During CNY, the term “hotpot” usually points to a future that involves a waiting time of 2 hours at an establishment swarmed with frustrated diners. But if your steamboat craving hits during this festive period, skip the line outside your usual haunts and DIY a pot of bubbling broth at home instead.
We’ve brought you a list of tasty and low-effort hotpot ingredients that you can simply throw into the pot. Because, let’s face it, when you already have a tonne of things to prep for family and friends visiting, you’d probably want to eat well while doing the bare minimum.
*Images for illustration purposes only.
Forget about meticulously peeling and mincing each shrimp by hand. Instead, you can just head to the supermarket, grab a pack of frozen shrimp paste from the freezer, and call it a day. This starchy paste can be shaped into bouncy balls before getting cooked in the boiling broth. Serve them with a soy-based dipping sauce.
Get frozen shrimp paste for $4.55.
Fish roe lucky bag is an unadulterated union of chewy tofu puff, juicy fish roe, and a hint of soy. If you toss these lil pouches in your pot, you’ll get yourself some pretty robust bites as they absorb the flavourful broth.
Get EB fish roe lucky bags for $5.55.
Sure, there are many types of tofu out there: cheese tofu, seafood tofu, silk tofu, and beancurd sheets. But few will be as light, satisfying, and downright delicious as the crunchy golden rolls. They’re also gluten-free, low in calories, and vegan-friendly, in the event that you’re on a diet or having food allergies.
Get 2 New Moon Golden Rolls for $2.85.
Crab legs can be a tonne of work if you have to crack them with your delicately bare hands. And then there’s the hassle of having to dig out all the flesh with a picker. That’s why frozen snow crab legs exist, so all you have to do is flash cook in the pot and serve ‘em hot.
Get frozen snow crab legs for $4.35.
Sometimes, you just don’t have the energy or time to cook lobsters from scratch. Imagine all the work needed to prep a lobster just to end up with cuts on your fingers and a mountain of dishes to wash? No, thank you. Instead, get these frozen thawed and deshelled lobster tails. They’re easy peasy and equally tasty.
Get deshelled lobster tails for $39.90.
Enhance your shrimp, fish, meat, and other hotpot ingredients with a chicken and kelp soup base. Chicken essence gives this broth a rich and soul-soothing flavour while kelp adds several health benefits like boosting thyroid health and metabolism. This soup is a great option for those after a mild and healthy-ish broth.
Get chicken and kelp soup base for $5.90.
If you’re after a reservation at Haidilao during CNY, we’d first like to say a little prayer. The Chinese hotpot chain is probably already fully booked islandwide with a waitlist that runs as far as the eyes can see.
That said, you can easily create a Haidilao-esque hotpot experience at home by getting the Haidilao soup bases. There’s plenty to choose from: mala oil so spicy it’ll clear your tear ducts, tomato flavour that’s the perfect blend of sweet and sour, and mushroom base that’s earthy and umami.
Get 3 packs of HaiDiLao soup bases for $9.60.
The beauty of shabu shabu pork collar is that they’re fatty, delicious, and can be cooked in a matter of seconds. Swish them around in the pot to soak up the flavourful broth before letting them melt in your mouth.
Get shabu shabu pork collar for $8.90.
There’s nothing more comforting than gathering around a bubbling pot of broth with family and friends, getting a facial from the curls of steam, and stuffing your face until you fall into a food coma. If hotpot is on the menu for CNY this year, then stock up on these ingredients and throw a steamboat party at home.
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Cover image adapted from: Eatbook
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