Flavored Hot Pot Banquet

Flavored Hot Pot Banquet

　　The Flavored Hot Pot Banquet has its origins in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, gained popularity in the Tang Dynasty, and became quite common in the food markets of Dongjing (Kaifeng) during the Northern Song Dynasty. It flourished even more during the Qing Dynasty. In the 1980s, the Flavored Hot Pot Banquet at the Hui Ethnic Food Building in Kaifeng was quite famous, offering three well-known hot pot dishes.

　　Lamb Hot Pot: also known as Lamb Shabu-Shabu, commonly called Shabu-Shabu Lamb. Features: Carefully selected ingredients, fine knife work, exquisite seasonings, and proper heat control. Preparation and serving method: Select lamb from premium cuts such as upper month, three-fork, and inner thigh, sliced thinner than one millimeter; prepare a dipping sauce with fermented tofu, sesame paste, cooking wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, shrimp oil, along with chopped cilantro, scallion shreds, and chive flower. Place a copper hot pot on the dining table, heat charcoal until red-hot to bring the broth to a rolling boil. Use chopsticks to dip thin slices of lamb into the boiling broth for a few seconds, ensuring perfect doneness—neither raw nor overcooked—then dip in the sauce. Serve with fresh cabbage hearts, sweet pickled garlic, glass noodles, and spinach for added refreshment. The leftover broth, mixed with the dipping sauce, becomes a delicious and rich soup.

　　Mixed Hot Pot: also called Premium Hot Pot, symbolizing "a single dish worthy of a noble’s table," often served as the final course of a banquet. Its ingredients vary by region, resulting in many different versions. Based on ingredient selection, it is divided into two major styles: northern and southern. The Mixed Hot Pot at the Hui Ethnic Food Building belongs to the northern style and is a halal mixed variety. Preparation: Line the bottom of the pot with cabbage, then layer cooked chicken pieces, sheep tripe, beef omasum, meatballs, smoked fish, dried shrimp, squid slices, sea cucumber, fragrant mushrooms, bamboo shoots, golden needles, and wood ear mushrooms. Pour in premium broth, ignite the charcoal, and once the broth boils, it’s ready to eat in just a few minutes. The Mixed Hot Pot offers a rich, savory, and aromatic taste, making it a delicacy on the dining table.

　　Chrysanthemum Hot Pot: The Chrysanthemum Hot Pot was popular in the late Qing imperial court and has been a tradition in Kaifeng for nearly a hundred years. It features exquisite ingredients and preparation methods, primarily using fresh fish, and comes in variations of “Four Raw” and “Eight Raw.” Preparation: Fill the hot pot with chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Wash white chrysanthemum petals, tear them into strips, and sprinkle them into the broth. Once the fragrance of the chrysanthemums infuses the broth, add raw slices of meat and chicken to blanch, then dip in the sauce to eat. Its aroma is intoxicating and uniquely flavorful, considered a premium delicacy among hot pot varieties.