What is a Hot Pot?
Learn about a popular dish found in many Asian countries!
Hot pot has interesting beginnings. Some say ancient Mongolians used metal helmets as pots, filling them with water and cooking meat over an open flame, which later evolved into today's hot pot. Another potential origin is in China, where families have cooked together around a pot on a heating source since the Tang Dynasty (7th-10th centuries). It's hard to say, but today, many cuisines in Asia feature a style of hot pot.
- China is proud of its many kinds of hot pots, with broadly different styles in the north and south. Broths range from dark and fiery to clear and subtle, and different meats, seafood, and vegetables are cooked in them.
- Taiwan is known for its food; it is easy to find hot pot styles around its region. It also has its style, including dipping sauces made with shacha sauce.
- One style of Japanese hot pot is known as "nabe," with a soy or miso broth and thinly sliced meat, tofu, seafood, vegetables, and noodles.
- Korean Jeongol has a spicy broth in which morsels like Kimchi, spam, sausages, vegetables, and noodles are cooked.
- In Laos, "sin joom" and "seen joom/joum" are prepared in brown clay pots with various ingredients, including meats and seafood.
- Cambodia's unique hot pot is known as "yao hon" or "chhnang pleurng." It uses coconut milk as the base for the soup.
- Suki is a mild Thai hot pot with clear broth featuring a variety of ingredients like sliced meat, seafood, and vegetables. Mu Kratha is another variety that combines barbecue grilling with hot pot cooking.
- Vietnam's "lẩu" or "cù lao" sometimes includes seafood-infused hot pots, canh chua soup-base hot pots, and those flavored with salted fish.
So, now that you have had a quick look at just some of the hot pots that chefs have created over the centuries, it's time to share some with your teachers and classmates.
If you want to join the Tutorium's Hot Pot Party, please sign up here to bring something to the potluck.
We hope to see you there!
Discussion Idea: Each of these is a type of hot pot from a different country. Do you recognize any of them? Have you tried any? Is one of these your favorite foods? What is your experience with, and knowledge of, hot pot?"