Setting up a Mongolian Hot Pot is a fun and interactive climax to any dinner party. A flavored broth is heated and transferred to a fondue pot where guests cook their own meat and vegetables, creating a personalized entrée. Here is the recipe for Mongolian Hot Pot
Serves 8 to 10
Cook/prep time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 lb flank steak, sliced very thin
2 tofu cakes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 lb large shrimp, peeled, deveined and halved
1/2 lb vermicelli noodles, reconstituted in hot water for 30 seconds, then drained
1 lb sole filet, sliced thin
1/2 lb Napa cabbage, shredded
1 bunch baby spinach
For Broth
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup water
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 scallion
1-inch knob of ginger, peeled
Suggestions for dipping sauces
Rice wine vinegar
Hoisin sauce
Sambal (chili sauce)
Soy sauce
Scallions, thinly slices
Directions
Arrange the thinly sliced meat and seafood, vermicelli, cabbage and spinach on separate plates on the serving table. Also arrange the dipping sauces in small bowls.
For broth, bring stock and water to boil, add scallion and ginger. Transfer broth to a fondue pot and keep simmering over a low flame throughout the meal. Keep remaining broth warm and replenish as needed.
To serve, invite each guest to cook meat and vegetables in the broth using either chopsticks or a fondue fork. Meat and seafood will cook in about 2 minutes; vegetables will take about 3 to 5 minutes. Guests can do any variation to create a noodle dish using vermicelli, vegetables, meat, and dipping sauce. To create a soup, simply ladle the broth into a bowl and add any number of the ingredients.
Note: the broth becomes more flavorful as more meat and vegetables are cooked in it.
