😋 How to Hot Pot at Home | DIY Fish Balls, Soup Base, Sauces

In today's video, we'll be talking about how to do Hot Pot at Home, and my dad (a Chinese chef of 50+ years) shares his hot pot recipes for Homemade Fish Balls, Soup Base, & Dipping Sauce.
This is the final video in our series on DIY hot pot.
Playlist:
• How to Make Hot Pot at...
Mega Blog Post: madewithlau.com/recipes/ultim...
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👩‍🍳 JOIN THE CANTO COOKING CLUB 👩‍🍳
Develop the intuition and foundation to cook Cantonese food with exclusive classes from Daddy Lau!
Join the club: bit.ly/40KYXHY
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Ready-Made Hot Pot Bases
Mongolian Hot Pot Style - amzn.to/3bAo1tV​
Sichuan Style - ​amzn.to/39n1o9M
Seafood Style - amzn.to/2Lqcxyn
Hot Pot Equipment
Strainer ladle: amzn.to/35vzPd4
Deep strainer ladle: amzn.to/3oCpTWQ
My parents' hot pot, with a partition: amzn.to/39lMYGV
Instant Pot: amzn.to/35yDOFJ
Rice cooker: amzn.to/2XE024J
Recipes Mentioned:
Steamed Spare Ribs: • 🤤 My dad's Steamed Sp...
Chicken Congee Recipe: • 🍲 The Perfect Congee ...
‪@ChineseCookingDemystified‬'s video on hot pot: • How (and why) you shou...
Woks of Life blog post on hot pot: thewoksoflife.com/hot-pot/
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🍳 COOKWARE WE USE/LOVE 🍳
- Electric Burner: geni.us/electricburner
- Non-Stick Wok: geni.us/nonstickwok
- Carbon Steel Wok: geni.us/carbonsteelwok
- Non-Stick Pan: shrsl.com/305jb
- Carbon Steel Pan: shrsl.com/305j9
- Stainless Steel Skillet: shrsl.com/305j8
- Cookware Set: shrsl.com/305j7
- 8 Quart Pot: shrsl.com/305j6
- Cookware Collections: shrsl.com/305j5
- Pan Protector: shrsl.com/305j0
- Carbon Steel Seasoning Wax: shrsl.com/305iz
🔪 KNIVES WE USE/LOVE 🔪
- Dad's 40 year old Chinese Chef Knife: geni.us/dadschefknife, geni.us/Vtjn
- Chef Knife: shrsl.com/305is
- Santoku Knife: shrsl.com/305iu
- Starter Knife Set: shrsl.com/305iw
- Sharpening Stone Set: shrsl.com/305iy
👨‍🍳 KITCHEN ACCESSORIES WE USE/LOVE 👨‍🍳
- Magnetic Knife Strip (storage): shrsl.com/305j3
- Cutting Board: shrsl.com/305j2
- Instant Read Thermometer #1: geni.us/bluetooththermometer
- Instant Read Thermometer #2: geni.us/wirelessthermometer
- Food Scale: geni.us/ourfoodscale
🍜 DAD'S SPECIAL INGREDIENTS 🍜
If you don't live near an Asian market, you buy these online / on Amazon:
- Sesame Oil: geni.us/bPkD
- Light Soy Sauce: geni.us/h5GrZ
- Dark Soy Sauce: geni.us/VIgg0
- Rice Cooking Wine: geni.us/ZHJK
- Chili Oil: geni.us/DX1vm
- Hoisin Sauce: geni.us/lmBz0
- Premium Oyster Sauce: geni.us/BplS8
- Chicken Bouillon: geni.us/2Eu7CU
- Shaoxing Cooking Wine: geni.us/M93Zer
- Chinese Sausage / Lap Cheung: geni.us/kdKvxv1
- Dried Shrimp: geni.us/QOZau7
- Dried Shiitake Mushrooms: geni.us/LyXBR
- Dried Wood Ear Fungus (a few options, depending on what's in stock):
geni.us/RubMf
geni.us/JDjB6sk
geni.us/Q9AB
🎥 MY CAMERA GEAR! 🎥
- My Workhorse Camera: geni.us/DAeHJ
- My Lens for Wide Shots: geni.us/cLfu64x
- My Lens for Detail Shots: geni.us/9aDaf5
- My Macro Lens: geni.us/bzn6Vy
- My Main Light: geni.us/ZK5XVe
- My Light Softbox: geni.us/PmOs8FK
- My Camera Slider: geni.us/BUd8
Note: These links are affiliate links, which means that if you use our links to purchase these ingredients, our family earns a small amount for the sale - at no extra cost to you. If you use these links, we really appreciate the support!
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⏲ CHAPTERS ⏲
00:00 - Intro
00:59 - What is hot pot?
02:00 - Preparing fish balls
02:32 - Cutting, mincing, flattening fish
04:21 - Can you use other tools? Blenders?
05:12 - Cutting, mincing, flattening shrimp
06:40 - Mixing fish and shrimp
07:28 - Versatility of fish balls
07:55 - Add flavors to fish balls
10:54 - Mixing and slapping fish paste
11:57 - My dad’s simple soup base recipe
12:52 - Background on soup bases and alternatives
14:24 - My dad’s dipping sauce recipe
16:27 - Equipment for hot pot
17:40 - Randy’s birthday celebration!
20:46 - Reflecting on my birthday wishes
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🎵 OTHER CREDITS 🎵
Intro Flute Music - Performed by Daddy Lau
Chillhop Music - chll.to/49e6fa9c
Overhead Camera Rig built by P.Oak - / p.oak.co
Chinese Subtitles by Wynee Pan - / gotchacafenyc
Images courtesy of Xuzhou Museum

[@MadeWithLau]

Enjoying our content? Join the Canto Cooking Club - bit.ly/3RSyrsd Support us on Patreon - www.patreon.com/madewithlau Check out our extensive blog post for the complete shopping list and recipe guides! madewithlau.com/recipes/ultimate-guide-to-hot-pot What'd you think of my dad's recipes? Also, let us know what other recipes and videos you'd like to see next!

[@TwinklebotsCantonese]

Happy Birthday. Thanks for the recipe, my husband has been wanting to make fishballs for a while. We even made Chinese dumplings with it to hide the green bits from our son.

[@MadeWithLau]

@@TwinklebotsCantonese aw thank you! Yay so glad that you found this recipe. Hope you enjoy the fishballs!

[@anonymousaccount3414]

Mate, you are not a KZbinr, you are literally the director of a documentary lol. Subscribed. I can tell how much hard work and creative energy went into this video.

[@SomethingCookie-kk9vs]

Whether he is a KZbinr or Director,just enjoy the video!

[@whiskeyii4515]

I really love how understanding and flexible your dad is when you ask him if X or Y is better; it really emphasizes that you guys care less about people doing these recipes the "right" way, and you just want people to find their own way to make them and enjoy themselves. :)

[@MadeWithLau]

Thanks for saying that! Totally agree. With cooking it can often feel like you HAVE to do it a certain way or with a certain ingredient. I appreciate that my dad often just recommends using what you having and not stressing and am glad to hear you do too! 😊

[@hailhummus]

@@MadeWithLau I think social media (esp Instagram) has sort of created this environment where people feel like they need to do thing "the proper way" when in reality, lots of food is historically a result of trial and error. And when it comes to food of immigrant diasporas, I feel like there will always be variations that show the richness of diversity of families and where they've come from and moved to. And just practicality!

[@loream]

Yes, but I guess there is also the technical aspect: sometimes, he says it doesn't really matter, you can do it either way; other times, he would say things like "you should definitely use cold water here". I really appreciate it: when it is an important tip, Dad stresses it.

[@hailhummus]

@@loream I guess it would depend on whether or not chemistry-wise it matters to the cooking. I'm talking more big-picture

[@MadeWithLau]

@@loream You are totally right. There are times where it really makes a difference and he makes sure to say so and the rest of the time he's like don't worry about it. Thanks so much for this comment and we appreciate you for tuning in!

[@tmc4642]

I got teary at the end hearing your sincere wishes and gratitude! I so appreciate your editorial choice to use subtitles instead of a side-by-side translation. I really like that Mr. Lau controls the pace of the instructions that way, and that his personality and skill shines through in his own words. Also the vocab cards are such a good idea! It's super helpful to see the key words defined and spelled out with the phonetics so I can listen for when Mr. Lau says them. Happy belated birthday and best wishes!

[@MadeWithLau]

Thanks so much, I honestly got teary recording it 🙏🏼❤️ I'm glad to hear that you enjoy watching my dad speak in Cantonese and then having the side-by-side translation. It took us awhile to decide what would be the best way to edit these videos. While it can be a lot of work to record and do both translations, like you said it's really special to have his personality and skills shine. Thanks again for your kind words, my whole family and I really appreciate your support!

[@4and20blackbirdsbakedinapi6]

Randy, I speak for myself when I say that watching your videos and allowing us to share in your family’s life has been a privilege and pleasure. Thank you for this wonderful gift, and may you and your lovely family always be blessed with health, happiness, and prosperity.

[@MadeWithLau]

🙇🏻‍♂️❤️ Thank you so much! That really makes my day to read and makes it all worthwhile! Excited to share more with you 😊

[@brokeluna]

The production and quality of this is SO GOOD. The included eng and chinese subs, the time stamps for everything! The different angles. Ugh, the detail!!!👨‍🍳

[@MadeWithLau]

Wowww Luna thank you so much 🙇🏻‍♂️ Put a lot of love into making these and it means a lot to hear that you enjoyed every bit of it!

[@annchee1329]

I totally agree!

[@legendarypinkmilk3092]

I feel the same ❤️

[@lillianlouie4284]

Yes, very well done!

[@anthonyhui1322]

Love the FLUTE! That song is COLORFUL CLOUDS CHASING THE MOON! Classic Cantonese song! LOVE IT!

[@ironyelegy]

"Oh and my dad is playing the flute your hearing right now" *FURIOUSLY SMACKS SUBSCRIBE AND AGGRESSIVELY HITS THE NOTIFICATION BELL*

[@MadeWithLau]

Hahaha yay!! Thank you so much for subscribing :) Excited to share more with you!!

[@Queenie_Francie]

You’re all such a wonderful family, the love you have for each other comes through in your videos. God bless you all and happy belated birthday, Randy!

[@CourtneyinSF]

DADDY LAU: Yes, you can use a food processor, it's the same ME: *breathes sigh of relief* Hooray for modern conveniences! I love how your parents are so considerate and let us know where we can take a shortcut, or change the recipe to be more convenient, or suited for our taste.

[@MadeWithLau]

Haha totally. I love that he's not rigid with how you HAVE to do it. Keep it simple and use what you have 🙌

[@rosemariearao8455]

me too..i was hmmm like can I use a blender lol....

[@xdxdsheep]

I think u might need to add some ice cube if u use a food processor/blender.

[@yellowsoy2475]

Daddy Lau represents the best of the attitude (and the general attitude most have) of older generation Chinese that emigrated over. Honours his roots and traditions but also embracing innovation at the same time. I know of people who snub their noses at modern appliances and desperately keeping to old ways for the sake of it being the old way rather than it being better and as a result they become bitter and closed to everything and they make you wonder why they moved in the first place.

[@brianng8350]

I love how easy going your dad/chef is. Ingredient or measurement? Up to you. Americans like to have exact measurements, but a lot of Chinese cooking is by "sight" or feel. It's frustrating for people who wants to learn from the chef... hahaha... And I like how he diferentiate cooking in restaurants and home cooking -the presentation is less important when cooking for the family. Happy belated birthday!

[@MadeWithLau]

Thanks for the wishes Brian and for noticing that about dad ❤️ When we first started recording we had to try to start measuring because he never does when he's at home 😆 He definitely prefers to go by "sight," taste and feel in his everyday cooking.

[@angelsolitaire6456]

Love to see Chef Lau love his grandkid so much. You can tell he is so proud. Glad we learn a lot of our Chinese heritage the stories in China. Oh yes my father used to tell a lot stories way back then :)

[@MadeWithLau]

We love seeing that too 🥰🥰 So glad we get to learn a lot from our parents stories in China too!

[@cantobritt]

2:52 hehe so cute 🤩 the pride of a professional doing his craft! This series is CLUTCH! Hot pot has to be my favorite family event whether CNY, NYE, birthdays, cold days, hottest days of summer... and I love the aspect of doing it yourself! I can't always find the ready made kinds in my area, so you bet I'll be making fish balls to store in the freezer for the whole yeeear!!! Happy birthday, Randy and thank you SO MUCH for this channel, the content you put on this channel means a lot to me :)

[@MadeWithLau]

Hehe I love how proud he is 🥰 YESSS you'll yave to try making the fish ball and storing so you have year round. It's such a delicious addition to hot pot and in my opinion tastes so much better than just using store bought fish balls. Thanks so much for the love and support. I just checked out your channel and it's amazing!! Subscribed and will be sharing with my wife too since she wants to learn Cantonese 😊

[@CourtneyinSF]

Happy Birthday, Randy! The funny thing about this video particularly is how many times they say your name and I rewound those parts because it reminds me of how my grandparents would say "Randy" in the exact same accent when talking to my dad. That, combined with the sounds of the chinese knife chopping and your dad talking, felt so cozy and familiar. It was like being at my grandparents house while my grandmother was cooking in the kitchen and I'm in the living room waiting for dinner. The sound gave me a pavlovian response of laying down and falling asleep, just like on the floor of my grandparents' living room, lol! If your Dad did a cooking/talking stream for 45 minutes I would use it every night to go to sleep. Thanks for the great recipes! I will definitely use the broth and sauce recipes! Your hack of using ramen packet powder IS GENIUS! OMG. I will try that for sure too!

[@MadeWithLau]

Thank you so much Courtney!! Yeah there's so many cues that remind us of comfort and love. in a Chinese household haha. So many great memories! It's great to be able to preserve some of them on video and share them on KZbin with you :) Yeah and I actually got the ramen packet idea from my soon-to-be-brother-in-law, he just added the Nongshim ramen packet and it was sO GOOD. Hope you enjoy!!

[@leilaniehlers443]

Daddy Lau has such a big heart to share these delicious recipes I especially love the moments talking with your parents about when they were growing up 💕🙏

[@tinglesrosyrupeeland]

I love seeing your dad's personality when he cooks so much ♡♡♡♡ feels like I'm with family

[@electricladyjenny]

Thank-you so much for sharing everything that you do! The videos are always great and I learn so much. Also, I love to see how much your dad loves the process of preparing and cooking beautiful food, even after a long career in the kitchen. He is an artist!

[@kyungseo6908]

It never occurred to me that making fish cake/balls was possible outside a factory. Also, I’m going to love slapping that fish paste! 1) to imitate Chinese chefs and 2) because it looks like so much fun!!

[@MadeWithLau]

Hahaha right?! The slapping part looks so satisfying. Glad to hear you are excited to try. Let us know how they turn out!

[@hiltonlo6386]

Uncle is very humble.His minding is clear and flexible." BE WATER "my frd! He always mention the resto style,his style, homemade style. Love him.

[@Outwalking]

Thank you for creating the contents here. Your dad's dish are wonderful and instructions are clear + easy to follow. I've learned so much here and hope to continue to see more.

[@MadeWithLau]

Thank you so much Sam! We are so grateful that you found our channel, and we can’t wait to continue sharing many more recipes with you! ❤️

[@chrissieslife71]

Your dad is so patient explaining things. What a great family, love to watch the video's. Greets from Holland. I love the recepies

[@bobafetttea]

Thank you for sharing your family cooking! 🩷🩷🩷

[@davidbuhagiar6861]

I love seeing cam grow up through these videos! And the hot pot looks great! It’s one of my first meals with my wife’s family and I’ve always loved the communal aspect of it.

[@MadeWithLau]

He's getting so much bigger! Thanks for the support as always David. Awesome this was one of your first meals with your wife's family. Such a fun way to sit with family and get to bond 🙌

[@grangerjung4129]

Truth be told, I never heard of hot pot until a video by Mikey Chen showed up in my feed. Never tried it, but I see some restaurants around.

[@MadeWithLau]

Oh hope you are able to try at some point! It's so yummy 😋

[@ChiliCrisp88]

Hot pot is one of the best things to ever exist

[@cozymode70]

Man, the intro has not even finished yet and I already love your dad so much 😭

[@Disjointedimages]

Happy Birthday Randy! This has been a great little set of videos. I wouldn't have expected the fish balls to be so simple/rustic. It looks so approachable with such a light soup base, no fancy spices or ingredients. I have a cast iron standalone Cuisinart burner that I got when our kitchen was undergoing renovation, and this will be perfect to bring it back out for.

[@MadeWithLau]

Oh yes that sounds like a great reason to bring it out! Thanks so much. Really glad you enjoyed the series and are excited to try making it. The fish balls are delicious!! Hope it becomes a favorite hot pot item for you as well ❤️🙌

[@h8ohana]

Thank you for all your family stories. I appreciate your family heritage and culture and also glad you are honoring your parents as well.

[@proudasiangirl576]

First time to this channel and newly subscribed. I am not even through with this video but had to stop and comment. The overall quality of this video is absolutely OUTSTANDING. The clarity of the shoot is sharp as a whip. The explanation (although I can understand fully in Cantonese) is in English and Chinese characters. I love how you interact with your Dad and ask him questions and I love that you speak Cantonese.....right on! Your Dad is amazing. Be grateful for everyday and every interaction that you have with him. My father is no longer here so your time with him is definitely a gift. I can see that you put a lot of effort and time in making these videos of great quality. (1:33), you'd even give a preview of the history. You've time stamped them, listed your ingredients and equipment. I am very pleased and thoroughly IMPRESSED!

[@MadeWithLau]

Ahhhhh thank you so much for all of the kind words!! We really appreciate all of the love ❤️❤️❤️

[@phyllislen2792]

All of your videos are so well done and educational in both history, geography, culture, family, language, etc. Providing the Cantonese "lessons" for the names of various things is so interesting too! My first experience with hot pot was in Shanghai with my son who has been living there for 7 years! When you give your appreciation and gratitude to your parents, it gave me chills! What wonderful recordings of family history (all coming from food ) you'll have for your own nuclear family and generations to come! Thank you!

[@williamlee3991]

I am really enjoying your website! I have learned so much from just watching your dad. I can tell from the way that he explains things that he loves cooking and he loves to teach others how to love to cook as well! While I may never make zong zhi, lo mai gai, or dim sum, it is still nice to learn the mechanics and what goes into making each of them. While I enjoy each of you and the contributions that each of you make, the one I love to watch the most is yours and Kat's (Cam) son and the expressions that he makes! He just cracks me up with all of his faces and expressions! Soooo Cute!

[@rand-san2095]

Thank you for your channel. You are the #1 source for Canto-American recipes now.

[@User5260jo]

Wow! We go to a very nice Chinese restaurant when we want to eat delicious hot pot soup. Doing it at home is a lot of work, but Mr. Lau is making it look easy and enjoyable with his 50 years of experience as a Chef. Thank you to your family for the free lessons! It is awesome to see your family gather around and enjoy a delicious meal. Happy birthday, Randy! Abundant blessings from on high!!!🙏

[@redbuttetfly1901]

Daddy Lau: You reminds me of my late grandfather..everytime i watch your videos, i got teary eyes...He also taught me to cook...just like you ♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@Vaybes]

God bless your dad. Loving the videos so far and can't wait to try this out myself.

[@bettywong2022]

Chef Daddy Lau's knife skills are "out of this world!" Makes me wanna make the fish/shrimp paste for my next hot pot!!! Thank you for sharing!

[@MadeWithLau]

Oh YES! You've got to Betty. We hope they turn out fantastic and you make them a regular addition to your hot pot nights 🥰

[@daniellenagy6678]

Thank you for being honest with your videos by saying multiple preparation methods don’t really matter or things like deveined vs not deveined shrimp doesn’t make a huge overall difference in taste. Many cooking channels insist something can only be done one way or that you need this exact ingredient in this exact form. I often have to scroll through many comments to see how other viewers who have tried those recipes say you can get the exact same results using an easier method or taste wise a $10 less bag of something doesn’t make a noticeable difference. I never have to do that with this channel. Your dad and this channel in general is brutally honest and open minded to the different economic positions of others and how some of us don’t have enough time to prepare things for hours in the kitchen. I think the goal of this channel is for the viewers to not be discouraged to try new things because of their income level, language/cultural barrier, cooking skills, or lack of time to spend in the kitchen. Instead this channel wants to give us multiple ways we can take part in enjoying the culture and love of these recipes they share with us. Thank you for that.

[@random_nga_chillin]

BLESS YOU ALL. I SMILE every time I watch these videos because I SEE and FEEL SO MUCH LOVE and ENERGY COMING TO ME FROM JUST LISTENING TO YOUR MOM AND DAD. I JUST SUBSCRIBED TODAY AFTER SEEING MADE WITH LAU WHILE SEARCHING FOR MAKING CHOW ME IN ON YOU TUBE

[@MadeWithLau]

awww thank you so much!! we really appreciate the love!!

[@rikakopets]

Ok! I love how you explain the origin of things in this video and how your dad is so detailed in his technique. I am so excited to create this exact dinner night with my family! Thank you so much for sharing ❤

[@ezravanmierlo9976]

I made the fishballs today for our hotpot. They were delicious!!!! This recipe is a keeper. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience mr. Lau

[@leechunli]

Thank you for making these videos, I love to watch them and I learned a lot. I love the traditional way of mincing the fish. I really appreciate the work you put into these videos. To document this for the future generation, I love that. Keep up the great work. Looking forward to more yummy videos.

[@MadeWithLau]

Ahhh thank you for the love Nancy! That really makes my day to read and makes it all worthwhile! Excited to keep sharing more videos with you 😊

[@douher6666]

Always fascinated by your dad's wealth of knowledge, esp how to combine foods/ingredients and techniques to use! Greatly appreciate your efforts in making such thorough videos too! Keep up the great work!

[@rileyjones650]

Wow, thank you. Excellent work.

[@susieangelo6410]

Hi Randy, Your family is very blessed. Chef Daddy Lau is such a patient and giving person sharing his wisdom of cooking for all of us who always want to learn more. Mom is great too.

[@MadeWithLau]

Hi Susie, thank you so much for taking the time to write such kind words. We truly are so blessed to have both Mommy & Daddy Lau. Grateful that through these videos we get to share them with you ❤️

[@N0body247]

awesome series.. need more like this.

[@alvina_k]

Happy Birthday! It's endearing to see you share your personal life with us along with these awesome, authentic recipes. Truly, this has become one of my favorite channels. Thanks for these! Looking forward to more~

[@MadeWithLau]

Omg Alvina, thank you SO much for these kind words. I'm glad that you enjoy seeing a bit of our personal life along with the recipes. We really appreciate your support and can't wait to continue sharing more videos with you!

[@dyong836]

Love the way Daddy Lau says “無所謂” (doesn’t matter). Reminds me of how good was prepared by my older relatives ... none of the precise cooking we see in some videos. Lots of it is just chilled out cooking. Sure he shares some measurements but I reckon it’s Randy encouraging that bit for viewers. 😀

[@MadeWithLau]

Tooottttally. My dad's style is much more based on intuition and being flexible. For KZbin we are having to measure everything so that it's much easier for others. Took some convincing but I'm glad we were able to 😆

[@TanksWorkshopMinis]

@@MadeWithLau When you give a measurement, it helps us to know the amount. It's hard to figure out from the video. We don't have to measure it out, but having a "go-by" or baseline is great for us on this end. Love to Daddy Lau!

[@MadeWithLau]

@@TanksWorkshopMinis Totally! I'm glad we are able to give a measurement so that there's a general baseline to go from 🙌

[@JasonPang1]

I love all your videos. But this one..... Wow!!! This so wonderful to watch.. lovely family, lovely food, lovely home. Well done, Lau family. The hard work and love for each other are the ingredients and the recipe for this loving family. To this, I sincerely thank you so much for sharing this video. All the best

[@sandy-mr5gj]

MR LAU IS SO AMAZING, i'm so thankful for his videos.

[@sheedakadhinusky6084]

May the little boy live a long, healthy and prosperous life with grandpa Lau and family! Happy Birthday! wishes with love and prayers!

[@pudave1]

Your videos are so awesome! Thank you so much for sharing with us.

[@anacoeur1282]

There’s so much love in this family!! ☺️💖 打邊爐 is the best 👍🏻👍🏻 always wanted to learn how to make homemade 魚滑 thankssss Thanks for your sincere message at the end! Here to support!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻💖

[@SabrinaThompsonProAngler]

Such a wonderful family! I love hotpot cooking! Thanks for teaching me more things to do with hotpot!

[@lindah6451]

"Warm kitchen, warm heart" Beautiful meal with beautiful people. love!

[@sarg2369]

My heart exploded watching this video ❤️ so much love ❤️❤️❤️

[@dominicfong6341]

That is a real eye opener, I have never been shown to do fish paste like that with a Chinese cleaver. Thank you very much dear Made With Lau.

[@stephanies2619]

Happy Birthday, Randy! We are very grateful for your wonderful videos! The hot pot series was so well done and gave me the confidence to finally try it myself (especially since this year we can't see our cousins, who usually make hot pot for CNY). I am looking forward to sharing this tradition with my nieces and nephew. Also, really appreciate the cleaver skills demonstrations. Please including more! I got one last Christmas and have no idea how to use it.

[@MadeWithLau]

Thank you Stephanie! Oh yay we are so glad to hear that. I'm really glad you enjoyed the series and that it made it seem more approachable to do! You'll have to let me know how everything turns out :)

[@benjiam2761]

Absolutely beautiful video and loving all of your content! Coming from Kuala Lumpur and mother tongue being Cantonese, feels like watching a neighbor haha. My dad used to wholesale mackerels and he used to make fish paste or fish balls with a glass bottle, first by placing all the meat in a plastic wrap and continuous beating and rolling at home. Just cook in salt water and the flavor is just divine!

[@IamLegend32]

You can watch and listen to these celebrity chefs, culinary trained, or michilen chefs like Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay all day.. But there is no doubt that Mr. Lau is in a league of his own. His knowledge, skill, and wisdom is from years in the kitchen, thousands of hours of doing this stuff day in and day out in a professional level. Nothing can equal that - experience and wisdom. This man is a legend.

[@_DeadlyNightshade_]

What a wonderful wholesome video ♥

[@maribetu2001]

I’m learning a lot of cooking techniques from your dad!❤️❤️❤️

[@MadeWithLau]

So happy to hear that maribetu2001! We are so grateful that you found our channel, and we can’t wait to continue sharing many more recipes with you! ❤️

[@shortmei]

Happy Birthday and love seeing how your family does hot pot! I recall my mom would buy packaged fish paste and use that instead of mincing fresh fish, I will have to double check..making fish balls from scratch doesn’t seem all too intimidating now, thanks Daddy Lau! P.S. I would love to see some bitter melon recipes :D

[@MadeWithLau]

Oh yum!! He actually grew a ton of melon this year and we had a lot delicious soup. I'm sure he'd love to share that recipe soon :) Thank you for the wishes and so glad the video helped make fresh fish balls seem less intimidating. If you give it a go you'll have to let us know what you think!

[@laurahuang9191]

Thank you for another wonderful recipe! I love the close up chopping/preparation shots so I can learn how to do it properly. I can't wait to try out the recipe myself! And Happy Birthday to you! That brownie cookie cake is a brilliant cake idea! :)

[@MadeWithLau]

Thanks so much Laura! That was my wife's doing. The whole family loves brownies and she makes such delicious chocolate chip cookies 😋 So glad you enjoyed the video and seeing the close up of chopping/preparation. Can't wait for you to try as well! Definitely let us know what you think when you do :)

[@crestfallen821]

Man I love your grateful reflection at the end of the video :)

[@becausemynameiscommon5609]

I've learned so much from these videos. That technique on how to slice meat thinly is a meal saver given that I can't find meat that thin in any store within 100 miles. I love food from different regions of China, (and Asia in general) but I live in small town, USA and the little Asian Market 30 minutes away can't pack much in it. It doesn't have fresh meat at all in fact. Learning how to prep the meat and seafood properly from this channel has opened an avenue of home cooked meals I don't have to make a day trip to eat. Thank you so much with sharing this knowledge with people online. I especially enjoy the history given about the dishes in general and your personal experience with each dish. The phonetic and visual language lesson is a huge help on tracking down some of the ingredients in the store that lack an English translation on the packages.

[@jasperlim8909]

Thank you for making this video! As a young person in Canada away from my family in Hong Kong, I can't wait to try out these recipes. And ready-made fish balls available in supermarkets often contain so many food additives and a low quantity of actual fish.

[@MadeWithLau]

Yay, we can't wait for you to try it this way and hear how it turns out 😋🙌

[@joycewilson3443]

Love love your video and recipes. Thank and bless you and your family for many years coming. 🙏

[@MadeWithLau]

Oh wow, thank you so much Joyce ❤️🙏🏼 So grateful that you found our channel and are enjoying each of the recipes. We can't wait to share many more videos in the years to come!

[@BethMingZhu]

This is amazing 🤩 can’t wait to make the fish balls 🤩🤩🤩 thank you for sharing😊

[@NYCJayRoams]

Happy birthday Randy, love all your videos, this is an awesome video diary of your parents to your son, hopefully we’ll all get to see another 100 videos, wishing you the best!

[@MadeWithLau]

Thank you so much Jay! Appreciate the kind words and wishes. Can't wait to keep making more and more videos!

[@hit-and-run760]

You videos have real heart and warmth and has made me want to bring meaningful content on cooking, thank you. Even bought the daddy knire.

[@evalee1696]

I’m so glad I found your channel. I haven’t spoken in Cantonese for years since I moved to different state where 95% are white. So I forget a lot of Cantonese and the recipe since there is no Asian grocery around at all. But it took me the first couple years to find one close by. I can now enjoy cooking Chinese cuisine again with the recipe from your channel.

[@oenrob98000]

Happy Belated Birthday Randy! Love your family! 🌞

[@soknyyi1698]

Happy birthday Randy. Thank you for uploading your family cooking video.

[@stephenwong804]

Just subscribed....great video.....full of love!

[@tamyaz6722]

I really like watching all the details in all your videos. I've been wanting to try making a Hot Pot for my family but I'm always scared that is a lot. But watching this video it makes me calm down a bit. Thank you to you and your whole family for these videos, it's so fun to watch. Happy belated birthday!! May you be blessed everyday. 🎉🎂🎈🍨🎊

[@1101chim]

I learned so much from your video. Thank you and great job!!

[@mhml13]

Another amazing Lau family video! Thank you for sharing Daddy Lau's fish ball recipe, he definitely makes it look super easy. Thanks for the shoutout in the video 😊 What a great birthday, Randy! I look forward to seeing Chinese New Year videos - I always learn something new in every Lau family video 😊

[@MadeWithLau]

Yayyy glad you saw Michelle! Thanks so much for asking your question. You'll definitely have to try the fish ball recipe and let us know what you think. Surprisingly easy and reallllllyyy delicious! Appreciate your support as always and can't wait to start sharing CNY videos soon 🥰

[@essohayee]

your family is so beautiful you guys are beyond blessed to have each other ❤

[@traacie]

Beautiful family, very honored that your pops shares all of his restaurant secrets

[@066200726]

My family LOVES hot pot, and my dad thinks the store bought fishballs we get aren't that healthy, i'm so happy you uploaded this! I had no idea we can make it! Love from toronto

[@mitoyorosa2825]

Congratulations! Love the recipes and videos. Totse!

[@MadeWithLau]

Thank you so much Mitoy! We appreciate your support and can't wait to keep sharing more recipes with you! ❤️

[@legambaz]

Excellent clip !

[@gm4fong]

Your channel have just de-mystified Cantonese Chinese cooking for me and now I’m eager now to try out some of Daddy Lau’s recipes. I really enjoy the history tidbits on the side as well. Great channel, great content, nice family.

[@violetviolet888]

gm4fong: You left out *Souped Up Recipes* , probably the most thorough of the bunch, which is saying a LOT.

[@1024specialkay]

Happy happy belated birthday! Looking forward to all the videos you will produce with the fam!

[@MadeWithLau]

Thank you so much! We are so grateful that you found our channel, and we can’t wait to continue sharing many more recipes with you! ❤️

[@miapurdin]

Thank you so much for posting this! I had hot pot in Chengdu years ago and it was literally the best thing I've ever eaten. Can't wait to try my hand at it.

[@MadeWithLau]

Our pleasure! So grateful to share with you :) Our soup base is definitely not as lively as what you probably had in Chengdu haha but still really tasty! We have some recs in our vid/description if you want to recreate that type of soup base!

[@askme78232]

Awesome video!

[@bluestarrbeauty]

I love this video. You are creating amazing content. Great job. I'm so happy to be here learning ❤️

[@hyrenaj2888]

This is the essence of home cooking: it's not necessarily about having some specific ingredients, but the techniques, traditions, and processes of hand-making something for your loved ones, with love.

[@shirtpocketvids5395]

Great video. My wife and I really appreciate the work you put into these videos. Your hard work is so clear in these videos, because they turn out so well. Thank you!

[@violetviolet888]

shirtpocketvids, you may also like *Souped Up Recipes*

[@patriciastuckey5060]

Wonderful ❤❤❤

[@trestoncoleman85]

Thank you for sharing your family. I'm really excited to try my own hot pot

[@winnieleung607]

I love to see your channel because I feel home sweet home. wow, Daddy Lau's knife skill and cooking skill are amazing. I seem to be back to Hong Kong learning cooking class. i feel so happy with his cantonese teaching. you know only cantonese people will put dry orange peel into fish balls. my mom used to put precious orange peel (which has been preserved over 20 years) in it as well. good job, looking forward to your next video.

[@MadeWithLau]

Oh wow 20 years!! That's incredible she has that collection to use 😋 So glad you found our channel and are enjoying the videos Winnie! We can't wait to continue sharing many more recipes with you! ❤️

[@essohayee]

i love this

[@maryoath]

I've only recently discovered made with Lau and I've enjoyed watching all the recipes and hearing some of the stories and history and background of the dishes. Happy new year to the Lau family! Please keep up the wonderful work that you guys do.

[@violetviolet888]

Mary Thao: Check out *Souped Up Recipes* she's amazing.

[@merychung6776]

I love your video. Thank you for sharing. Best wishes.

[@MadeWithLau]

Thanks so much Mery! So glad you enjoyed 😊

[@mitchjr77]

The reason why cooks slaps or slams down the Fish Paste is to help break down the Gluten in the flour and cornstarch. This not only make it stick together better, like Mr. Lau said, but to also prevent the dough in the mixture from rising and becoming too airy when cooked. The Fish Balls are supposed to be compact with that dense, slightly chewy texture when bitting into it.

[@jimmy45rebates]

Thanks for shopping advise and cooking tips, beautiful happy family. congrats!

[@MadeWithLau]

Thanks so much Jimmy! So happy to hear you enjoyed watching 🙏🏼❤️

[@poogledyblue]

I was just watching this video and it was your birthday...wish you a happy belated birthday Randy. May God bless you and your family.

[@johnnyvo1710]

Thank you so much.

[@andrewignatieff8848]

I"ve seen this video before; I was reminded yesterday when you asked fishballs over wontons. Yet it was especially easy and delicious today because it came up naturally on my KZbin channel after Taji-san's version of shabu-shabu.(I really enjoy Taji's Kitchen because it has the same approach as Made with Lau:food is made to be enjoyed (!), yet quick, easy, fresh ingrdients, same basic sauces in combination. Yet MwL will always be my favourite because Daddy Lau is truly the Grand Wizard, expert in all the kitchen arts of alchemy.No matter what dish he is preparing it is truly magical what he is able to create with only the best knife, best chopping board, the cheapest glass, metal mixing bow, and the best wok/iron skillet. This video was especially fine due to the massive amount of history, language, regional cuisines that I learned from.............. and especially that Mama Lau had the starring role (mama is my most loved character, as opposed to admired character in your show. When the two Moms embraced and exchanged all the yadda,yadda, yadda of birthday wishes.....both of them adding and a baby girl, I almost burst into tears of happiness at these signs of family harmony and joy!