip up.
EXAMPLE HOTPOT INGREDIENTS
You can find example menus at hotpot here:
www.zmenu.com/...
and here:
kirbiecravings...
1. Meats: Sliced beef, lamb, pork, fish. Poultry (cut into chunks).
2. Organ: duck tongue, intestine, beef tripe, liver, pork brain.
3. Meat products: Fresh pork/beef balls, spam, frozen meat balls, fish balls, quail eggs.
4. Tofu, tofu products, etc: firm tofu, frozen tofu, tofu puffs, tofu skins, seitan, konjac.
5. Seafood: clams, shrimp, squid, octopus.
6. Leafy veggies: water spinach, spinach, bak choy, napa cabbage, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower.
7. Root/hearty veg: sweet potato, potato, yam, Chinese yam, taro, jicama, cassava, corn, chestnut, gobo, daikon, carrot.
8. Mushroom/fungi: king oyster, oyster, porcini, enoki, chestnut, button, shiitake, wood ear, snow ear.
9. Kelp: sea lettuce, kombu.
10. Starch: noodles, rice noodles, rice cake.
INGREDIENTS, PORK BONE BASE
Pork bones (猪筒骨), 500g. We used the leg bone. It's best if the bone's got a touch of meat still on it. Ribs would also work fine.
Hot, boiled water, 2.5L
Ginger (姜), 2 inches, smashed.
Dacong a.k.a. welsh onion (大葱), ~2-3 two inch sections or 1/8 of a white onion.
Daikon Radish (萝卜), 500g. Peeled and cut into ~2 inch chunks.
Seasoning: 1/2 tbsp salt, 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder (鸡粉), optional 1/8 tsp white pepper powder (白胡椒粉).
PROCESS, PORK BONE BASE
1. Soak the pork in cool water for 30 minutes.
2. Move to a pot of cool water, cover, and over a high flame bring to a boil. Boil for ~2 minutes, then remove.
3. Give the pork a quick rinse under running water.
4. Fry the pork bones in ~1/2 tbsp of oil until lightly browned, ~2-3 minutes. Add in the hot, boiled water, the ginger, and the onion. Bring to a boil, then down to a simmer. Cover, simmer on low for at least ~1 hour.
5. Add in the daikon, then cover it back up. Simmer for one hour more.
6. Season, then move over to your table.
INGREDIENTS, GUIYANG PICKLED GREENS & BEANS HOTPOT
Dried lima beans (芸豆) or kidney beans (腰豆), 120g.
Pork belly (五花肉), 200g
Soy sauce to marinate the pork belly, 1 tsp.
Aromatics: 3 cloves garlic, ~2 inches ginger (姜). Both minced.
Suancai, Chinese pickled mustard greens (酸菜), 150g. Minced.
Stock, 4 cups; Bean cooking liquid, 2 cups.
Corn, 1 ear. Cut into ~four pieces.
Tomato, 1. Cut into slices.
Green garlic (蒜苗) or scallion (葱), 2 sprigs. Cut into one inch sections.
Seasoning [skip if your stock is already seasoned]: 1/2 tbsp salt, 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder (鸡粉)
Note - if your stock is already seasoned (e.g. if you were using the broth above) do not season twice.
PROCESS, GUIYANG PICKLED GREENS & BEANS HOTPOT
1. Rinse your dried beans, and soak in the fridge overnight.
2. Add your beans to 2 liters of boiling water. Cover, and cook on medium low for ~2 hours, or until the beans are soft enough to mash.
3. Remove the beans. Reserve half, then take the other half of the beans and mash them. Reserve two cups of the bean cooking liquid.
4. Medium flame, fry the pork belly for ~5 minutes, or until it's browned and's started to release some lard. Remove, reserve.
5. Flame still on medium, fry the garlic/ginger in the rendered fat until fragrant, ~30 seconds. Then add the minced suancai pickled greens, and fry for another minute until fragrant. Then add in the minced beans and fry for one minute more. Remove and reserve.
6. Add the 2 cups bean liquid and 4 cups stock. Mix in the mashed bean mix from step 5 together with the remaining beans. Bring to a boil.
7. Season, skim, add in the corn, fried pork belly, tomato, and green garlic.
Footage:
Mark Wiens' shabu shabu video: • Japanese Sukiyaki - IN...
Wang Gang's family meal: • 儿子满百天，一家人围满一桌吃饭庆祝，幸福莫过...
Food Ranger's fly restaurant video: • Eating Pig Brain and Y...
And check out our Patreon if you'd like to support the project!
/ chinesecookingdemystified
Outro Music: คิดถึงคุณจัง by ธานินทร์ อินทรเทพ
Found via My Analog Journal (great channel): • Live Stream: Favourite...

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Hey guys, a few notes: 1. I wanted to quickly touch on Dunlop’s views on hotpot, because I definitely took what she said out of context. If you read the breadth of her work, she’s got pretty nuanced opinions - while hotpot wasn’t love at first bite for her, she definitely grew to love it. She’s talking about more the trend of restaurants being replaced by hotpot restaurants for economic reasons, which’s definitely a phenomenon. 2. Everything that I said about why hotpot makes sense to feed a crowd means that it’s also quite a bit easier to execute from a business perspective. Instead of having a vast menu, the restauranteur can focus solely on making a great hotpot base, which can keep well. In an age where rents are quickly skyrocketing in big cities, those economic factors can make a difference. So in some ways, I can understand where Dunlop and even Lam are coming from. That said, I think it’d make a lot more sense to focus on the underlying economic factors hurting the F&B industry (globally, I might add!), rather than placing the blame on hotpot itself. 3. So right. Spicy, Sichuan-style hotpot base. A while back, I (Chris) was really into trying to make a video on it, because early on in this channel there wasn’t any good resources on hot to make Sichuan hotpot in English. Then ChinaSichuanFood dropped her recipe here: www.chinasichuanfood.com/soup-base-for-hot-pot/ Pretty great stuff, but I thought “hmm… we can still get closer to that Chongqing flavor”… then Wang Gang dropped his kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGXUiqGOo8ugZrM Which pretty much took out… all the wind in my sails haha. Both recipes are great - if you’re interesting in making your own Sichuan hotpot base, those would be our recommendations. But because making Sichuan hotpot base is just *so* intense, it was difficult to find motivation to do that sort of video lol. 4. Here in China, we can find some outstanding Sichuan hotpot bases on Taobao from small workshops. I think this’s the most realistic way to make a great Sichuan hotpot at home. Haidilao’s - the brand we mention in the video - packaged base isn’t quite at that level, but is definitely good enough to get that flavor. If you like, you can add a bit more base/more chilis/some green Sichuan peppercorns to theirs in order to amp up the flavor a bit. 5. I was looking at the prices of Haidilao in the USA… good god, about $50 a head? Maybe I’m cheap, but uh… they do sell their base on Amazon lol. 6. A couple mea culpas. 0:32 - that's sukiyaki, not shabu shabu. 0:34 - that's mu kratha, not suki. Basically, it's always a bit difficult to find usable footage online, and I... just opted for tangential stuff instead of visuals for the exact thing I was looking for. In hindsight, I probably should've added a note in the video, or even re-done the narration. But, I was lazy. So really, my bad. 7. For the pickled greens & beans hotpot, *the* way to eat it is that once it begins to boil down and thicken, spoon some of the soup and beans over white rice. Awesome. 8. A few other dipping sauces: - Roasted chili flakes. Get some dry chili, toast it in a dry wok till has a chestnut color, pound it into powder or tiny flakes, mix it with Sichuan peppercorn powder, salt, soy sauce, MSG, minced ginger, garlic, scallion, then add some soup from the hotpot. - Another choice - use the Guizhou fermented chili paste we showed before (kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXa3oIiXq79lq6M )... add in garlic, scallion, cilantro, zhe'ergen (fish wort root), then add some soup from the hotpot. - You can use either of the above two for the pickled greens & beans pot. Some other possible additions: douchi (fermented soy bean), furu (fermented tofu), edible litsea (may chang) oil, minced celery, green garlic, etc. - To go along with the northern style lamb hotpot, the classic dipping sauce is sesame sauce. Mix some toasted sesame paste, furu fermented tofu, and Chinese chive blossom sauce (the brand Wang Zhihe should be available overseas). On top of that, you can add in sugar, soy sauce, shrimp oil/fish sauce, MSG, vinegar, chili oil, chili flakes, toasted sesame, toasted and/or crushed peanut for extra flavor. - For a beef hotpot, Teochew style shacha sauce is aweomse. Mix Teochow style shacha sauce, hoisin sauce, garlic, cilantro. - Besides those, at the risk of over-simplifying... here’s a 'formula' of sorts for you to play around and create your own: sauces (soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame, hoisin, Laoganma, furu fermented tofu, douchi fermented soybean…) + aromatics and herbs (garlic, ginger, scallion, cilantro, Chinese celery…) + chili (dry, fresh, toasted or not…) + spice powder (Sichuan peppercorn, cumin, black/white pepper) + nuts (toasted and crushed sesame or peanut) .

[@jenny0820-upup]

Haidilao is also around 50$/head here in Japan, the dipping sauce is great and has great variety, but still :p

[@tazman572]

I see that you had to explain a few times about the dinner photo. I think that the people asking about it are just rude and ignorant. You have the right to be with and marry who you want. All the couple's look very happy. Just wondering what made you go to China in the first place, what made you stay and how hard and how long did it take to become fluent in the language.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

​@@tazman572 Eh, it's complicated, I feel. Like, go back to some old tiki bar adverts and whatnot... you'll see that there's a pretty sordid history of some, frankly, creepy ways that American culture has fetishized Asian women. And while we've come a long way from the 40s/50s... if you look at the American media environment, there's still an tangibly loud echo from that time. Check out this NYT op-ed from Eddie Huang www.nytimes.com/2017/01/14/opinion/sunday/hey-steve-harvey-who-says-i-might-not-steal-your-girl.html or more tangentially this video from Accented Cinema kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqTUepWfqNmYhbM as to why that picture with us & some of our friends might raise some eyebrows. A random person on KZbin doesn't necessarily know us, or the context of that photo (FWIW, a Thanksgiving celebration with some close old friends who're also long term expats... and the only nice picture I had on hand of us eating hotpot with a crowd of friends - we don't take many selfies). But they *definitely* know the media environment they grew up with. In any event, maybe one day I'll make a whole unlisted "why I came to China" video lol, but the short answer is that I came because I thought it was going to be some sort of awesome idea for a business career (narrator: "it wasn't"). But I stayed because I... like the place. I've got a lot of close friends here. I like the fact that I can live downtown in an interesting urban environment without paying 50% of my salary in rent. I like living in a different culture, and if you're someone that's fascinated with food, what better place is there than China? I like traveling around here. I like being able to walk to the market every morning, and shooting the shit with my shrimp vendor. I like being able to grab some shaokao at night and sit on a little stool with friends trading rounds of tsingtaos. I like living abroad, somewhere different from where I grew up. I don't think I could go back. Re the language, I kinda suck at language haha and my Mandarin should probably be better than where it is after 12 years. I'm at around a CEFR B2/C1 level... which means that if I were showing you around our city here you'd definitely conceptualize me as 'fluent', but if you were born here you definitely *wouldn't* conceptualize me as fluent lol.

[@Boyetto-san]

It's like how here in the Philippines, cheap budget Korean BBQ places were basically taking over everything until the pandemic hit. And the kind of KBBQ here is basically ultra budget low-brow grill-all-you-can that uses just super thin sliced pork belly and beef belly with different marinades, rather than proper nuanced KBBQ. So even as an Asian, I totally get the critiques of hotpot restaurants from that economic standpoint. I always mostly saw these types of cook-it-yourself on the table dining to be more of a social event with friends and family where you're sure to end up with a full belly, rather than a refined culinary endeavor. There are definitely some great ways to elevate or make more authentic these kinds of meals, but from where I come from, most people here just care about the vibe of the whole thing rather than the food itself.

[@UhlanPasta]

Thanks for covering the Guizhou style base! As it's getting cold, I get hot pot once a week with my gf. Recently we got tired of the beef fat based stuff and I've been making non-spicy lamb or fish base. I want to share a dip I use for clear soup bases: One piece of fermented tofu (腐乳), hand grinded chili powder (糊辣椒), then the usual condiments: salt, a little sugar, bullion powder, aromatics etc. I'll add in some soup base to bolster volume and nothing else. Give it a try!

[@jeremyruhland6645]

In college about a dozen of us would chip in $5-10 each for ingredients and we'd set up 2 or 3 electric pots around a couple tables. We'd cycle between eating and studying long into the night and there'd usually be a leftovers session the next day. Cooking and eating together really led to a lot of camaraderie and community support in my major that kept people going after those 16 hour days in the lab.

[@nataliefields9009]

Awwww love this

[@msjkramey]

Sounds like my own college years, except I didn't know about hot pot yet. We would have massive BYOB study sessions where we would vote on a meal. I would make a shopping list and my friends would bring all the ingredients. I didn't pay because I did all the prep and cooking and I had no money. We'd do the same for game/movie nights. I also would give cooking lessons to my more sheltered/privileged friends, especially right before they were trying to impress a date lol. Those were some of the happiest days of my life. Good food, good company, learning, games, teaching. I barely cook anymore and can't see anyone because of lockdown and I miss it so, so much

[@hannah-vv9ru]

my brother said he did something like this his freshman year, not exactly the same but the same idea

[@ems7623]

What a great idea.

[@AronFigaro]

@Thea S Probably medicine, or they were spending enough time smoking grass and eating hotpot that engineering added up to 16 hours ;)

[@manmansikla]

for all the vegetarian/ vegan out there: the broth can be as simple as just use water with corn , daikon radish, tomato, shiitake mushroom with some ginger for flavour. My mom is a vegetarian and we eat this all the time in winter.

[@atsukorichards1675]

You can use Miso and water with the plant based Dashi.

[@Tenshi6Tantou6Rei]

other fun options 1) green curry paste, veggie stock and coconut milk 2) reconsituted shiitake mushrooms (use more than you think you need, you can thin it out later), water, black bean garlic paste for dipping fodder the sky's the limit, anything you can/will eat can go in lol, go wild and don't be limited by foods you think will remain solid once it enters to soup (for example one of my mom's favorites is cracking a raw egg right into the broth and poaching it in a ladle, one of my cousins is I-shit-you-not slices of fucking deli cheese, you would think they would melt and break apart in the broth but he fishes them out when they're just kind of stretchy and the first time I saw it I was like "bruh who raised you!" but he was on to something I guess).

[@rayelgatubelo]

Doenjang might be good too, for Korean fans

[@2GoatsInATrenchCoat]

THANK YOU. I've been wanting to try hot pot for the longest time, but every recipe includes bones and meat in the broth, and I didn't know how to get authentic flavor without using meat. I didn't just want to throw in some generic vegetable broth from the grocery store and call it hot pot.

[@gypsyzz]

@@2GoatsInATrenchCoat some dacong (shallot?) (as in the ones in pork bones), shitake mushrooms, or other stuff that gives umami is totally fine. Though kombu is said to give slimy texture after cooking for too long so maybe just soak that instead of boiling it.

[@EthanChlebowski]

I conveniently just ordered a portable burner for a different purpose and this video just popped up. I've got options, baby. Thanks for the teach!

[@ThrobbiusMaximus]

cant wait to see the tutorial on how to make a hotpot in just 26 minutes

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Oh nice, what brand/model you end up picking up?

[@tusharkakshapati7610]

Korean bbq under 10 mins?

[@rexiioper6920]

V good to see u here.

[@EthanChlebowski]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified Just a little butane stove from Gas one (10,000 btus) on Amazon. Should work well enough!

[@laurarodgers7450]

I was surprised to hear there was so much negativity about hotpot, i love it so much! I’m a picky eater, texture wise, so hotpot is perfect for me - the ingredients other people add flavour the broth but I’m not obligated to deal with the textures. By the end of the meal the broth is so fantastic you want to keep eating long past when you should stop! It might not be too choice for an elegant meal in your finest clothes (I always drip broth on myself from trying to eat too hot noodles) but it’s one of the best ways to share a truly delicious meal with friends that I can think of.

[@doc8125]

Hotpots are my favorite type of food ever. Best meal I ever had was a nabe dinner with my class and a bunch of locals in a super small rural village in Japan, using basic as fuck cheap ingredients and store bought dashi stock. The experience of just sitting there, talking, laughing and having fun like we had known each other a lifetime when I had only known my classmates half a year and the Japanese people for only 6 hours was truly magical, the food did not need to be the highest quality A5 beef, or be made by some chef that has 50 years of experience, it collected us all and made us feel like a family like no other meal could

[@atsukorichards1675]

Well said!

[@voltgaming2213]

doc8125 yea I can agree with that but I have never experienced rural Japan completely like you did

[@panda-phat]

This is a really nice story. Thank you for sharing :)

[@Kavino]

Interestingly enough, I was reading Chua Lam's earlier books (written around 20 years ago) and he was not critical of hot pot at all. Knowing him he was probably unhappy at how eating hotpot has become a much more common place thing around all seasons in China rather than a winter thing.

[@tbdlater5690]

My dipping sauce: Sesame sauce, sha cha sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, black vinegar, and something chile based for heat. Finish with some green onion and cilantro

[@crazygambler920]

Bro.. not to be nasty. that combination will give me the runs 9 out of 10 times. LOL

[@Shuggies]

@@crazygambler920 hahaha

[@Shuggies]

@JB JG I need to know more about this Chilli Crunch... never heard of it....

[@tbdlater5690]

@@crazygambler920 that sounds like a personal malfunction, not a reflection on the sauce.

[@crazygambler920]

@@tbdlater5690 For sure.....

[@internetshaquille]

hot pot at home is a mf delight. salute

[@jrhermosura4600]

you should get more likes because you write with all small letters

[@liquicitizendirk2147]

The man the myth the legend, big shoutout to you Shaquille.

[@isaacneal7731]

Unexpected crossovers

[@firstnamelastname5596]

God damn man, you appear like an apparition on every single great cooking channel

[@debrisplease]

Shaq on point on the regular

[@bani_niba]

Family-style eating is very much a big part of East-Asian culture. Hot Pot is a great example of that family together-ness.

[@voltgaming2213]

Bani Niba bbq too

[@AntimatePcCustom]

Here in Denmark we have a big drinking culture because it's one of the few places we can relax with friends. But a prolonged visit in china and countless hot pots i have wished it was more easy for people to get together around a hotpot. Spread this culture as far as you guys can!

[@ChoochooseU]

The last hotpot base you made with the beans, pork, broth & pickled greens - I could literally taste how good that one must be even though I’ve never had it! It’s identical to the flavour combination I enjoy as a southern specialty- pinto beans cooked with pork and I love to eat them with a bowl of greens and I add vinegar to my greens - and love cornbread to mix in! I also usually would have this during garden harvest time with fresh boiled corn and sliced tomatoes ! I have felt this way before when it comes to many of the Yunan foods I’ve seen made, very similar to southern USA cooking I’m accustomed to.

[@foome36]

I would argue these ideas behind eating also exist in cultures outside of asia. In Switzerland, for instance, they have raclette and cheese fondue. For the fondue you dip bread, meat, or whatever you want into molten cheese refined with white wine. The raclette is a hot plate allowing everyone to fry their favorite foods and the possibility place small pans underneath where you can bake and gratinate your individual portions. We do this for Christmas every year and it's just such a easy option to prolong the time spent eating and chatting while allowing Fall freedom of who wants what. I'll definetly check out hot pot dishes!

[@BriarLeaf00]

If you like fondue you'll love hotpot. I enjoy both at home with the family but I find hotpot more conducive to a complete meal as well as the bases and sauces giving a very wide range of flavor options. But I still absolutely love a good fondue. Honestly, anything that slows the meal down and allows for greater social interaction automatically takes the meal to the next level, whether it be fondue, hotpot, barbecue etc., imho.

[@joshuae9404]

Swiss meat fondue literally is hotpot. For meat fondue my family uses a chicken broth. Then you boil meat in that broth, exactly the same way you'd know it from hotpot. And lastly we dip the meat in a dip (of which there are a variety). Actually, you can even use grill sauces as a dip for a meal like this. I'm sure garlic sauce would work just fine if you don't feel like going through the effort of preparing dips on your own.

[@dropslemon]

I've been looking into trying hot pot a lot recently and actually saw a tip that if you have an instant pot, you can use that as your burner and your pot! Instant pots have a saute function you can turn on to keep that heat going.

[@laurarodgers7450]

I love how hotpot brings people together around a common meal. People are willing to try foods they would never go for in any other context when they pull it out of the bubbly broth and the steam makes it smell so good! I have brought many very picky friends out for hotpot, who normally wouldn’t eat tofu or most vegetables and they always get caught up in the fun and stuff themselves!

[@DharkDemonBlade]

Look I'm Taiwanese, soup and especially hot pot, is almost like a religion to us. In fact even in the humid summers in Asia or summers here in the States, I still cook hotpot to eat because it's that good.

[@xx-yd5mm]

I agree! Sometimes you just gotta sweat and eat hot pot outside when it's summer. I don't think it's lazy if you don't want to make 100 hour brownies. If it tastes good and is healthy, something fast is just as good. We measure taste not time!

[@aleksmoylan8251]

Thumbs up for the Stef episode! Don't worry about not being able to cover everything about hotpot, we'll happily watch many more episodes. Show us all the best bases and ingredients. We need to know

[@alejandracabrera2160]

Steph's English has really improved ☺️ I'm happy her effort in learning is paying off 💕.

[@ghjong001]

I've actually never had it in a restaurant - and, truthfully, really don't want to. It's my family's Thanksgiving tradition, and I think I will always associate the holidays with it for the rest of my life. I never made the connection until you compared it to a backyard cookout, but that is exactly right. Hot pot is delicious, but to me, it's all about gathering your family and eating together on a cold winter night.

[@GrowingwithAnastasia]

I know im a year late but, to be fair, 90% of the “hot pot” restaurants I have been to are terrible. I got spoiled because the first one I went to was amazing. So unless you know of a REALLY good one, there’s no reason to go out for it.

[@janner2006]

"Hotpot is a cooking method totally lacking cultural significance. You just throw some ingredients into a pot. I don't get what's delicious about it." Uhhh, if you take the delicious broth, fresh produce, the seasonality and communal aspect out of the equation then yeah, I can see why dumping some fresh ingredients into boiling water would be boring.

[@mathewwoolhouse7895]

I agree, the comment seemed pretty ignorant.

[@popkoala12]

They've must been pretty lonely critics to enjoy this food which relays in company for it to be tasty and comforting.

[@Koenigg99]

That guy that said that (Chua Lam) is super anal about food and frankly thinks too highly of himself. If you go and watch the old Iron Chef episodes where he's a judge (I'm talking the TV Tokyo Iron Chef series), he never has anything good to say about the food and just spouts random nonsense to make himself look smart. Take what that guy says with a giant pinch of salt.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

@@Koenigg99 Agree. When I (Steph) was writing the script, I originally wrote him as a "famous (and overrated) food critics". He rode on the early trends of food personality on Chinese language TV and thus somehow became "THE" person to talk about food. But if you read his books and the shit he writes online and such, he's not as great as his fame claims. Also I hate him because he's a misogynistic chauvinist.

[@Koenigg99]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung.....tons of male HK celebrities in that era were very misogynistic and treated women terribly, not surprised that Chua Lam was the same.

[@danielcordero901]

For the dipping sauce I really like: - Finely chopped garlic - Laoganma - Finely chopped parsley - I don't know the commercial name, but it is a paste made from sesame and peanut. Put all of that into a bowl, mix and use it as a dipping sauce

[@houghwhite411]

Sesame and peanut? Did you mean toasted sesame? Tastes like heaven

[@danielcordero901]

@@houghwhite411 No, there's actually a sesame and peanut paste. I'll give you the name when I see it again.

[@jfatsnorlax]

my favourite sauce: Light soy, touch of vinegar, sesame oil, chopped garlic, chopped chilli, chopped cilantro Works great with lighter broths

[@jessezong2507]

Perfect timing, had hotpot with my family last night. Would 10/10 recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it, I have trouble explaining it but it is truly something special.

[@TheAckiboo]

Dipping sauce my family eats is shacha sauce, whole egg or egg yolk, green onion and a touch of black vinegar and sugar. Also some chillies if you want heat. Love the video, you're both awesome!

[@kirsten9729]

Yes! Raw egg life lol. Took a while to convert me but I do love it now.

[@Shuggies]

Soo many new sauce recipies here in comments. Idk where to start. I want to try them all.. 🥰👌

[@KevinAllOver]

The communal hot pot thing is no joke. Got a couple of broth packets, some sliced meat and veg from the Chinese grocery store and we were all over-stuffed by the end of it. My divided pot and portable induction cooktop were a sound investment.

[@americaneclectic]

My mother in law taught me Manchurian style hot pot. Sour cabbage added at end.

[@zsusugioro6506]

With pork belly! Traditional Manchurian hot pot❤

[@Magius61]

Here’s a different perspective. Hot pot is super approachable and a good way to get people initiated into new flavour spectrums because they choose which ingredients to try one at a time.

[@devilpudding8613]

Eating shabu shabu in okinawa for the First time is a live changing experience... My friends cant understand why this Type of food is supposed to be so delicious (from EU) so i told them to cook for dinner after the pandemic allows it again... Right in time with the Video! Love it

[@carlcouture1023]

I'm happy to see Steph giving us the recipe portion. You're both great at this. Best wishes!

[@GordonGordon]

Man. Started doing this during quarantine. Totally brought the mood up

[@georginarichardson6570]

But like, just for yourself or the people you're isolating with, right? Not passing judgement - this video truly has me second guessing everything I understand about sharing food with people during a pandemic. "wait, is hot pot like the social gathering loop hole and im just finding out now?"

[@GordonGordon]

@@georginarichardson6570 naw. Just people I'm isolating with.

[@AronFigaro]

Makes sense to me. The arguments against hotpot are entirely against restaurant hotpot, because really...hotpot isn't a restaurant food. It's something you do with your family when you don't feel like taking a ton of time to cook before sitting down and enjoying company. It's totally perfect for that.

[@ryotanada]

4:04 she just seamlessly pets him without looking away lol

[@tylersasaki2935]

I was searching for this exact video from the two of you earlier today. What great timing! Because we won't be seeing extended family this year for Thanksgiving, we decided on making hot pot for the four of us. I think I'm going to use turkey wings and thighs in place of pork bones in the base for a thanksgiving flair. I love your commentary and how you consider the politics of food in your uploads. Keep up the great work!

[@superuby]

Did you read my mind? I was just having this conversation with my partner a few days ago, and now here is this new video. Thank you!

[@popoya2297]

When I was in Japan and shared a guesthouse with lots of other foreign students and workers, there was this guy who, by that point, had already lived in China for 5 years or so and was very interested in both korean and japanese culture. Korean cuisine was especially his favourite, so he would sometimes call me and other housemates for a kimchi hot pot dinner. Those dinners are among the best meals I had in that house (even though I'm not very good with spicy things).

[@krishnasreenivasan8522]

Last time I was this early, Chris hadn't even longyau'd yet

[@FutureSight01]

Did they get their wok piping hot and shut off the burner?

[@krishnasreenivasan8522]

@@FutureSight01 They were just about to!

[@-----REDACTED-----]

K-bbq, and hot pot are an absolute delight in winter...and the rest of the year, too. But especially so in winter...

[@amberlewis012]

I swear these foods taste so good all year. I get that it's a winter thing, but Jesus Christ.

[@UdonNoodles24]

As someone who grew up helping Mama prepare hotpot feasts and who has prepared a lot myself, there IS a lot of work for the chef! Lots of washing, chopping, and prep. But it's worth it because hotpot is a lot of fun! Nothing better than a cold beer and a hotpot dinner. Thanks for the video.

[@PinkIllimani]

Seeing Chinese Cooking Demystified and chef Wang Gang in the same video is too much, my heart is pounding!

[@elaineakamian6520]

Bless you for this video. I learned to love hotpot from a couple of good friends who grew up in China. I can never get enough, especially when it's cold and rainy out. We used to have hotpot parties with friends until COVID-19. My favorite dipping sauce to make is sesame paste, chopped garlic, cilantro, green onion, ginger, and laoganma or chili oil. Yum!!

[@liyinliang]

Fav base, coconut green curry or soymilk miso mmm~ I just had hot pot this weekend but now im in the mood for more hot pot

[@Zephrotet]

I love y'all so much, you somehow do anthropological work alongside excellent cooking tutorials and it's phenomenal

[@YindiOfficial]

I really love having you both present dishes and videos. it's a nice dynamic. Also THANK YOU both for all these videos, I've learned so much over the years from it and that is truly invaluable.

[@Jonic_P]

As a broke college student with other broke friends, if it wasn't a potluck party, it was a hot pot party!!! Everyone bringing a little something to add to the mix (as well as alcohol) or bringing in their portable burner helped keep things cheap and easy to organize. Having them spread out across the room or even house also made it easier to socialize and helped keep each pot cooking something different

[@vinzegcs]

Adding celery, carrots, and onions into the stock does wonders as well.

[@DefconDelta88]

I love hot pot for the same reason I love Korean bbq: its a departure from the typical western style approach to communal eating. Its fun, it's tasty, it's easy on the wallet if you go out. It's also such a versatile way to do food!

[@temporamen]

As a Chinese American, hot pot at home holds a lot of memories of good times for me. It's something I recommend to every person to try, and it's not too hard to setup something simple.

[@MyBoomStick1]

This will forever be in my top 10 favorite KZbin channels! Ive never failed to be interested in these Videos!

[@Fapple]

Whoever said hot pot isn’t culturally significant probably didn’t belong to that culture.

[@Anyutaak]

the crazy thing is that Chua Lam IS Chinese. he's devoted his life to food--writing about it, talking about it on tv. it must be elitism or something, because i can't wrap my mind around why he'd dismiss hotpot of all things! when it has a long history in Chinese culture? weird

[@teasea546]

@@Anyutaak Well, perhaps it’s regional bias (him being from Hong Kong, I don’t think hot pot is of native to Cantonese cuisine) plus snobbery. Edit: I just looked up, and hot pot *is* part of Cantonese food culture. Now it just seems like pure snobbery.

[@rayelgatubelo]

Yeah, I mean, to brush off hot pot from Chinese culture you'd have to overlook the fact that Mongolian soldiers were cooking up hot pot in their helmets while they were establishing control over China.

[@WokOverEasy]

@@teasea546 I’m in Hong Kong and we even have hot pot at fast food restaurants like cafe de coral. It’s a big thing since they are always out of it if I arrive late. They just don’t prefer a spicy base.

[@HaraceHavoc]

@@Anyutaak I read up a little on Chua Lam's opinion on it and he specifically was referring to hot pot in regards to how it advances culinary culture, not it's cultural significance in general. He posits that the popularity of hot pot places leads to a saturation and overrepresentation in hot pot restaurants. Cooks and chefs which could be advancing high cuisine are instead working in restaurants which historically were catered to the masses. It leads to the stagnation of food culture since it doesn't challenge cooks and chefs to advance cooking techniques or their creativity in dishes. From his point of view, hot pot isn't this revolutionary thing in terms of cooking when compared to more advanced techniques since it's meant to be doable to the common person.

[@primeribviking3688]

We adopted hotpot a year ago and have it on Thursdays. We love it because its a great way to sit down eat and interact as a family. While we dont have a huge variety of ingredients as we are very rural, we have cone up with mix ins we really like. My kids like hotdogs cut to look like octopus and we melt string cheese and eat it gooey.

[@emmythemac]

Me watching Chris behind the wok while Steph tells me to longyau: IT'S OPPOSITE DAY BITCHES Seriously, though, I love that you guys are experimenting a bit. Hearing Steph's explanation and pronunciation is especially nice. And I so appreciate all the research that went into this very broad topic. It's a bit like, to repurpose the metaphor, if someone was to give you a guide on how to have a fun grill cookout. I've only had hotpot once, with some knowledgable friends who did the two-sided spicy/non-spicy broth, and it like...changed my life. So much fun, so chill. We were even pulling noodles by hand to add, it was just a blast.

[@kookverslaving]

Awesomely produced video, quality of photo sequences and videos to illustrate everything was very neatly done. Also I loved Steph's foreground role in this one. Brilliantly done, even better than the last one. It took me till the half of the video to realise it was Steph doing the narration* (which occurred when she listed the ingredients in the same and with the same words as Chris. This is something I now see how much I appreciate: by having an intuitive feel to the structural way of explaining your recipe, keeping track of the listed ingredients becomes easier. Last note, I cannot express how grateful I am to the both of you, offering a source on food, its history, and cultural significance. IT. IS AMAZING. For months, I have been reading, learning, and eating Chinese food culture, to the point saying I am obsessed with it is not exaggerated. *To be clear, I am saying this from the thought that "not noticing change" connotes positivity. It was different, but as good in delivery the information and message

[@TheHeraldOfChange]

Great Vid. I've always preferred the genuine, "Little Sheep" chain of hotpot restaurants, and their bases, like what you showed, are available in many supermarkets (in China). However, the one flaw I've found with almost all hotpot restaurants is that you cannot get a whole, raw egg so I bring my own and boil it in the soup pot to eat with the potatoes later into the dinner. 😁

[@cohlinn]

Hotpot or steamboat is our family's CNY eve reunion dinner tradition. It is definitely communal event and everyone pick whatever they like. Our broth is simple pork bone based with chinese cabbage and garlic oil. And the broth flavours change and evolve over the course of the meal as the other ingredients are added and eaten. The final soup at the end is so flavourful with seafoods and vegetables and meats, it's a perfect ending to the meal. We can go through 5 refills of the broth for a 10-person meal.

[@sukimit20]

I love that the comments section is filled with hotpot suggestions! Just shows the variety and flexibility of hotpot. Please keep the suggestions for dipping sauces flowing, hoping to get some new ideas to try out for my next hotpot!

[@Stephanie-uy6vo]

I wish I could share a pic of my hotpot masterpieces. I love them! We like to serve steamed buns and dumplings along with our veggies!

[@tommihommi1]

>Communal eating 2020: We don't do that here

[@vaylonkenadell]

Yeah, why the fuck is anyone trying to encourage communal eating during the pandemic?

[@tommihommi1]

@@vaylonkenadell in china the pandemic is pretty much over

[@davidy22]

@@akoyash9964 you don't have to be American to not want to encourage behaviour that can spread covid while we still don't have a vaccine, this is how we get waves 2 and 3

[@calrm00]

They’re specifically encouraging ppl to do hotpot at home (instead of going out), aka doing it with people you’re sharing 24hr a day already anyway

[@eofalassion]

You can, just use a separate pair of utensils when taking the food out of the pot.

[@NathanSibs]

Fun fact, you don't need to buy a burner for hot pot if you already have an instant pot or similar device. The "saute" setting still heats the pot but doesn't scream at you when the lid is off (the opposite happens actually). Start on the highest saute setting to get the broth boiling then reduce to medium for most of the meal.

[@ckcssh]

Nobody spoke of dipping sauces ... My favorite has to involve lao gan ma, the crisp version. Mixed with this peanut sauce, not the thick kind, it's slightly watery but lends a creamy base. A smidge of leek flower sauce, then soy+oyster sauce, cut chillies, minced garlic. On occasion, toasted sesame oil, shacha sauce and deep fried peanuts/soybeans but totes optional.

[@Cheeno_Clips]

I believe you’re referring to “Shacha sauce” :)

[@kalemacpherson2270]

The algorithm brought me here. I am not disappointed at all. Very informative and opened me up to a culinary adventure

[@JohnDoe-me6vm]

I have hot pot for breakfast when I'm away from home too long. During my break in between my studies, I go back to Hong Kong and enjoy a hot pot spree.

[@joeshapiro8365]

To the critics of hotpot.... who hurt you lol. There can be food that people enjoy that isnt super technical or traditional or historical lol. Hot pot is delicious and millions of people like it. Maybe even billions lol. Can people just like food without having fancy food writers and chefs tell them its okay? Loved the video.

[@DanielJoyce]

Hotpot/nabemono and other such dishes are delicious, fast to prep, and healthy. Looking forward to 🍢 oden and hot mustard.

[@aleksmoylan8251]

This is my all time favourite of yours. I always come back to remind myself how to make the pork bone soup.

[@Tobaman111]

Hey, long-time admirer. I’m always interested in hearing vegetarian versions of your recipes. What would you add or substitute?

[@GaelissFelin]

agreed! i assume you can make a nice mushroom broth from bouillon and not add meat, maybe use seitan instead, but would love to know if there's any recipes for fresh broth!!!

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

We’ve got a vegetarian stock on this channel :) Use that one, season it a bit more aggressively with salt and MSG. The soy sauce chili dipping sauce would be nice there I think.

[@doc8125]

I'd recommend a Japanese hot pot recipe for that! Go make a Japanese vegan Dashi (put dried shitake and kombu in a pot overnight, heat it gently up for 15 min before taking out the kombu and dashi and using it). Could always go with flavoring it with soy sauce, miso ect

[@meowmeowm30w]

after not doing hot pot for about 4-5 years, maybe longer, our family decided to finally do hot pot again for my dad's birthday. And now that my birthday is approaching we are probably going to have hotpot again :3 oh how i missed hotpot so much

[@kirsten9729]

Hot pot is a Christmas dinner tradition at my house and for the next three nights after. It gets better with age! 😅

[@nn6404]

Imagine being against hot pot lmao.

[@lady8jane]

Especially with the argument that you have to cook your own food! It's not like we have things like raclette or fondue in the West here you do the exact same thing ... smh

[@haruzanfuucha]

Some Chinese chefs hate it because people who run hot pot restaurants don’t need any culinary skills to operate them. They fear that hot pot restaurants will destroy the diversity of the restaurant scene and diminish other culinary traditions.

[@chromeaces]

phloem frankly I don’t hate it if it was cheap and you’re lazy to prepare stuff. However, you got nonsense brands like Hai Di Lao that charge insane prices for some sliced meat and a noodle dance like no thanks.

[@marukchozt6744]

You have no idea what hotpot has done to Sichuan cuisines. Nowadays, people picture the red hotpot broth as THE Sichuan tradition while in fact, its formerly and traditionally celebrated counterpart and the true heir of Sichuan cuisine featured many non-spicy dishes. Even Chinese people nowadays that LIVE in Sichuan have no idea what Sichuanese traditional gastronomy is.

[@Killjoy0329]

@@chromeaces Haida Lao is popular is because of their customer service, more so in China than in the US, so what I usually do with my friends and family is to order the soup base only and that’s usually around $14 for 2 different soup bases. And just use whatever we got in the fridge or go to the store to buy some. But I do agree the price is high

[@steinijg]

How can anybody criticise Hot Pot? Hot pot is freaking awesome!

[@robspecht9550]

Before watching this video I turned on my Stove and got my iPad piping hot before I pouring cold oil all over it and swirling my tablet around in the air. Now I need a new iPad.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

i.imgur.com/5JjMlnj.gifv

[@robspecht9550]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified next time I’ll get a Carbon Steel iPad ;)

[@whazzat8015]

Sony's have more even heating.

[@TheASBSS]

Please, have Steph narrating more time! I love you Chris, but it think it was a nice change of pace =D

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Totally. Our goal is to have Steph do the narration ~1/3 of the time. It's a bit harder logistically on our end so we prolly won't hit that goal, but I just... really wanted for Steph to have an even more pronounced voice.

[@SV2K]

My Ultra lazy hot pot base: Instant Dashi powder, water, salt. Plus some Daikon chunks and miscellaneous veggie pieces like mushroom stems or the non-leafy parts of a napa cabbage. My hot pot foods not mentioned in this video: sliced shiitake mushrooms, cubed or thick sliced Soft tofu, shrimp (I use frozen/pre-peeled for extra laziness), Regular cabbage, sliced rice cake (nian gao), sliced winter bamboo. My dipping sauce: 1 raw egg, Shacha sauce (I like bull head brand), soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes or chili oil, cilantro, green onion.

[@robertnewell4054]

A true Professional. Acknowledges the Canine Companion without missing a beat. Best channel on YT fo sho!!

[@WDCallahan]

That dog at 4:01 🤣🥰

[@whazzat8015]

adds unami

[@trashcatlinol]

I feel like a 'quick' broth option would be to use gelatin in a stock or broth you have available, and canned beans (with reserved liquid) might be a viable option. It's just hard to find pork bones here! I've been trying to find a way to make hotpot more accessible for my husband with familiar ingredients, and I loved your walkthrough! It gave me a real feel for what they are going for, and now if I come across the traditional ingredients, I can pick them up with a lot of excitement! I want to try a Chinese hotpot now!

[@graefx]

I love hot pot. A place near by has split pot so we can get one side spicy and one side not. A nice hack for at home is using a rice cooker that will stay on with the lid off. Fortunately those are usually the cheap kinda too. I cant remember what all I put in my dipping sauce but I add a lot. Black vinegar, sesame sauce, green onions, cilantro, garlic, theres some fermented sauce there too I really love. They also introduced me to one of my favorite greens Tung Ho. Highly recommend. That, lotus root, tripe, liver, cant remember what all else we get. Its not been something we've wanted to put the effort into doing lately but I might have to push for it.

[@lillypatience]

For my family, we do hotpot once a week. Aside from enjoying hotpot, it does gift the "chef" a.k.a. my dad, a break, so making our own base will never happen. We bought a pot that has a divider because the family likes spicy, but I don't. The one I purchased is by Carote that I got on Amazon and it works great on a butane burner and electric cooktop. As a side note, the pot also came in handy when camping and needing to reheat a couple of dishes at the same time :-).

[@rantyt2]

This holiday season I'm supporting my favourite (yeah, that's how we spell it in Canada!) creators that got me through 2020. Creators that inform, educate, and entertain pouring in hours of effort for each and every single video. Your effort shows and now you have another Patreon backer. I've learned a lot about Chinese cooking and tried it out at home to a point where my wife has really enjoyed some of my creations!

[@Tenshi6Tantou6Rei]

Yeeeees vietnamese here, for ur family hotpot is a must on holidays! In recent year my mom has gotten bored enough to start experimenting with flavors from all over SE Asia lol but its a;ways a good time and easy to do at home (once the stock is finished)

[@Jaisha26]

My hubby and I stared a hot pot dinner tradition for Christmas last year. We're excited for year two!!!

[@jenova8887]

Great video! We have been doing hotpot at home since this summer and its amazing. The dipping sauces we use are garlic and sesame oil, a riff on the sesame paste sauce u featured for dan dan noodles and some ponzu style sauce. We have a split pot as my SO enjoys hers on a spice level that would melt my face off Indiana Jones style, and an induction hob is great for indoor if u worried about gas

[@GregTom2]

You know, I never really thought about the fact that the concept of "fondue chinoise" is actually Chinese. It's a common tradition for French Canadians, and I assume actual French people. Easier, less messy and healthier than the Fondue Bourguignone in oil. Instead of using chopsticks we use these ridiculously long and useless forks, and for some reason we pair it with potato salad sometimes, and my family used to throw in some sausages too to have more diversity of meats. Also, we used dijon sauce as a dip. I'm sure it's not as fancy as the real thing, but it will forever remind me of home, and of evening spent with my family as a kid.

[@krislove1167]

That's amazing. I looked up fondue chinoise and saw that it's very popular in Switzerland too!

[@martinsirois3770]

I thought the same thing! Je suis Québécois, and the “fondue chinoise” is one of those fun things to do eat once in a while. And now I want to try an hot pot!

[@wolfingitdown2047]

I've been thinking of way to lower the stress of people cooking their family dinner this holiday season and you nailed it! Beautiful idea :D

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

We had this idea for Thanksgiving Turkey hotpot that unfortunately fell though lol. We were mulling over making a gravy hotpot... stewing the bone-in pieces in there, passing the dark meat through oil ala huangmenji, thinly slicing the breast... I still think it's a good idea, maybe next year ;)

[@wolfingitdown2047]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified Now you're thinking like a true chinese/american cooking duo ;) I look forward to sharing a hot pot with friends and family in the near future. Of course, you two are always invited!

[@travelingtango]

yeah! Can vouch for hotpot as an amazing holiday family dinner. We started a few years ago and haven't gone back

[@erinhowett3630]

Had hot pot at home tonight! Never would have done it without seeing this video. Thank you!

[@888SpinR]

A simple ricecooker (ideally not a hinge-lid one) works pretty well for hotpot too. In fact, I've seen some electronic ones that have a pre-programmed hotpot setting.

[@ugolee]

I totally agree with you. Eating for eating's sake is not a full experience. Dining to accompany the social interactions with who you're with is an important part of dining. Korean food culture is centered around the communal dining experience. Until about 10-20 years ago, there were really no "Bars" in Korea. When you went "drinking" with friends, it's usually to eat and drink at the same time.

[@hapasiuhengalu7586]

I love that Steph did the narration of the recipe for this one. Idk if I’ve heard her do that before

[@sushib1]

Hello from Switzerland, we love to eat the Chinese fondue (that’s how we call the hot pot) in the new year festivities.

[@HappyGardenOfLife]

Maybe I should start calling fondue Swiss hot pot.

[@staryam2441]

This was posted the day my family had a nice hotpot, lol. Great taste, I'd never pay for hotpot at a restaurant. Love making it at home! Simple, easy, and great customizing ability for a group of friends.

[@aarondraper1818]

Wow, just in time. Have bought some hot pot bases for the future (the brand you showed), but it’s starting to get really hot here in Australia🥵 41c today. So will have to wait for the cooler months. This information helped me immensely. Thanks heaps👍😉

[@lisacastano1064]

Have it outside it's great in the summer

[@k_jrin28]

I am a Filipino-Chinese (-ish) guy who grew up on a family that has really strong Chinese roots due to my grandmother from my father's side being a vendor at Chinatown, and my grandfather from my mother's side being Chinese (but unfortunately left her and my grandma behind). Growing up, I got introduced to hotpot and it's become a famliy tradition of ours that the kids help prepare things while the adults do all the cooking. We would line up tables on a Sunday, open the small burners and have the whole extended family eat hotpot together and catch up. I used to think it was annoying, but when my aunts and uncles started to move away, we kind of lost that tradition until my grandma got really sick and we had them fly back and enjoy another meal of hotpot which turned really emotional lmao. For me, hotpot is like a warm hug from Asian culture that makes me feel at home rather than an "experience" in a restaurant that's meant to appreciate the skills and art of the chefs, so it's really sad to see those criticisms thrown at hotpots

[@albertozaffonato1325]

I only had steam boats in South Asia and I loved them so much! Now I want to try to make my own. Thank you as always for such detailed recipes

[@trentbildstein5610]

2 things: 1) thank you for this information. 2) I love your dog.

[@shadowpapito]

Thank you for the recipes and techniques! Wishing your family health and happiness!

[@alexhe7512]

The title alone convinces me already cos it really is the one Chinese (or Mongolian) "dish" that requires miminum level of 'cooking skills' other than shopping for ingredients at supermarkets. Oh and by the way I'm from the city of hotpot, Chongqing 😄

[@davidlau6065]

I wouldn't have figured out that the Amazon page of mustard greens were mustard greens, but thankfully you added "this stuff" in big font and I figured it out.

[@andresk4694]

I was genuinely shocked by the information that there are hot pot critics

[@whazzat8015]

And yet when folks go off on wheat , you are not surprised?

[@andresk4694]

@@whazzat8015 sorry could you give me more context?

[@JP-rw4mq]

hotpot is the no.1 thing i miss since quarantine, but we've had it a couple of times at home instead and it's so good

[@kwfown]

Guchujang, hoisin, siracha, and sesame oil = 😚 Soy sauce (dash) optional and black pepper optional Guchujang as hotpot dipping sauce is LEGIT!

[@Shuggies]

I've only made hot pot 2 times now.but I'm in Love 😍... the first one i made was in a little 1 cup container type bowl w a screw on lid. Very delishious for us first timers.. it had sooo much flavor... we bought wayyy too many sides. Lol.. none were beef rho.. all veg n tofu 😋 ... and didn't know about dipping sauces. 😆 I'm learning.. can't wait ronread the comments and findd out the sauces. We will def be trying those. Great Vid and very much looking forward to the next info in this topic. And thanks for sharing .. ✌🙂👍