Hot pot, usually refers to Chinese varieties of steamboat stew.
Huo Guo (Traditional Chinese: 火鍋; Simplified Chinese: 火锅; Pinyin: huǒguō) is the Chinese name for "hot pot", where huǒ means "fire", while guō refers to "pot".Chinese Fondue is an English term used more commonly in Western countries.
Da ben lu (打邊爐) is the common Cantonese terminology for hot pot which translates literally into "hitting the side of the pot."
It consists of a simmering pot of stock at the center of the dining table. While the hot pot is kept simmering, ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table.
Typical hot pot dishes include thinly sliced meat, leafy vegetables, mushrooms, wontons, egg dumplings, and seafood. The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce. In many areas, hot pot meals are often eaten in the winter.
It is often claimed that this Chinese style of cooking had its origins in the region of Mongolia, even before the rise of the Mongols, although there is little scientific evidence for it. Both the preparation method and the required equipment are unknown in the cuisine of Mongolia of today. Especially the latter is much better suited to a sedentary culture. In a nomadic household, less specialized tools are preferred, to save volume and weight during migration.
Hot pot cooking seems to have spread in northern China during the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-906). In time, regional variations developed with different ingredients such as seafood. By the Qing Dynasty, the hot pot became popular throughout most of China. Today in many modern homes, particularly in the big cities, the traditional coal-heated steamboat or hot pot has been replaced with electric or gas versions.
Because steamboat and hot pot styles change so much from region to region, many different ingredients are used. While not strictly traditional, it is fun to experiment with ingredients and sauces according to one"s own tastes. A Cantonese variation includes mixing a raw egg with the condiments to reduce the amount of "heat" absorbed by the food, thereby reducing the likelihood of a sore throat after the steamboat meal, according to Chinese herbalist theories.
Frozen meat is sliced deli-thin to prepare it for hot pot cooking. Slicing frozen meat this way causes it to roll up during cooking, and it is often presented as such. Meats used include lamb, beef, chicken, and others. The cooking pot is often sunk into the table and fueled by propane, or alternatively is above the table and fueled by hot coals. Meat or vegetables are loaded individually into the hot cooking broth by chopsticks, and cooking time is brief. Meat often only takes 15 to 30 seconds to cook.
There are often disagreements between different types of hot pot enthusiasts. Some like to place items into the hot pot at a relaxed, leisurely pace, enjoying the cooking process, while others prefer to throw everything in at once and wait for the hotpot to return to a boil.
Common ingredients
* Basic stock is often made using:
o Water
o Salt
o Soup
* And bones of either:
o Beef
o Chicken
o Ox
* Meats vary, and can include:
o Thinly sliced beef, pork, chicken, lamb, goat
o Fish pieces
o Prawns
o Scallops
o Mussels
o Coagulated pork blood (Traditional Chinese: 豬血糕)
o Meatballs
o Fish balls
o Offal, ear and other delicacies
o Squid
o Cuttlefish
* Vegetables include:
o Napa cabbage (or bok choy)
o Choy sum
o Garland chrysanthemum (tong ho)
o Snake beans
o Mung bean sprouts
o Shallots
o Varieties of mushrooms
o Ginger
o Tofu
o Thinly sliced potatoes
o Taro
o Tomato
o Niangao
o Varieties of noodles
* Condiments:
o Hoisin sauce
o Soy sauce
o Sesame oil
o White pepper
o Satay (or Sha Cha) Sauce
o Chili
o Sesame butter
o Peanut butter sauce, made by mixing peanut butter with water to a thick consistency (or hua sheng ru fu)
Regional variations
In Beijing (Peking), hot pot is eaten year-round. Typical Beijing hot pot is eaten inside during the winter. Different kinds of hot pot can be found in Beijing - typically, more modern eateries offer the sectioned bowl with differently flavored broths in each section. More traditional or older establishments serve a fragrant, but mild, broth in the hot pot, which is a large brass vessel heated by burning coals in a central chimney. Broth is boiled in a deep, donut-shaped bowl surrounding the chimney.
The Manchurian hot pot (Traditional Chinese: 東北酸菜火鍋) uses plenty of Suan cai (Chinese sauerkraut) (Traditional Chinese: 酸菜; pinyin: suan cai) to make the pot"s stew sour.
One of the most famous variations is the Sichuan or Szechuan "má là" (Traditional Chinese: 麻辣 — "numb and spicy") hot pot, to which a special spice known as huā jiāo (Traditional Chinese: 花椒 — "flower pepper" or Sichuan Pepper) is added. It creates a sensation on the tongue that is both spicy and burns and numbs slightly, almost like carbonated beverages. It was usual to use a variety of different meats as well as sliced mutton filet. A Sichuan hotpot is markedly different from the types eaten in other parts of China. Quite often the differences lie in the meats used, the type of soup base, and the sauces and condiments used to flavor the meat. The cities of Chengdu and Chongqing are also famous for their different kinds of huǒ guō. "Sì Chuān huǒ guō" could be used to distinguish from simply "huǒ guō" in cases when people refer to the "Northern Style Hot Pot" in China. "Shuān yáng ròu", Chinese: 氽羊肉 (instant-boiled lamb) could be viewed as representative of this kind of food, which does not focus on the soup base.
In Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province in southwestern China near the border with Myanmar, the broth is often divided into a yin and yang shape - a bubbling, fiery red chilli broth on one side, and a cooler white chicken broth on the other.
In Taiwanese hot pot, people eat the food with a dipping sauce consisting of sacha sauce and raw egg yolk.
In Thailand, hotpot is called "sukiyaki", although it is quite different from Japanese-style sukiyaki. A sauce, often mixed with broth from the hot pot, is based on tofu, sesame seed oil, chilis, and garlic.
Cultural significance
This section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the talk page for details.
Eating with family or friends is supposed to emphasise unity and togetherness[citation needed], because it is done from a single shared pot. "Weilu" — to "circle" a hot pot — has a deep and profound meaning[citation needed] to the Chinese people, many of whom traditionally adhere to Confucian ideas, which strongly emphasize unity with family. The hot pot style of dining is often taken nice and slow; the diners often chat while they are eating together. Traditionally, it was not uncommon for this type of meal to span nearly a full day[citation needed]. Beer is the beverage of choice at a hot pot meal in China. Hot pot is sometimes eaten as part of the Chinese New Year feast. The roundness of the pot is a symbol of family unity.
Food poisoning
A few things should be kept in mind to prevent E. coli or Salmonella poisoning. After handling raw meat with chopsticks, dip the chopsticks in the boiling broth to kill any microbes. If a raw egg is used, use only the freshest possible. Another alternative is to use separate chopsticks for the hotpot.
Related dishes
* Steamboat (food)
o Jjigae - Korea
o Nabemono - Japan
+ Shabu shabu
+ Sukiyaki
+ Chankonabe
+ Oden
o Thai sukiyaki - Thailand
* Lancashire hotpot - a dish referred to as "hot pot" (or "hotpot") in Britain
* Stew
没有评论:
发表评论