Is Hot Pot a Soup?

Is hot pot a soup? This is one question that has been plaguing the minds of foodies from all over the world. Many will give you a resounding ‘yes, while some firmly believe that hot pot is not soup, but a dish on its own.

So is hot pot a soup? A hot pot is most certainly a soup. It is a mixture of broth and different ingredients that can be either solid or liquid and cooked in its own right as a soup.

A hot pot dish makes for a great night with family or friends where everybody can mingle and enjoy each other’s company while killing time preparing their food over.

Hot Pot – a Soup

A hot pot is a soup dish comprising of as many solid as liquid ingredients. It is cooked by boiling the broth and placing the ingredients into the pot for cooking. The broth used could be a soup or simply water seasoned to taste.

Foods that can be used in hot pot dishes include meat, seafood, vegetables, and tofu.

What if the Hot Pot is a Stew?

You may ask, so if the hot pot is indeed a soup, then can it also be a stew? Sure it can. In some countries, the term ‘hot pot’ is used interchangeably with any dish that is cooked in boiling broth or water.

Therefore, you serve your beef hot pot on noodles, and you have just made a stew. When the term is used in this manner, it becomes difficult to ascertain if the dish is more soup than a stew.

What’s a hot pot meal?

A hot pot meal is a multi-course meal comprising of a hot pot dish as one of the courses.

The hot pot dish may be either prepared separately and placed into individual serving bowls or cooked together with other foods in a communal pot placed at the center of the dining table for everyone to enjoy.

Hot pot meal is a favorite amongst many families for special occasions such as wedding receptions, birthday celebrations, and other families get-togethers.

How hot pot is served

How a hot pot dish is served depends on the style of cooking and serving.

If you are dining in a restaurant that offers only one hot pot dish, your hot pot dish may be cooked at your table or at the kitchen counter.

How to make hot pot soup?

As earlier stated, a hot pot dish makes for a great party or family meal. It can be either prepared as one large hot pot dish to be shared amongst the guests or prepared separately in individual bowls for each guest.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make hot pot soup.

Step #1: Selecting the Broth

The first thing to do is choose your broth. Whether you are planning on making a hot pot dish alone or as part of a hot pot meal, it is important to select the right kind of soup for your recipe.

Step #2: Adding Flavor to the Broth

What kind of broth should you use? You can make a simple chicken or beef broth or choose from other fish stock, mushroom stock, and tom yum soup options.

Step #3: Boiling your Hot Pot Soup

Your hot pot dish will be prepared by boiling the selected broth and adding all the ingredients together. The ingredients should be boiled together with the soup for a set period to ensure that they are properly cooked and seasoned.

Step #4: Finishing your Hot Pot Soup

The last step is to garnish your hot pot dish with any remaining ingredients, such as chopped green onions or coriander leaves (cilantro).

Now you have a delicious hot pot soup for your meal or party!

Is hot pot soup healthy?

A hot pot soup is healthy because it comprises of a broth as the main ingredient and ingredients such as vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, and other low-calorie foods.

However, you should always remember to control your intake of fatty or oily ingredients such as meat and seafood by serving them in small quantities and removing them from the soup before eating.

Is hot pot soup spicy?

A hot pot dish can be spiced up with ingredients such as chili oil, chili sauce, sesame oil, Sichuan pepper powder, black pepper, and garlic.

Hot pot soup sounds great!

What is hot pot broth made of?

The broth used in a hot pot dish is typically made with the boiling of meat and bones, vegetables, and spices.

It can be beef or chicken broth boiled together with spices such as star anise (licorice-flavored spice), Sichuan pepper (spicy and numbing spice), coriander seeds, peppercorns, and sauces.

Common ingredients in hot pot soup include:

Meat
Seafood
Vegetables

Tofu

You can also use other ingredients such as noodles, mushrooms, and condiments to create various flavors.

What is the best hot pot soup base?

The best hot pot soup base is whichever broth you usually use in your family’s cooking.

For instance, if you usually cook with chicken broth, try using that for your hot pot dishes instead of all-purpose beef stock.

You can also try experimenting with various flavors to add a new twist to your hot pot dishes.

For example, you can cook beef in mushroom broth or use tom yum soup for your seafood hot pot dish.

In addition, taking this shortcut is also much healthier because you avoid adding rich sauces into the recipes that would otherwise increase the calorie content of your meals.