How to Make Hot Pot at Home - FeedMi Recipes (2024)

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How to make hot pot at home! For me, hot pot is more of an experience rather than just a dish. It’s fun and interactive to cook as you eat and hot pot at home can be cheaper and more satisfying than at restaurants!

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What is Hot Pot?

For me, hot pot is more of an experience rather than just a dish.

The centerpiece is a pot of broth at the dining table that is constantly simmering.

Surrounding the pot are various uncooked ingredients that each person can add into the broth and cook as they eat.

There are many different variations such as Chinese Sichuan hot pot, Japanese shabu-shabu, and Vietnamese lẩu to name a few.

The differences are in the flavors of the broth and the accompanying ingredients but they all have the same spirit.

This is my favorite thing to do when hosting friends or family.

It’s fun, interactive, and everyone can cook and eat exactly what they like!

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At Home Hot Pot Set Up

The two most important items you need to do hot pot at home is a pot and portable stove.

Pot

For the pot, I like to have multiple flavors of broth so I invested in a split pot.

The one I have is from H Mart and costs about $25.

If you just want one flavor, you can also use a regular pot.

I recommend a larger pot, about 4 quarts or more so you have room to add ingredients.

Stove

For the portable stove, I like to use a gas stove.

This is cordless so you can place it anywhere you like.

It is easy to use and requires a canister of butane fuel to power it.

Bring the pot of broth to a boil first on your stovetop so you don’t waste gas on the portable stove.

Instant Pot

A pot and portable stove can also be substituted for an Instant Pot.

If you use an Instant Pot, you may also need an extension cord if there is not an outlet within reach of your dining table.

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Hot Pot Ingredients

Before you can have the ultimate hot pot at home, you will need a variety of ingredients. This is the star of the show!

The four main categories of ingredients you should have are broth, protein, carbs, and veggies.

A recipe card is included below that you can bring to the grocery store with you, save, print out, or pin to Pinterest.

It includes my personal hot pot staples and plenty of food to feed 6 people.

The options are truly endless but here are a few suggestions:

Broth:

  • Little Sheep Hot Pot Soup Base – Hot
  • Haidilao Broth Flavor Hot Pot Seasoning
  • chicken broth
  • water
  • green onions
  • yellow onion
  • garlic cloves
  • ginger

Proteins:

  • assorted thinly sliced meats
    • thinly sliced beef ribeye
    • thinly sliced beef brisket
    • thinly sliced lamb shoulder
    • thinly sliced wagyu
  • frozen dumplings or wontons
  • assorted seafood
    • assorted fish balls
    • shrimp
    • scallops
    • fish
    • lobster
    • mussels
    • clams

Carbs:

  • handmade noodles
  • glass noodles
  • egg noodles
  • udon
  • cooked rice

Veggies:

  • kabocha squash
  • napa cabbage
  • enoki mushrooms
  • shiitake mushrooms
  • bok choy
  • tong hao
  • corn
  • fried tofu puffs

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Hot Pot Soup Bases

There are many different broths that you can create for hot pot.

You can opt to make it from scratch, use a hot pot soup base packet from an Asian grocery store, or even purchase broth from your favorite restaurant.

Store-Bought Soup Bases

My favorite to use for hot pot nights is the Little Sheep Hot Pot Soup Base – Hot packet.

You can find it at H Mart, 99 Ranch Market, your local Asian grocery store, or Amazon.

Little Sheep is a popular Chinese hot pot restaurant and I really enjoy their broth.

The “hot” flavor is savory, umami, and has the perfect amount of spice.

On the other hand, for a non-spicy option, I recommend the Haidilao Broth Flavor Hot Pot Seasoning packet.

Both of these options are for Chinese style hot pot broths.

Another broth flavor I’ve done at home is Thai tom yum.

The options are endless, get creative, and make whatever soup base you enjoy!

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How to Make Hot Pot at Home - FeedMi Recipes (5)
How to Make Hot Pot at Home - FeedMi Recipes (6)

Soup Base Enhancers

Regardless of the flavor, I like to start with the same base for the soup base.

Secondly, I add chicken broth for more depth, water, yellow onion, green onions, garlic, and ginger.

Then I add in the hot pot soup base flavor packets or seasonings.

I also like to have extra plain chicken broth or water on hand to add throughout the meal to refill. As you cook, the soup will evaporate and reduce.

The soup broth becomes more flavorful and concentrated, however it can get too salty.

The extra water or plain chicken broth helps to dilute it and add more liquid so you can continue cooking!

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How to Eat Hot Pot

Cooking the Ingredients

Part of the hot pot experience is cooking everything yourself.

Ingredients are served and presented on the dining table uncooked.

The pot of broth stays simmering throughout the meal.

Of course what you choose to add to the pot and how long you cook it, is personal preference.

The meats are thinly sliced so it only takes a few seconds to cook.

You can judge the doneness by the color. It is brown when fully cooked.

My personal favorite is when it is a little pink because the texture is nice and tender.

What Order to Add Ingredients

I also think there is an art to the order in which you add your ingredients.

Firstly, I like to start with veggies and seafood to flavor the broth.

Then cook the meats which adds more fat and flavor.

Lastly, I add the starchy items like noodles because it thickens up the broth.

If you’re still feeling hungry, at the very end, add rice to the broth to create congee.

One of my favorite things about hot pot is that the flavor of the soup just gets better as you eat!

However, if the water evaporates and becomes overly concentrated or salty, simply add in more water or plain chicken broth to dilute.

RELATED: HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN CONGEE (VIETNAMESE CHÁO GÀ)

Hot Pot Sauces

Hot pot to me is also all about the sauces! It’s fun to experiment with different combinations.

I love dipping everything in the sauce including meats, veggies, tofu, and fish balls.

When hosting, I like to create a little sauce bar with bottles of soy sauce, ponzu, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, goma or sesame sauce, chili oil, sriracha, chili peppers, vinegar, salt, pepper, cilantro, freshly minced garlic, and sliced green onions.

Here are some of my favorite combinations for inspiration: ponzu based, sesame based, and one with a raw yolk!

  • Ponzu based sauce: ponzu, soy sauce, cilantro, garlic, green onions, Thai chili, chili oil, sesame oil
  • Sesame based sauce: sesame sauce, cilantro, garlic, Thai chili, green onions, chili oil
  • Raw yolk sauce: garlic, chili oil, green onions, ponzu sauce, soy sauce, egg yolk

Hot Pot at Home vs. Restaurants

All You Can Eat Hot Pot

My favorite way to hot pot is at all you can eat hot pot restaurants.

If the price is $35/person or less then I definitely think it is worth it!

Hot Pot at Home

To do hot pot at home, there is certainly a lot of prep work and clean up.

However it can be cheaper and more satisfying than a la carte hot pot restaurants.

Comparatively, you can get all your favorite items and more food for the amount you’re paying.

My grocery bill for hot pot at home for about 4-6 people is usually around $100 for all the ingredients.

Everyone is usually stuffed by the end and we have a bit leftover too.

A La Carte Hot Pot

At a la carte restaurants, a basic cut of meat alone (not wagyu or premium cuts) can cost $15-$30/plate and you would need to have at least 1 plate per person to be satisfied.

However the benefit of going out for hot pot is that you don’t have to grocery shop, prep the ingredients/broth, or cleanup.

There are definitely pros and cons for each experience!

What to Make with Leftover Hot Pot Ingredients

Lastly, if you have any hot pot leftovers store them in a sealed container in the fridge.

Cooked ingredients should be stored separately from raw because of safety.

Additionally, carbs like noodles should be stored separately as well so they don’t get soggy.

If you have leftover ingredients such as broth, veggies, meat, here are some dishes you can make with it!

Congee

Bibimbap

Fried Rice

Save This Ultimate Guide for Hot Pot at Home!

I hope this guide for how to make hot pot at home was helpful and that you host your very own hot pot night (or day) with family and friends!

Remember to save this so you have all the tips and shopping list to have an epic hot pot feast!

Please leave a rating and comment below if you try it. I’d love to know what you think!

Did you make this recipe? I would love to see! Tag me on Instagram@feedmi_ or TikTok@feedmi

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Hot Pot at Home

How to make hot pot at home! It's fun & interactive to cook as you eat & hot pot at home can be cheaper and more satisfying!

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

PROTEINS:

  • 1 lb thinly sliced beef ribeye
  • 1 lb thinly sliced beef brisket
  • 1 lb thinly sliced lamb shoulder
  • 1 bag frozen dumplings or wontons
  • 1 lb assorted fish balls

BROTH:

  • 1 packet Little Sheep Hot Pot Soup Base – Hot
  • 1 packet Haidilao Broth Flavor Hot Pot Seasoning
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 green onions
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 ginger

CARBS/VEGGIES:

  • 6 servings handmade noodles, udon, and/or cooked rice
  • 1 kabocha squash
  • 1 napa cabbage
  • enoki mushrooms
  • bok choy
  • fried tofu puffs

Instructions

  • Wash and cut vegetables. Arrange all proteins, carbs, and veggies onto different plates.

  • In a split pot on medium heat, combine 4 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of water to each side.

  • To each side of the split pot, add ½ yellow onion, 1 inch piece of ginger, white portions of 2 green onions, and 3 garlic cloves.

  • Add the different flavored soup bases to each side of the split pot. Bring to a boil.

  • Serve with the uncooked proteins, carbs, and veggies. Add items to the split pot as you eat, cook, and enjoy!

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How to Make Hot Pot at Home - FeedMi Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What are the main ingredients in hot pots? ›

There are SO many different ways to do hot pot, and the beauty is in the freedom you have to get as creative as you'd like. Generally, you'll want a variety of leafy green vegetables, mushrooms, meat & seafood (Cantonese hot pot is known for its seafood), some root vegetables, and some rice or noodles to go with it.

What are the best noodles for hotpot? ›

Though all noodles are good noodles, I've recently started using mostly rice or bean-based varieties because they don't cloud the broth with starch or stick to the bottom of the pot (a pain during post-meal cleaning). My favorites include mung bean glass noodles, vermicelli, pho noodles, and egg noodles.

What veggies go in a hot pot? ›

Hearty and leafy, look for greens that retain texture after cooking like bok choy, watercress, snow pea leaves, Napa cabbage, Chinese spinach, gai lan and green onions. Look for daikon, carrots, small potatoes and either cut into cubes or thinly sliced.

What meat is good for hot pot? ›

Just about any meat is hot-pot-appropriate meat. Beef, pork, and lamb are best prepped as paper-thin slices. Dip them a few times in the hot-pot broth, and in a few seconds they're done.

Are hot pots unhealthy? ›

Hotpot can be a healthy meal, but it depends on the soup, the ingredients chosen, how much is eaten, and what it's accompanied with,” said Anna Lim, the lead clinical dietitian at Pulse TCM. It can easily become a meal heavy on calories, fat and sodium if you aren't careful.

What is the chemical in self heating hot pots? ›

The self-heating agent for food heating comprises 20 to 150 parts of calcium oxide, 5 to 30 parts of iron powder, 2 to 20 parts of quartz sand, 0.5 to 15 parts of anhydrous potassium carbonate, 1 to 6 parts of anhydrous calcium chloride, 6 to 10 parts of sodium hydroxide and 5 to 10 parts of sodium chloride; the self- ...

What to cook first in hotpot? ›

Put meat or fish balls into the hotpot first.

These will take around 5 minutes total to cook, so give them a head start before adding other ingredients. The balls should puff up and float once they're finished cooking. Always use caution when adding food to the hotpot because the broth could splash and cause burns.

Do you drink the broth in Hotpot? ›

You can drink the broth throughout your meal or save it until the end when it's soaked up all the lovely flavours from your ingredients. Remember, it's a communal meal, so don't be greedy! Share out the food and enjoy the experience together.

What's the difference between stew and hotpot? ›

Hotpot: a mixture of meat and vegetables, usually including sliced potatoes, cooked slowly in a covered dish inside a cooker. Stew: a type of food consisting usually of meat or fish and vegetables cooked slowly in a small amount of liquid.

What is typically in hot pot? ›

Typical hot pot ingredients include thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, vermicelli, sliced potatoes, bean products, egg dumplings, tofu, and seafood.

What kind of broth is used for hot pot? ›

Ingredients For Hot Pot Broth:

Chicken broth – We like to use chicken broth for it's light taste. You can also add beef or pork bone broth for extra creaminess. Shiitake mushrooms – I buy dried shiitake mushrooms and store them in my pantry and use them for broths and soups.

What are the best things to put in a hot pot? ›

Hot Pot Ingredients. This is the MOST fun part of hot pot. If you love variety and eating a bunch of different things in one meal, this is the meal for you! The best kind of hot pot contains a little thinly sliced meat, a little seafood, some veg, tofu, dumplings, and noodles of course!

What cuts to use for hot pot? ›

Thinly sliced cuts of ribeye, sirloin, or flank beef work best for hot pot as they cook quickly. These are typically sold in Asian grocery stores in the frozen section intended for hot pot. If you're unable to find pre-sliced beef, partially freeze a beef steak and carefully slice thinly using a sharp knife.

What is the difference between steamboats and hotpot? ›

Steamboat is a Chinese style fondue where you cook raw meat, fish and vegetables in a boiling broth at your table. More generally it is known as hot-pot, with Malaysia and Singapore exclusively christening it Steamboat. The food is cooked in a steamboat cooker which gently heats the broth for the duration.

What is the thing you put hot pots on? ›

A small plate or stand that you put a hot serving dish on is called a trivet. Your famous chicken noodle casserole might need to rest on a trivet so you don't burn your kitchen table. Anything placed on a table to protect it from a hot pan can be called a trivet.

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