Chinese Hot Pot ~

Hot Pot known as the Mongolian Hot Pot, usually refers to chinese varieties of steamboat stew.It is known as 'huo guo',where 'huo' means fire,'guo' means pot.

It consists of a simmering pot of stock at the center the table dining table.While the hot pot is kept simmering,ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked on the table.

There are often disagreement between different types of hot pot enthusiasts, some like to place the ingredients into the hot pot at a relaxed, leisurely pace ,while others prefer to throw everything at once and wait for the hot pot to return to a boil.


Regional variations

In Beijing (Peking), hot pot is eaten year-round. Typical Beijing hot pot is eaten indoors during the winter. Different kinds of hot pot can be found in Beijing - typically, more modern eateries offer the sectioned bowl with differently flavored broths in each section. More traditional or older establishments serve a fragrant, but mild, broth in the hot pot, which is a large brass vessel heated by burning coals in a central chimney. Broth is boiled in a deep, donut-shaped bowl surrounding the chimney.

The Manchurian hot pot (traditional Chinese: 東北酸菜火鍋) uses plenty of Suan cai (Chinese sauerkraut) (traditional Chinese: 酸菜; pinyin: suan cai) to make the pot's stew sour.

One of the most famous variations is the Sichuan or Szechuan "má là" (traditional Chinese: 麻辣 — "numb and spicy") hot pot, to which a special spice known as huā jiāo (traditional Chinese: 花椒 — "flower pepper" or Sichuan Pepper) is added. It creates a sensation on the tongue that is both spicy and burns and numbs slightly, almost like carbonated beverages.

In Thailand, hotpot is called "sukiyaki", although it is quite different from Japanese-style sukiyaki. A sauce, often mixed with broth from the hot pot, is based on tofu, sesame seed oil, chilis, and garlic.

In Vietnam, a hot pot is called lẩu, and the sour soup called canh chua is often cooked in hot pot style (called lẩu canh chua). The generic term for a salted fish hot pot is lẩu mắm. Some famous Vietnamese hot pots include: lẩu cá kèo, lẩu dê- goat hot pot, lẩu bông bí, lẩu cua tía tô, lẩu lươn chua me, lẩu cá trê om mẻ, lẩu vịt nấu sấu, lẩu măng chua, lẩu hải sản, and lẩu nấu chao.