Help! I need a recipe for Chinese Hot Pot

[Thomas Promise]

I know today is Thanks Giving and this is a strange request for today. My Family asked me to try and make a Chinese Dinner maybe this Saturday or Sunday. When I was in China with my SO I ate the Famous Chinese Hot Pot and I really loved it to.

If my SO where here it would be Mei Wenti (No Problem). Since she is 8,500 miles away I could really use some advice on this.

Thanks

[frank1538]

chef4u probably has some good ideas, but Jingwen makes a killer chicken hot pot. Actually, it very simple, at least from this simple mind's perspective.

 

She starts with a large ceramic cassarole dish/pot and fills it with cut up chicken parts and beer (no water) and cooks it until the chicken is done. She may add a little seasoning for taste but I can't guarantee it. She will scrape off some of the fat during the cooking.

 

While the chicken is cooking she prepares the additions - usually celery, watercress, napa lettuce, sometimes soy bean sheets that have been soaked in water, a variety of mushrooms (usually shitaki and noki), sometimes tufu cubes, and possibly other additions.

 

After the chicken is cooked, she'll put the pot on the tabletop butane burner and fire 'er up. She puts the additions on separate plates and usuallys starts by adding some of mushrooms and celery first to let them cook a bit.

 

Side bowls usually consist of rice and a sauce, usually hot sauce since Jingwen is a Guangdong girl.

 

I like to make a cup of broth after I've eaten to my heart's content.

 

She also does hot pots for thinly sliced beef/pork/lamb and shrimp/clams but I don't think she uses beer as the broth.

[chef4u]

chef4u probably has some good ideas, but Jingwen makes a killer chicken hot pot.  Actually, it very simple, at least from this simple mind's perspective.

 

She starts with a large ceramic cassarole dish/pot and fills it with cut up chicken parts and beer (no water) and cooks it until the chicken is done.  She may add a little seasoning for taste but I can't guarantee it.  She will scrape off some of the fat during the cooking.

 

While the chicken is cooking she prepares the additions - usually celery, watercress, napa lettuce, sometimes soy bean sheets that have been soaked in water, a variety of mushrooms (usually shitaki and noki), sometimes tufu cubes, and possibly other additions.

 

After the chicken is cooked, she'll put the pot on the tabletop butane burner and fire 'er up.  She puts the additions on separate plates and usuallys starts by adding some of mushrooms and celery first to let them cook a bit.

 

Side bowls usually consist of rice and a sauce, usually hot sauce since Jingwen is a Guangdong girl.

 

I like to make a cup of broth after I've eaten to my heart's content.

 

She also does hot pots for thinly sliced beef/pork/lamb and shrimp/clams but I don't think she uses beer as the broth.

171420[/snapback]

Exacto Mundo on this one Frank!!! If you do not want to use beer, (I would), you could sub it with chicken broth, Swanson's Natural Goodness is a good brand. Also, to give more of a east meets west, you could use a combo of a dry white wine, such as a chardonay, and chicken broth. Just besure to reduce the wine by at least 1/4 of its volume before you add the chicken broth. Maybe add in some Chinese Five Spice powder salt and pepper to taste. Anyway, just some food for thought....haha. Have a Happy T-Day and Buon Appetito......Chef

Edited November 24, 2005 by chef4u (see edit history)

[jim_julian]

Ohhh Frank and Richard ... this doesn't sound right. As one with a Chongqing Lao Po I must say -- not enough chili!

 

The houkou liquid must be very spicy ... as in makes your eyes water as it cooks down.

 

Here is a quote from the web:

 

The Sichuan hot pot, like the rest of that humid and populous province's cuisine, tastes very spicy. The broth is flavored with chili peppers and other pungent herbs and spices. The main ingredients include hot pepper, Chinese crystal sugar and wine. Slices of kidney, chicken breast, beef tripe, goose intestines, spring onion, soya bean sprouts, mushrooms eel, duck and sea cucumber form the meat content of the dish.

 

The southern Cantonese style is sweeter and features the seafood ingredients that have become popular in most Cantonese eateries. Fresh shrimps, scallops, crab meat, white eels and scuttle fish form the staples of this hot pot style. They are served with a sweetish white sauce.

 

I'd search the web for recipies. If you have a local Chinese market, like 99 Ranch on the West Coast, ask them ... they may have some pre pacakges spices and they can help you for sure with ingredients if they do not.

 

Good luck and let us know how it comes out!

[chef4u]

Ohhh Frank and Richard ... this doesn't sound right.  As one with a Chongqing Lao Po I must say -- not enough chili!

 

The houkou liquid must be very spicy ... as in makes your eyes water as it cooks down.

 

Here is a quote from the web:

 

The Sichuan hot pot, like the rest of that humid and populous province's cuisine, tastes very spicy. The broth is flavored with chili peppers and other pungent herbs and spices. The main ingredients include hot pepper, Chinese crystal sugar and wine. Slices of kidney, chicken breast, beef tripe, goose intestines, spring onion, soya bean sprouts, mushrooms eel, duck and sea cucumber form the meat content of the dish.

 

The southern Cantonese style is sweeter and features the seafood ingredients that have become popular in most Cantonese eateries. Fresh shrimps, scallops, crab meat, white eels and scuttle fish form the staples of this hot pot style. They are served with a sweetish white sauce.

 

I'd search the web for recipies. If you have a local Chinese market, like 99 Ranch on the West Coast, ask them ... they may have some pre pacakges spices and they can help you for sure with ingredients if they do not.

 

Good luck and let us know how it comes out!

171432[/snapback]

Jim absolutely correct here too. Basically, hot pots recipes is really the cooking method. In this case it is the Hot Pot. It is a all ingredients cooked at the same time in one pot. I guess similar to an American casserole. The kitchen sink can be thrown in to the pot. Many of these Chinese Hot Pot dishes have a variety of ingredients and spices that can go into the pot. Chicken, fish, seafood, rabbit, duck, snake, turtle and etc. or combinations of ingrediets. In addition, vegetables, noodles and variety of aromactics can be added as well. Each region of China has its own unique recipe of Hot Pot dishes. The example you are giving is indeed from the south. However, some regions of China do not use such hot spices in their hot pot recipes. In fact, many Asian countries have their own version or spin on Hot Pot recipes. Such as Japanese Shabu Shabu, similar to Chinese Hot Pot. I remember when I was in LA. they had many Shabu restaurants there. Anyway, I found this traditional Hou Guo, (Hot Pot) recipe on line from Beijing. I believe this is the region where Tom's SO is from:

 

Beijing Hot Pot

 

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. (500 g) fresh or reconstituted sea cucumbers 3 1/2 oz (100g) small fresh or canned mushrooms

3 prawns 2 cups (500ml) chicken and duck or chicken stock

5 oz (150 g) bamboo shoots(or canned bamboo shoots) 1 tsp. salt, or to taste

1 lb. (500g) cellophane noodles; cut into 6 inch (15cm ) sections 1 tsp. rice wine

9 oz(250g) boneless chicken , cooked 1tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp. MSG (optional)

 

RECIPE

 

Blanch the sea cucumbers in boiling water for one minutes. Remove , clean and cut into strips. Remove the prawns' heads, shell, and devein them. Wash and cut each in 2 lengthwise, parboil 1 minute, and drain. Cut the bamboo shoots into large slices. Cook the cellophane noodles in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and rinse and rinse under cold running water. Slice the chicken meat, 1/8 inch (3mm) thick.

Place noodles at the bottom of a fire pot. Arrange the sea cucumbers, prawns, chicken, bamboo shoot slices, and mushrooms on top.

Bring the stock to a boil in another pot. Add the salt, rice wine, MSG (optional), and sesame oil. You may adjust the seasonings to taste. Pour into the fire pot.

Fill the chimney with burning charcoal . To serve, let diners help themselves to the ingredients as they boil in the pot. The ingredients are eaten by dipping them into soy sauce or other dips.

[jim_julian]

http://jjulian.org/page3/page5/files/page5-1011-full.jpg

 

Here's houkou in a Chongqing restaurant.

 

You can see all of the chillies boiling in the very hot liquid. Diners take the raw food from the small dishes and cook it, fondue style, in the various sections of the houkou pot. You can see vegetables, various kinds of organ meat, some "real" beef, big pieces of fish, etc. What I missed getting in the shot was the plate full of seaweed and another with bloody freshwater eels ... yum yum.

 

The people are family friends. It all tastes good, although I don't eat freshwater fish or eels because of all the pollution in rivers and ponds.

[Kaige]

Don't forget about the stomach,intestions and brain