Hot Pot Heaven

Posted by on April 28, 2011

Hot Pot steamOne of my favorite things to eat in Taiwan was Hot Pot. When I got back from Taiwan the first time I was disappointed that there were no Hot Pot places in Logan,Utah. After Mark and I went to Taiwan we learned how to make it ourselves and even found the dipping sauce that they used in Taiwan at an Asian market in Provo,Utah.
We would get together with friends in Provo that were from Taiwan or had been there and had the same love of Hot Pot as us and we’d have big gatherings and sit,eat and talk for hours. We didn’t have Hot Pot at a restaurant again until we moved to WA about 7 yrs ago and some friends took us to one in Seattle. Up until then we had always made our own at home and we still do.

We started having Hot Pot on either New years eve or day and would invite friends over. It’s such a great meal to have when it’s cold outside and you have a lot of friends come over. saucesFor those that don’t know what it is you can check it out on Wikipedia. Some friends wouldn’t eat it with us because we add a raw egg to the sauce. We’ve eaten it that way for about 16 yrs and none of us have ever gotten sick because of it, but to each his own.

Julia and MarkWe like to add things to the broth like, pork,beef,lamb,baby bok choy,mushrooms,shrimp,fish balls (and a new favorite after being here in Beijing),squid balls or “ink balls” as the waitress called it,cabbage,noodles and so much more yummy stuff. You add it to the hot water and when it’s cooked (you have to keep an eye on what you threw into the pot) you take it out with your chopsticks and dip it in your individual sauce bowl and then enjoy.

Hot PotWe met some friends last week at a Hot Pot place near our home. I didn’t totally love the place because they were out of all the stuff I like the most and what Miles likes (so then he wouldn’t eat anything and kept taking the chopsticks and doing experiments with the food)and the pot was kind of strange. It had this cylinder in the middle to keep the water hot but then it didn’t really give us much room to add the food. Plus every time I added the meat it stuck to the sides and I couldn’t peel it off. Nonetheless it was good but I think we’ll find another place next time. Miles class this week has been exploring Beijing and yesterday they went to a Hot Pot restaurant. He came home so happy, telling me about all the stuff they put in it that he loved. If you have a chance to eat Hot Pot and haven’t tried it before, please do so. Take a bunch of friends and a couple hours to enjoy it and I think you will really like it.

3 Responses to Hot Pot Heaven

  1. Teresa

    Hot pot is GREAT! But I can only TRULY enjoy in the dead of winter in Beijing when the warmth of the boiling pot feels SO good! ha

  2. Heather

    Try Haidilao Huoguo – it is fantastic. They have long queues but they offer free manicures, fruit and sunflower seeds while you wait. There is one in Sanlitun. And I think you can even get home delivery (or stop by the restaurant in the middle of the night as they are 24hrs.)

  3. Stacey

    wow, 24hr hot pot! Only in Asia. I love it.

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