Cooking your own food at a restaurant? I know. It sounds a little bizarre.
Are you tired of eating the same burgers, pasta, and pizza when you go out to eat? Try Chinese hot pot instead! You’re probably looking at the picture and thinking “is it just a boiling pot? What’s so special about it? Why would I pay to cook my own food?” Don’t fret my friend, I’ll answer all of your questions.
What is Hot Pot?
Hot pot directly translates to “fire pot” in Chinese. Essentially, it is a large metal pot with simmering broth over a burner in the middle of the table. There are plates of meat, seafood, and veggies surrounding it. Diners add the ingredients to the broth to cook and beat eaten. Think of it as an all you can eat buffet, but you cook it yourself and share it with your friends. What makes hot pot so fun is how it’s an interactive activity to do with friends.
How to Eat It:
There is no proper guide on how to eat hot pot, but there are some helpful tips to go by. When you first arrive at your table, you’ll see a massive menu with many food ingredient options. The first thing you’ll check off is the broth. The broth type will depend on the restaurant, but most will have the basic spicy and milk bone marrow broth. You can have either one big pot of a single broth or have the best of both worlds and get a split pot! Next, you’ll want to choose your ingredients. At hot pot, you normally get three rounds, so I would advise not ordering too much food during the first round. Every ingredient comes with a certain number of servings. For example, one serving of lamb is ten pieces. So, if you want 30 pieces of lamb, order three servings.
After you give the server your checklist, it is time for one of my favorite parts: the sauce bar! Yes, you can create your own sauce. The traditional sauce is three scoops of sesame sauce and one scoop of chives. There is no right way to make a sauce. There’s soy sauce, sesame sauce, shacha (Chinese BBQ sauce), sugar, vinegar, cilantro, chives, and much more! Don’t like your combination? Grab a bowl and try again! By this time, your broth filled pot will be at your table. The staff will bring over all the ingredients you ordered. It can be overwhelming to see everything laid out in front of you. Once the pot is boiling, it is time to eat!
For most of the ingredients, it doesn’t take long for them to cook. In hot pot, the meat is sliced thinly so it can cook faster. It will cook in a matter of seconds! I suggest putting any starches like potatoes or noodles first so they can cook longer. If you’re eating the spicy broth, put in veggies near the end. The veggies will collect all of the spicy goodness and take away the bite. You can also drink the soup! Once all the meat and seafood have been soaking it in, the soup is delicious! It is fun to put in food, forget you put it in, and find it again. Most hot pot restaurants are between $25 to $30 without tip and tax.
Luckily for all the Hawai’i Pacific University students out there, there is a great hot pot restaurant straight from China near campus! On the second floor of Ward Village is Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot. I go there a lot, so I highly suggest it. I hope you guys give hot pot a try. Who knows, you might become a frequent hot potter like myself!