WHAT GOES IN A HOT POT RECIPES

Steps:

• Partially frozen is significantly easier to cut into thin slices, since it holds its shape when you cut it.
• Wash and rinse your vegetables / mushrooms. If you're using tofu (make sure it's firm), then cut it into cubes.
• Before my dad starts cutting meat (or anything), he usually puts a towel underneath the cutting board so it's more stable. Speaking from decades of experience, this helped him avoid many cuts (but not all) in the kitchen.
• This is much clearer in the video, but here are my dad's steps to preparing fresh squid for hot pot:
• We'll cut our about half of our tilapia fillets into ~1 cm slices, and marinate it with salt, cornstarch, water, and white pepper (to taste).
• My dad's epic homemade fish balls deserve their own recipe page (will be live soon).
• All we need to do is peel our daikon, cut it in half, and then cut it up into about 1 cm slices. We'll start boiling our hot pot broth with daikon, and then eat it at the end after it's soaked up all of the delicious flavors from the other foods.
• For my dad's dipping sauce, we'll be mixing light soy sauce, Shacha sauce, olive oil, sesame oil, oyster sauce, salt, sugar, chicken bouillon, chili oil, and boiled water.

Steps:

• Place the stock, ginger, garlic and green onions in a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Soak the noodles in warm water until softened; drain. Cut into bite-size lengths. Cut the greens into bite-size pieces. Cut the scallops into thin slices. Cut the squid into rings. Cut the tofu into cubes. Arrange the noodles, seafood, vegetables and tofu on a large platter. Cover and chill until ready to cook. Reheat the broth to simmering. Set a Mongolian hot pot or electric wok in the center of a table. Pour the broth into the pot and adjust heat to a gentle simmer. The guests use chopsticks or Chinese wire strainers to cook the seafood, vegetables and tofu slices in the boiling water and then dip into the sauce of their choice. Any remaining greens can be added at the end with the noodles to make the soup.
• Place garlic in a mortar. Mash with the heel of a cleaver or pestle. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add water, mustard powder, oils and vinegar stirring between each addition.
• In a small mixing bowl combine ginger and honey and stir until combined. Add the sesame oil and soy sauce, stirring between each addition.