As some of you may know - I am an ultimate fan of hot pot. If One Direction magically became a boiling pot with a lot of yummy fish balls instead of a band, then I would be one of those screaming girls out there in the crowd. Ok.. bad joke, I think these cold and flu drugs are getting to my head.
There is no such thing in my dictionary as 'hot pot season' because I hotpot ALL YEAR ROUND. Yes! Call me crazy but I love the sweaty feeling while devouring into my precious little dumplings in the middle of summer (of course, the air con is turned on haha).
 |
Getting the hot pot groove on |
Each time I have hot pot, there are a gazillion few things that I must get. One of the first 'key' things I try to get is as many people as possible. I am going to come out clean and say it has nothing to do with the saying 'the more, the merrier' rubbish because to me, the more people means there would be more food and a great variety to feed my greedy stomach.
 |
Mixed fish and meat balls including fish balls with caviar (aka explosives) |
 |
Knotted vermicelli, tofu, Udon, Tofu puffs and of course mushrooms |
 |
Dumprings!
Sun Circle usu does a special of buy 3 packs for the price of 2 at most Asian grocceries |
 |
Fish tofu <3 |
 |
Meat for the boys including beef, pork and lamb |
 |
Fried tofu block and raddish |
 |
Corn and vegies |
 |
Shallots and corriander |
 |
Sauces |
 |
Chrysanthemum Tea |
Ok so maybe that was more than just a few things but where do I go from here? Firstly I HEART coriander and mushrooms. What is there to dislike?! The fishballs with the caviar on the insides are a must. I go through them like as if there is no tomorrow. They are a pricier than most other dumplings but they taste so good, especially when they pop in your mouth.
The corns are always a popular item. Each time they get thrown in and once cooked, I turn around for a few seconds and they are all gone! It is like you need to fight for them! Speaking of fighting though, I always need to fight for my chrysanthemum tea, esp for the very last popper. Hands down man!!! because these are my all time favourite poppers so when you combine that with hot pot. Words can not even begin to describe my love for food at that moment in time.
These are just a few of my favourites, I enjoy mixing things around so I would love for you to share some of your favourites too! The more ideas, the more exciting the next hot pot will be for our tummies!
Gotta go eat!!
Dear Shan Shan,
ReplyDeleteI think you are adorable. Your hot pot looks delicious. Personally, I find it a bit of a waste to boil corn coz it you still need to eat it after and the flavours would be all gone unless you throw it away which is a bit of a waste. Sweetness of stock will come from beautiful ingrediets.
I love doing yong tau foo as a hot pot and home party because it spreads the work among the guests and it's so interactive.
http://chopinandmysaucepan.com/yong-tau-foo-party-at-home
Hi Chopin - The yong tau foo looks really fun but also looks like a lot of effort!
DeleteYay for my finger cameo ^^
ReplyDeletePS: I was cutting away from me so it was safe even though the pic looks like i'm about to slice off my thumb...
Hi Ed - lol we should def do it again!
DeleteYou've got it all covered. I adore hot pot in winter, especially on those really cold nights. Nothing beats filling the belly with fish balls and warm spicy soup! GAHHHHHHHHHHH! Funnily enough I just had hot pot yesterday. Haha
ReplyDeleteHi Tina - speaking of, I could def do with some warm spicy soup right now!
DeleteIs it really bad to say I liked your joke about one direction- it summed up the love for food.
ReplyDeleteI have never tired the chrysanthemum tea, I hope I havent missed out on something all my life.
Winter is approaching fast- Cant wait to dig/fight others for hot pot
Hi Flick your food - you must try! it is soo good, esp when chilled in the fridge!
DeleteI couldn't agree more... i love hot pot!! ;D My sister and I always fight for the last peice of Knotted vermicelli lol.... never thought about adding corn to hot pot... shall do that next time! ;D
ReplyDeleteHi Kiki - adding corn sweetens the soup, try it next time!
DeleteYay for hot pot all year round!
ReplyDeleteHi Gaby - hi5!
DeleteHot pots are great all year round... but when the evenings are cold, nothing is better! I love the way the mushrooms get all silky smooth in the pot. YUM!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarahkate - we can never have too much mushrooms!
DeleteI love hot pot! I hot pot all year round too :) Funny, I actually just used those Searoy Fish Tofus for Indo Mi an hour ago lol
ReplyDeleteHi Ramen Ragg - i love fish tofu! something about it, i can just never get sick of
DeleteI love hotpot! :D only thing missing from that list is gluten ;) nomnom!
ReplyDeleteHi Julie - i knowww, I ran out of time to buy some that time!
Deleteoh my. i LOVE hotpot too! Your spread of food is yums! hehe Can never miss our fish toufu and the shabu shabu meats! NOMS!
ReplyDeleteSo true re more people.. Hot pot is only worth it when you can have a bit (or a lot) of everything!
ReplyDeleteAnd peanut butter? What the...?
omg i loveee the knotted vermicelli. and do u know its FAT FREE? ive never tried corn in a hot pot before though. ohoh, u HAVE TO try the fish ball with roe filling http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/9f-mYkAvZqsr_4I8P2KRHg?select=EOCuzxIuv0dgmvaQoUEf-w#EOCuzxIuv0dgmvaQoUEf-w
ReplyDeletehaha I buy the exact same things (pretty much the same brands too!) for hot pot! though i've never been fond of packet dumplings :/ but chrysanthemum or lemon tea ftw :D
ReplyDeletewhat an awesome idea... i love to have all of them in the pot. that is going to be tasty .. especially with mee.
ReplyDeleteLOL your One Direction joke was so funny! :P I love a good hot pot and it's getting to be hot pot weather!
ReplyDeleteYum! I want hot pot, you'll be saddened to hear I've never had one at home!
ReplyDeleteyou're making me crave hot pot! my sis bought an electric one and it hasn't been used since last winter (SHAME). will have to try the addition of corn, and we've never had it with dumprings *shock! horror!*
ReplyDeletethis is perfect! i'm planning to have hot pot at home for the long weekend. :)
ReplyDelete