Got Hot Pot?

Exploring the features of an Asian cuisine

IImagine sitting in front of a gigantic pot, watching soup broth come to a frantic boil and unleash swirls of aromatic steam. It’s hot, sputtering loudly, and smells like heaven on earth — but that’s not all. Surrounding the pot are countless small dishes holding food ranging from bright red meat to chopped up greens. This is the beauty of a very popular style of Asian cuisine known as hot pot, and there is so much about it to discover.

History

Hot pot originally came from China. According to the Vegas Hotpot restaurant, back in the Jin Dynasty, Mongolian horsemen gathered together and used their helmets to boil soup over a fire and then added meat into the soup to cook and eat.

Even though China tried to resist the Mongols, they couldn’t resist their style of eating. In fact, in their G Adventures article, travel bloggers Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott explain that China ended up mimicking the Mongolian style of soup and modifying it to make their own version — the hot pot people are familiar with today. Eventually, hot pot evolved into a dish that, like China, many other Asian countries accepted and made their own.

Variations

From China to Japan to Thailand, hot pot traveled all around East Asia and left a lasting impression on national cuisines. While there are basic similarities throughout all these cultures, many Asian countries have developed their own method for preparing hot pot.

“Besides China, it’s popular in Japan, Korea and more. They’re all just a little bit different,” said Hoirong Ou, the manager of Nine Spices Fondue in Gainesville.

One of the most famous types of hot pot is the Chongqing hot pot from China. It is known for the hot Sichuan peppers in the broth, which stains the soup bright red and gives it a strong, spicy flavor.

It seems like many people, especially Ou’s customers, can take the heat because Ou says that the spicy soup base is one of their most popular options.

Japan has a wide variety of hot pot dishes called nabemono, according to Japanese home cook Namiko Hirasawa Chen. There are two main types: shabu shabu and sukiyaki. One of the big differences between the two lies in the type of pot that is used to cook the broth and the ingredients.

Hot pot brings friends and families together to eat, whether it’s for the holidays or whenever I come and visit from school. It’s a very rich and filling dish to eat.

— Michelle Nguyen

Shabu-shabu uses a ceramic pot called donabe, while sukiyaki uses an iron pot. Since sukiyaki is cooked skillet-style with the iron pot, shabu shabu is considered a more authentic version of hot pot. Additionally, shabu shabu uses a type of broth called kombu (dried kelp) dashi, while sukiyaki uses a sweet-salty soy sauce, rather than a broth.

In Vietnam, hot pot is called lau, and typically contains more seafood than other hot pot variations. Michelle

Nguyen, a third-year Vietnamese American student at the University of Florida, recalled fond experiences of hot pot, saying, “When I was in California I ate hot pot at my aunt’s place. The food was really good, and it was awesome having a meal with the family.”

Hot pot is also very popular in other Asian countries such as Thailand and South Korea, but there isn’t a specific name for the dish in these languages. For example, Koreans use the Japanese term, shabu shabu.

On the other hand, Thai people call it either suki or just hot pot, said first-year UF psychology major Asia Sai Dixon. Dixon is Thai American. She used to have hot pot very often while living in Thailand.

“One of my great hot pot memories is going to a popular hot pot place called MK at the end of every semester with my friends. And whenever I went with the adults, they always filled the whole pot with cabbage before I could put in my meat,” Dixon said. She learned to appreciate ingredients other than meat over time.

Ingredients

The ingredients that can go inside a hot pot are unlimited, but one of the most popular ingredients is thinly sliced meat. Vegetables, seafood, noodles, tofu, fishcakes and more can be included, but common ingredients used also vary between the different types of hot pot.

In her article for LA Weekly, Lynn Q. Yu said, “Tripe and goose intestines are standards of Chongqing hot pot.” Tripe absorbs the spicy broth, and goose intestines offer a nice, chewy texture. For the sauce, sesame oil provides a nice balance to the spiciness of the broth.

Since lau is more seafood based, the ingredients used reflect that. “We use chicken stock, fish sauce and lots of seafood ingredients, such as fish, squid, shellfish, meats and veggies,” said Nguyen.

Like many other versions of hot pot, meat is crucial in Thai suki. Dixon said that there are usually slices of chicken, pork, beef and lots of vegetables on the table as well as a spicy suki sauce that’s made with chili and lime.

Now that the ingredients are prepared, it’s time to eat.

How To Enjoy

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to make hot pot. Dunk different ingredients into the simmering broth, but take note that each ingredient will cook at different speeds. In a guide for China Highlights, travel writer Annie Wu recommends the ingredients that take the longest to cook should go in first. On the other hand, Nguyen’s approach is the complete opposite.

“It depends on the person but for me, I put the vegetables in before the meat because they cook fast,” Nguyen said. Once the ingredients are cooked, sauces come into play. Sauces give each ingredient a little extra flavor. In other words: cook, dip, eat and repeat.

The cooking method is one of hot pot’s unique qualities. “I think hot pot is popular because you can cook it at your own pace,” Ou said. Ou eats hot pot very often now because she works in a hot pot restaurant. Before working at Nine Spices Fondue, though, she ate hot pot primarily during holidays like Chinese New Year because it was easy to prepare and there would be plenty of food for everyone.

Similarly, Nguyen said, “Hot pot brings friends and families together to eat, whether it’s for the holidays or whenever I come and visit from school. It’s a very rich and filling dish to eat.”

“We often take advantage of precooked food, but cooking with family and friends is a great way to bond,” Dixon said.

Hot pot is impactful for this reason. It connects people. That’s why it spread across so many Asian cultures. As long as you and y o u r l o v e d ones are

Dixon thinks that hot pot i s u n i q u e b e c a u s e i t ’s interactive and fun. “It’s like a form of entertainment to cook your own food. When I add my meat, they disappear into the abyss.” And while w a t c h i n g i t s w i m inside the pot, she can hear the laughter and chatter coming from the people sitting around her.

gathered around a gigantic pot of boiling broth and small dishes of various ingredients, hot pot will always be meaningful.

Impact

While hot pot is a great source for eating some delicious food, it is also a great way to spend time with friends and family. The traditional way to enjoy hot pot is with a group of people, like the Mongolian horsemen did. Gathering around a table, sharing ingredients