My Hot Pot Soup

Hot pot soup is a common name for a soup served in Asia. Hot pot is not a spicy soup unless it is made hot. Basically, Asians love soup no matter what time of the day. However, the hot pot soup is more often served at family meals. The hot pot broth always comes from meat, seafood, or vegetable stocks, which depends on the mood of cooks who prepare it. My hot pot recipe is a combination of both meat and vegetable-kombu broths. I find this recipe is very healthy to eat, and it can please both meat eaters and strict vegetarians. Using beef for this recipe will be similar to the Sukiyaki hot pot served in Japan. Adding hot chili paste will create a taste like Korean hot pot. Using leaf mustard (long-lived vegetables) in the soup will ensure it being on the table for Chinese New Year's Eve. The main ingredients are any kinds of vegetables and meat. This is a typical Asian hot pot recipe, and cooks can choose salty or sweet sauce whatever is preferable. A lot of famous hot pot soups in restaurants are well known, but the healthiest one is always the one prepared at home.

 Ingredients:
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups vegetable broth
1 chicken breast, thinly sliced
10 mussels, cleaned
One 4 oz salmon fillet
1 cup combination of fresh mushrooms, such as oyster, button, shitake, or enoki
1 tsp salt
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs fresh ginger sliced
1 leaf mustard
1/2 cup Chinese cabbage

Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro

 Directions:
In a serving pot, add broth, ginger, salt and soy sauce. Bring to a boil.

 

Add chicken and cook for a few minutes (skim off the foam).

 

Add mushrooms and bring both to boil. Cook chicken and mushrooms for 5 minutes.

 Add fish and mussels. Wait until the soup comes to full boil again. Add the rest of the vegetables. Season with more salt or soy sauce, if needed.

Sprinkle with onions and cilantro. Serve in its own pot.