When I was growing up, dinner was some meat, some potatoes and some veggies on a plate. But lately I’ve been branching out. I wrote a blog on Korean BBQ a while back, well last week I had yet another Asian culinary adventure: Chinese hot pot! In a way it’s similar to Korean BBQ, but this was homemade! We put a double pot on a portable stove on the table, boiled a delicious spicy broth on one side and a mild broth on the other, and plopped in yummy tidbits. After a minute or so we fished out our fare and dipped it in sweet hoisin and salty soya. Delish! We used sliced beef, fish balls, wontons, fish slices, cabbage, snow peas, enoki, winter melon, etc., but you can get creative!

The minimal prep is awesome, but eating requires a bit of time and involvement. Hot pot is supposed to be a social meal though – the better the company, the better the food and the longer the meal. I still prefer when someone cooks and brings me dinner, but the cook-as-you-go concept was a fun deviation. Delicious, healthy, cheap and fun! Chinese hot pot will definitely make my cravings rotation!