“Can I be in the ethnic section of your blog?”
“That’s… that’s not even a thing.”
Which is how the conversation went when my friend Katy had us over for Chinese hot pot earlier this month. We remarked on how great the whole hot pot spread looked, and decided that we should try it out for a cold-weather food post. Katy was invited, but -- despite her protestations -- we decided against hashtagging it “ethnic” because we’re not that awkward uncle who says uncomfortable, vaguely racist things at dinner parties.
Katy’s hot pot was legit, so we mostly followed her lead. She brought the portable range, which is kinda half the fun. There’s something really warming about having the propane flame going right on the dinner table. Like, literally and figuratively.
We did take a few liberties. Katy provided some really wonderfully spicy chrysanthemum greens, and a dried mushroom soup base. We kept the ingredients minimal: oyster mushrooms (enoki would’ve softened faster, though), udon noodles, and a couple of varieties of cabbage. We got some thinly sliced top sirloin from our butcher, and it was perfection -- tender and flavourful without extra seasoning, after only a quick dip in the broth. We had some black bean garlic sauce and hot sauce on the side for kick.
And, because we’re those jerks who mix cuisines, we might’ve added some kimchi that we happened to have in the fridge. It worked, though. The sourness was a welcome addition.
If you’ve never had hot pot at home, it’s a fantastic late-winter treat. It was hot (naturally), comforting, required almost no prep work, and easily served six of us altogether. If you have a good base (and you can go the homemade route if you’re not lazy, like we are), then you can pretty much throw in whatever suits your tastes. It’s great for when it’s too cold outside to make a grand effort, but it feels grand in a way: it’s messy and social and there’s an open flame. We're into that kind of thing.