use real butter

While I was pondering a non-trad Thanksgiving menu, HolyBasil reminded me of a favorite dish from my childhood: Chinese hot pot. Call it what you want, huo guo, shabu shabu, fondue… it’s delicious and fun. My mom prepared this on cold nights and it was perfect for someone as picky as my sister. I distinctly recall the steam rising from the broth in the electric wok, fogging the insides of every window in the kitchen. The wok was the centerpiece of the table, surrounded by plates and bowls of colorful vegetables, meats, noodles, and tofu - ready to be picked and cooked. My mother hand sliced everything with such precision and laid out all of the ingredients in beautiful fans.

a modest spread

Typically I like to serve beef (flank steak), chicken (breast), shrimp, tofu, cuttlefish balls, tempura fish cake, bean thread noodles, spinach, napa cabbage, preserved mustard green, and green onions. Wash, peel, chop, slice everything in advance. To slice the meats thin, I freeze them for an hour or more until they are firm, but not rock solid. I soak the noodles in cold water for 30 minutes and then drain. In the electric wok, I usually pour a carton of chicken broth (I happened to have homemade broth this time - woohoo!) and dilute it with some water. Cover the wok and let the liquid come to a boil, once boiling add half of the noodles, some tofu, some fish balls, and some of the greens. When the broth returns to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

bean thread or cellophane noodles are a staple in my version of hot pot

love the greens

The key ingredient that goes into your own bowl is a spoonful (or two) of sa tsa jian - barbecue sauce. The only brand we ever get is Bullhead. I include the picture because like most of you, I can’t read Chinese *hangs head in shame*. Good thing I have such a visual memory because that is how I shop in Asian markets - labels. The ingredients aren’t anything scary, just ground up dried shrimp, brill fish, chili, garlic, oil, salt…

chinese barbecue sauce: it makes the meal

Good stuff. We add the green onions and preserved mustard green to our bowls and in my case, some wonderful chili garlic paste for kick.

awaiting soy sauce

Pour in as much soy sauce and sesame oil as you desire. The bowl will be fantastically salty at this stage, but you are supposed to dilute it with ladles of broth, noodles, and vegetables from the hot pot. As the liquid level lowers during the meal, replenish with hot water (we have a kettle of hot water at the ready).

Shrimp is something I only include when we have guests or if I am feeling particularly indulgent. Fresh is best. I peel and devein my shrimp and then I butterfly them open. It helps them cook more evenly - in the hot pot, they cook in less than a minute - and they curl up into a beautiful shape, like a blossom.

lovely shrimpies, i cannae resist ye

Chinese hot pot is a veritable mini buffet. People get their bowls ready with the spices and seasonings they want, then select what to eat, place it in the hot pot and let it cook. As food becomes ready to eat, they place it in their own bowl. You can graze (eat as it comes) or feast (fill your bowl and chow down). Whenever I serve this dish to my non-Asian friends, they go nuts over it. Beautiful in its simplicity, I just prep the food and they cook it to their liking - everyone is happy. The whole meal is remarkably fresh and healthy.

cooking a slice of flank steak

In my family, some things are communal - like the bean thread noodles, spinach, fish balls… Other items are personal: chicken, shrimp, beef. Let me rephrase that, Kris and I considered the meat personal and we would cook them in our own little “corner” of the pot. My parents seemed to regard the whole thing as communal and we would have to be vigilant for The Stir. That is when one of my parents, deep in conversation, would take their chopsticks and give the entire pot a huge stir while our cries of lost shrimp or beef would go unheeded. You see, Kris and I liked to cook our beef pink, not gray and the difference was literally seconds.

Of course, you can get as simple or as elaborate as you like. My parents have included scallop, grouper, pork, fried tofu, chinese mushrooms, snow peas, pork meatballs (similar to the filling in dumplings)… and Jeremy and I have prepared it with what I consider the bare essentials: beef, spinach, noodles, fish balls. I just want to warn folks that if you don’t have a trusted electric wok or electric cook pot, be sure to get one that is well made and safe. Our old one had a frayed cord, so we bought a new one two years ago on sale for $40. It has horrible temperature regulation and we have to use a heavy duty extension cord because it will melt a standard extension cord due to its 1500W draw. Don’t want your hot pot to turn into a house fire, okay?

a delicious party in my bowl

Chinese Hot Pot - Huo Guo
to serve 6

3/4 lb flank steak, sliced thin
3/4 lb chicken breast, sliced thin
1 lb fresh medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and butterflied
1 pkg fishcake tempura, sliced
1 pkg cuttlefish balls
16 oz tofu, sliced
16 oz bean thread noodles (aka cellophane noodles), rehydrated in cold water and drained
8 oz baby spinach leaves, washed
12 leaves napa cabbage, washed, trimmed, cut
1 quart chicken broth
1 quart water
extra hot water on reserve

sauce
Chinese barbecue sauce (Bullhead brand)
soy sauce
sesame oil
chili garlic paste (optional)
1 bunch green onions, washed, trimmed and minced
6 oz preserved mustard green, minced

special equipment
electric wok or electric cook pot

Pour broth and water into wok and turn temperature to high. When liquid begins to boil, add half of the noodles, half of the tofu, half of the fish balls, handfuls of spinach and napa cabbage. Cover and let return to boil. Prepare individual bowls with sauce ingredients. When soup is boiling, remove the lid and reduce heat to an active simmer. Select various meats or other ingredients to place in wok and cook. When items are cooked, retrieve them from the wok and place in your own bowl. Ladle a few spoonfuls of soup, noodles, and vegetables into your bowl. Continue to add hot water to the wok as the level decreases. Enjoy!

Hrm, some recent developments might require that I curtail the posting frequency. Not sure. We’ll see how it goes in the next few weeks.

A few folks have inquired about the lunch I had in this entry, so I figured I should write it up seeing as it is a great dish in cold weather months.

Chinese noodle soups in my mind are as versatile as sandwiches. You can put whatever you want in them. I think of it in terms of a few major components: the noodles, the broth, the fixins. Noodles can be bean thread (aka glass noodles), soba, somen, iron man, ramen, rice noodles, and the list goes on. The broth is whatever you want it to be. The fixins can be vegetables, meat, leftover stir-fry, delicious spicy chili radishes (my fav!)…

We’ll start with one of my standards: soy sauce chicken. It’s just chicken drumsticks simmered for a few hours, but what you get is chicken and a lovely aromatic broth.

ginger, green onions, sugar, star anise

I like using organic chicken. If you’ve ever made broth from organic chicken and from conventional chicken, the fats are completely different. When I refrigerate the broth to remove the fat, the conventional chicken is practically a yellow disc of fat whereas the organic chicken renders an almost colorless and slightly liquid fat.

layer the chicken and add the rest of the ingredients

The star anise adds a nice accent to the soy sauce base. Simmer for a couple of hours or until the chicken is falling off the bone.

chicken is done

Usually, after the chicken is cooked, I remove the drumsticks from the broth and chuck the skins and bone. I store the chicken meat in a tupperware. The broth is poured into a bowl or tupperware and refrigerated for defatting. Now on to noodles. My favorite noodles (almost a comfort food, really) are Japanese somen noodles.

and this is the brand i buy

My grandmother used to make these noodles for me when I was a little girl. They cook in no time flat, so be sure they don’t turn too soggy (like a couple of minutes). I prefer to boil them in water rather than the broth because the noodles tend to make the broth starchy and the whole thing is just too salty. Once the noodles are cooked, drain them and place in a bowl.

delicate, thin somen

In the same pot I just used, I’ll heat up some of the broth with a little water (it’s somewhat concentrated broth). When it comes to a boil I chuck in pieces of the chicken along with greens - my favorite being spinach.

pot o’ flavor

Pour the contents over the noodles. If I’m feeling decadent, I’ll add a poached egg (runnnnnny) and I always top the whole thing off with some spicy chili radishes. That bowl will take your energy into the wee hours, really.

so easy!

Soy Sauce Chicken

4-6 chicken drums (organic is preferable)
4-5 stalks green onions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 slices ginger root, peeled
2-3 whole star anise
2/3 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
enough water to cover the chicken

Place all ingredients in a pan with a tight lid (or use a crockpot). Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer so that when you cover the pot, the liquid will not boil over. Simmer for 2 hours. I like to remove the bone and skin from the chicken and serve the meat with the broth over Chinese noodles with bok choy, napa cabbage, or spinach for a Chinese noodle soup.

Confession time. Until just a few years ago, whenever I heard the words butternut squash I envisioned the acorn squash. I was not much of a squash consumer other than zucchini and pumpkin. I was squash stupid. It was when Nicole and Andrew had us over for homemade butternut squash ravioli one evening that I became enamored with the lovely gourd.

butternut squash

the guts

Since then, I’ve had several encounters with butternut squash soup, and I love it! Searching for recipes there are several variants in the supporting cast of ingredients and I am never sure which ones to try. Yesterday I gave the apple variation a go, except I was shy a Granny Smith, so tossed in one of our snacking apples to boot. I also roasted my butternut squash. I love the sweet and nutty accents roasting can bring out in certain foods. However, has anyone figured out how to get that gel-like excretion from the rind off of your hands? It is ridiculously tenacious.

roasted, peeled, and chopped

a granny smith and a honey crisp

The apples, shallots, and onion were simmered in chicken broth for a half hour. Meanwhile, I puréed the butternut squash. I had to snarf several cups of chicken broth from the pot to get the squash to purée properly - but it all goes in the soup eventually.

simmer in broth

slightly chunky pueée - call it rustic

When the apples and co. were soft, I drained off the broth, reserving it for later, and puréed the solids. Then everything got mixed together in a large pot: the squash, apples and co., and broth. Add salt and pepper for taste and the most important part - a half stick of butter. My justification: there is a lot of soup. The recipe I have written down calls for marjoram, but marjoram and I are not friends so I left her off the guest list.

applesauce of sorts

I find the color of butternut squash to be a breathtaking orange. It makes for terrific presentation on its own. But I can’t help embellishing it with some extra garnish for added flavor and eye candy. The soup is delicious, although I am curious to try a celery/carrot/onion grouping next time.

daub of unsweetened whipped cream and crumbled bacon for the pretty

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
I swear this could serve over a dozen people

2 medium butternut squash
2 green apples, peeled, cored, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 tsp fresh marjoram (optional - I omitted)
2 qts chicken broth
salt
pepper
2 oz. butter

Cut squashes in half or quarters and scoop out the seeds. Roast in a 400F oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until soft. Peel and chop the squash. Boil onions, apples, and shallots in broth and simmer for 30 minutes or until soft. Purée the squash adding broth from the simmering pot as needed (I needed a few cups). Strain the apples, onions, and shallots from the broth and reserve the liquid. Purée the solids. Add both purées to the broth and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the butter and heat the soup until it just begins to simmer. Serve hot.