You may be wanting to spend some quality time with the family these days as the winter months continue. One great way to share an evening together is to have a hot pot meal and then game or movie night. In many countries around the world, friends and families have dined together and cooked in a common pot, especially during the winter months. Most of these hot pot meals consist of a base broth, thinly sliced meats and fish, leafy green vegetables, roots and mushrooms as well as dumplings, tofu, and thin strands of clear pasta or soup noodles served with rice and dipping sauces. Cooking at the table can be a really fun thing to do as a family, especially with children. As long as you make sure they stay far away from the hot pot, they can help by adding ingredients and sharing in the meal. Here are a few different hot pot meals, inspired by various cultures around the world.
BEFORE YOU START….
1. You will need a hot plate, a simple one burner hot plate will be just fine. Or a Fondue pot with a heat source (such as a fuel cell or candle) at the bottom.
2. An extension cord (if you are using a hot plate), as most hot plate cords are not long enough to reach from the table to an available outlet. Hot plates are recommended over the fondue pot, when available, because the heat can be adjusted to suit your cooking needs.
3. A metal pot. There are many designed just for hot pot cooking, or you can just use a stock pot or deep two handled pot of any kind.
4. Chopsticks, long forks, tongs or skewers for cooking.
Hot pot cooking has been around for hundreds of years, here are some fun ideas you can try at home.
JAPAN, SHABU SHABU
Shabu Shabu or (Swish Swish) in Japanese is the art of cooking thinly sliced meats and dipping them in sauces. Added to the water are glass noodles, green leaf vegetables, pumpkins, tofu and other items that can be boiled. Here is a great and easy to follow recipe from About.com SHABU SHABU
Another great thing about Shabu Shabu is, depending on the items you use, it can be an inexpensive home meal as you can substitute the expensive cuts of meat for fish, tofu and vegetables to save money.
CHINA, CHINESE SEAFOOD FONDUE
As in Japan, there is a hot pot tradition in China, where guest sit around a table and enjoy cooking a meal together in a communal pot. This seafood recipe is delicious and very healthy. Here is the recipe and instructions to create a fun family meal.
FRENCH FONDUE
The French also have a version of hot pot cooking, which you can do either by using oil or broth. In French versions the meat is cubed rather than thinly sliced and served with bread and salad. The French and Swiss also do a cheese and chocolate variation as well for appetizer and desert. Here are links to French Fondue recipes.
FRENCH FONDUE This recipe is listed in the French Food and Cook website and gives simple instructions how to prepare and cook a traditional French Fondue.
Cheese Fondue is fun when served with little cubes of French bread and eaten with cornichon (small pickles) Allrecipes.com has an easy and delicious…
And to top it all off you can serve an amazing Chocolate Fondue that might just bring you close to heaven.
The Foodnetwork.com has a nice CHOCOLATE FONDUE recipe which is also easy do and fun for all.
Hot pot cooking really brings the family and friends together on cold nights to share cooking and eating experiences together. After your meal, bust out some board games or a favorite movie and cuddle up together and enjoy spending time together.
