Hot Pot 火锅

Overview

Chinese Name: 火锅
English Name: Hot Pot; Hotpot
Category: Sichuan Cuisine川菜
Main Ingredients: Meat; Vegetables

Hot Pot火锅, known as “antique soup古董羹” in ancient times, is one of the original delicacies in China. It is also a kind of food suitable for all ages. It is named for the “thump咕咚” sound when food is put into boiling water.

Hotpot generally refers to the cooking method of boiling all kinds of food with water or soup. At the same time, it can also refer to the cooking utensils used in this cooking method. It is characterized by eating while cooking or the pot itself has a heat preservation effect. When eating, the food is still steaming and the soup is one.

Typical hotpot ingredients include all kinds of meat, seafood, vegetables, bean products, mushrooms, egg products, staple foods, etc. put them into boiled water or special soup pot bottom and scald them before eating. Some eating methods will also be dipped in seasonings.

There are two theories about the origin of hotpot: one is that there was hotpot in the Warring States period战国时期, and the ancients took pottery pot as the pot. Another is that the hotpot began in the Han Dynasty汉代, “Dou斗” refers to hotpot. Hotpot objects were unearthed from the tomb of Haihun海昏侯 marquis in the Western Han Dynasty西汉. It can be seen that hotpot has a history of more than 2000 years in China.

The book of Wei魏书 also records that the hotpot made of copper during the Three Kingdoms period三国时期 was used to cook pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, fish, and other meat, but it was not popular at that time. Later, with the further development of cooking technology, all kinds of hotpots also appeared one after another.

In the Northern Song Dynasty北宋, the eating method of hotpot was very common among the people. Hotpot was sold in Kaifeng开封 taverns in Bianjing汴京 in winter. Lin Hong林洪 of the Southern Song Dynasty南宋 also introduced eating hotpot with friends in the recipe of “mountain family Qinggong山家清供”.

In the Yuan Dynasty元代, hotpot spread to Mongolia. In the Ming明代 and Qing Dynasties清朝, the hotpot was not only popular among the people, but also became a famous “court dish宫廷菜”, which was made of wild game such as pheasant. By the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China民国, dozens of different hotpots had been formed in the country, and each had its own characteristics.

During the Muromachi era日本室町时代, the hotpot was introduced into Japan from China in 1338. Japan calls hotpot “Shouxi Shao寿喜烧” or “hoe Shao锄烧”. Today, hotpot is also spread to the United States, France, Britain, and other countries.

The convenience and popular characteristics of hotpot catering are accepted and loved by consumers, especially the cold and dry weather in the north making the market potential of hotpot great. In addition, the operation mode of hotpot has also been constantly innovated. Chongqing hotpot, which is famous for “hemp麻, spicy辣, and hot烫”, is a southern hot pot, as well as a northern hot pot, which is mainly represented by instant boiled mutton.

How to make Hot Pot?

Ingredients：

A packet of hot pot ingredients
Some vegetables
Some meat
Some bean products
A piece of ginger
A green onion
Other favorite ingredients

Instruction:

Step 1, First, boil hot water and put the hot pot bottom material into the pot (the hot pot bottom material can be bought ready-made).
Step 2, Cut the ginger into pieces, cut the green onion into sections, and put it into the pot.
Step 3, Prepare the ingredients, which are not introduced carefully here. You can prepare whatever you like. Put it on a plate.
Step 4, Make hot pot dipping materials and mix peanut butter, sesame paste, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and other spices according to your own taste.
Step 5, After the water in the hot pot, is boiled, you can put the ingredients in it.
Step 6, After the ingredients are cooked, you can dip them into the food.