Making Tasty & Healing Hot Pot Meals at Home

Is there anything better than a piping hot bowl of nutritious goodness in the middle of winter?

With it being peak flu season, I’m especially drawn to the healing powers of asian soups right now. The problem, though, is that I’ve always been intimidated by foreign sounding ingredients and cooking utensils.

Enter the amazing new cookbook, Simply Hot Pots.

Not only can you grab this beautiful guide to learn everything you need to know to become a legit creator of some hot pot magic. It’s now easier than ever to get all the ingredients you need at places like Trader Joes or Amazon’s Asian Cuisine section.

Here’s a sneak peek to one of my favorite recipes from the collection…

My Thai friend Katie explained to me that you cannot call a curry a hot pot in Thailand because they are two separate things. Thai curries are traditionally thicker in consistency, while Thai hot pots are more similar to traditional dashi-based Japanese recipes.

I think the creaminess of the coconut milk and the robust profile of curry lend themselves well to hot pots—the meat and vegetables soak up so much of that flavor in a brief time. Here, I use a base that has all the complexity of a creamy Thai curry, but it is thinned out with a bit of chicken broth for swishing your vegetables in.

Thai Coconut Curry Broth Steamed Japanese Rice

SKILL LEVEL: Moderate • PREP TIME: 20 minutes • COOK TIME: 30 minutes • YIELD: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 3 pounds (1.3 kg) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size piecesKosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil
• divided 2 quarts of (1.9 L) Thai Coconut Curry Broth (see Hot Tip)
• 6 baby eggplants (such as Thai or fairy tale), stemmed and quartered (or 1 medium eggplant, cut into bite-size pieces)
• ½ small kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), seeded and thinly sliced
• ¼ head Napa cabbage, cored and thick white parts cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup (150 g) cherry tomatoes
• 2 cups (70 g) loosely packed fresh Thai or regular basil leaves
• ¼ cup (72 g) stemmed, seeded, and minced bird’s-eye chiles (or Fresno chiles; optional)
• Steamed Japanese Rice, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the vegetable oil. Add half the chicken. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until browned, but not cooked through.

Transfer to a clean bowl and repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil and chicken. Heat a 4-quart (3.8 L) hot pot or large saucepan over medium-high heat (about 425°F, or 220°C, in an electric hot pot).

Add the broth and chicken, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the eggplants, kabocha, cabbage, and tomatoes. Continue simmering for about 5 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the basil and chiles (if using).

Ladle into shallow bowls and serve with the steamed rice on the side.

Simply Hot Pots by Amy Kimoto-Kahn

HOT TIP: This recipe is easy to scale up or down depending on the size of your group and hot pot. Just be sure your hot pot is filled about halfway with broth. If the liquid reduces over time, add more

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