How to Make Hot Pot at Home

Hot pot is one of the most social ways to eat: a pot of simmering broth in the middle of the table, plates of raw ingredients around it, and everyone cooking their own bites. I have eaten hot pot in Chengdu, where the broth runs red with dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns, and the good news is that the at-home version needs very little equipment. Here is what goes into a hot pot kit and how to put the night together.

What's in a hot pot kit?

• A heat source that sits on the table. An electric hot pot has one built in. Otherwise, use a portable induction burner.
• A divided pot, so you can run a spicy broth and a mild broth at the same time.
• Broth bases. Concentrated hot pot soup bases do the heavy lifting, so all you add is water.
• A dipping sauce bar: sesame paste, sa cha sauce and chili crisp, plus garlic, scallions and cilantro.
• Small strainer scoops, one per person, so nobody loses their food in the pot.
• The dippers: thinly sliced meat, tofu, vegetables, noodles and dumplings.

Electric hot pot or stovetop pot?

If you are buying from scratch, an electric hot pot with a divider is the simplest setup: one plug, one pot, adjustable heat. If you would rather have a stainless steel pot you can also use on the stove, get a divided pot and pair it with a portable induction burner. Check that the pot is induction compatible before you buy. A pot that drops to a lukewarm simmer is the most common reason hot pot at home falls flat.

Choosing your broths

Most tables want one of each. The spicy side is a Sichuan-style mala broth, rich with beef tallow, dried chilies and the tingle of Sichuan peppercorns. Start with half a packet of a spicy base, taste, and add more. You can always add heat, but you cannot take it out. The mild side can be a plain hot pot base or a simple chicken stock, and it is where delicate things like fish, leafy greens and dumplings shine.

Build a dipping sauce bar

The sauce is half the experience. Set out a few jars and let everyone mix their own bowl. Three good starting points:

• Northern style: sesame paste thinned with warm water, a splash of soy sauce, a pinch of sugar and chopped scallions.
• Taiwanese style: a spoonful of sa cha sauce, soy sauce and chopped cilantro, with a raw egg yolk stirred in if you like.
• Sichuan style: sesame oil with minced garlic and cilantro, which cools and coats every bite you pull from the spicy side. Add chili crisp for crunch.

What to cook in hot pot

Plan on a third to half a pound of protein per person, plus plenty of vegetables. Good choices include thinly sliced beef or lamb (look for hot pot or shabu shabu slices at an Asian grocery), shrimp, fish balls, firm or fried tofu, mushrooms, napa cabbage, bok choy, spinach, thin slices of potato or lotus root, frozen dumplings, and noodles to finish.

How to host hot pot night

1. Prep everything ahead. Slice, wash and arrange the ingredients on plates around the pot.
2. Fill the pot about two-thirds full with water and add a soup base to each side. Bring it to a boil, then lower it to a steady simmer.
3. Set out the sauce bar and let everyone build a bowl.
4. Cook in small batches. Thin slices of meat take seconds. Root vegetables and dumplings take a few minutes.
5. Top up with hot water or stock as the broth reduces, and save the noodles for the end, when the broth is at its most flavorful.

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