Nothing beats a hotpot meal which involves everyone in the cooking process, while filling the table with smiles, laughter, and most importantly, good food. But making a hotpot broth from scratch at home with loads of depth and flavour is no easy feat, and can take hours. While instant soup stocks are a welcome addition, their flavour might lack that oomph and homeliness, and are often saturated with sodium.
Inspired by the soups at Hai Di Lao, we’ve come up with 4 recipes that are easily replicable at home. Tasting similar to the real McCoy, these lip-smacking soups are bound to satisfy the whole family.
P.S.: When shopping for ingredients, DBS/POSB Cardmembers can take advantage of the current Groceries promotion, where you can get a sure-win gift of either cash credits or e-vouchers simply by registering on the DBS Lifestyle App. Read on to find out more.
Yield: Serves 6
Cooking time: 15 minutes
This fiery soup is not meant for the faint-hearted, but spice lovers would surely demand for this at every steamboat meal.
Start by frying the ginger in oil. This simple hack greatly amplifies the soup. The garlic, star anise and cinnamon stick also lend a rich and robust flavour that simply cannot be found in instant soups.
The complex nature of ma la means that making it at home would be a highly challenging task. Save yourself the hassle and get a hot pot base from the supermarket instead. Each brand is made with its own secret formula so don’t be afraid to try out as many as possible and pick your favourite from there.
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Directions:
Yield: Serves 6
Cooking time: 15 minutes
This vegetarian soup is bound to be a hit for everyone at the table. A medley of mushrooms is used to produce a rich soup with an intensely earthy aroma. I also like how the mushrooms can be fished out and eaten afterwards.
Cutting the shiitake finely results in a greater surface area for the mushroom to dispense more flavour. Feel free to add as many mushrooms as you like. I simply used a packet of each mushroom in this recipe for a nice balance.
Goji berries, or wolfberries, give a slight bitterness that adds complexity and depth to this tasty soup.
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Directions:
Yield: Serves 4
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Fresh tomatoes are used to give a pleasant sour tang to this addictive tasty soup. Be sure to add in a good sprinkle of sugar – this helps to balance the soup’s acidity.
Gently sweat the garlic and onion in oil to fully extract their sweet flavour. Be patient with this step and you’ll be rewarded with an aromatic and robust soup base.
Adding in tomato paste gives a strong and intense boost of umami to the soup.
Ingredients:
Directions
Yield: Serves 6
Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes
This nourishing and 100% natural chicken soup is made using an entire chicken instead of bones. This fortifies the broth and gives it an added level of finesse. The meat can also be shredded and used as an additional form of protein, saving you on extra ingredients.
The classic trinity of onions, carrots, and celery takes this dish to the next level. There’s no need to chop them up finely, as a rough chop is enough to impart a whole lot of flavour.
Skim occasionally from time to time. This removes the fats and impurities, giving the soup a beautiful clear consistency.
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All the ingredients you need for these DIY Hai Di Lao hotpot broths can easily be found at supermarkets islandwide. You’ll even be able to receive cash credits to offset the costs, or get foodpanda, Toast Box, or Chope e-vouchers when you pay using your DBS/POSB Credit or Debit Card.
All you have to do is:
If you’re preparing for a huge family feast, set a higher personalised spend goal and aim for a bigger reward. This promotion will be running from now till 31st October 2019.
This post was brought to you by DBS.
Photo credit: Tan Wen Lin.
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