Hot Pot

Hot Pot

　　Hot pot is a long-standing dining custom of the Manchu people. It has now become a popular culinary style in northern China and is gradually spreading to the south. Especially in winter, when the outdoors is freezing with ice and snow, indoors the hot pot boils with sizzling meat aromas wafting through the air. Everyone gathers around the hot pot to eat. When the fire dies down, more charcoal is added; when the broth gets low, more water is poured in. People cook and eat simultaneously, creating a very lively atmosphere. There are also versions that use gas, electricity, or alcohol as fuel. The typical way to enjoy hot pot is: bring chicken broth (or plain water) to a boil, then add ingredients such as shrimp, crab, matsutake mushrooms, seaweed, ginger, MSG, and salt, along with pickled vegetables (or Chinese cabbage) and vermicelli. Depending on dietary preferences, thinly sliced pork, lamb, or beef can be boiled or blanched, then dipped in a sauce made from ingredients like chive flower, fermented tofu, chili oil, sesame paste, and MSG. The broth is rich and the meat tender, offering endless flavor. Nowadays, this ancient dining tradition has made its way into hotels and restaurants, gracing their “refined tables.”