Hot Pot, the best choice in the winter

Winter, my favorite season, is around the corner! I love winter not only because of the white snow, but also the wonderful food --- Hot Pot. Actually, we can enjoy the hot pot at anytime we want, but only in the winter, when you feel very cold, the Hot Pot can warm your stomach gradually, and you will feel very comfortable. By the way, hot pot is easier to prepare than any other Chinese food.

The hot pot was invented by Ci Xi in Qing Dynasty (The Emperor’s mother). She was worried about her food would be poisoned. So she asked her servant to test the food by inserting a silver needle into the food. But it’s very inconvenient to do it every time. Finally she got a good idea. She asked her servant to make a copper pot and boil the different food in it. The copper can become black when it encounters the poison. Gradually, the hot pot was spread to the folk and became very popular till nowadays.

The soup is very easy to make, the only thing we need is water. Ginger and Chinese onion can warm our stomachs; they are very useful in the winter, so you can put some pieces of them into the soup. We don’t need any salt or other flavorings, because the sauce is delicious enough. I will tell you how to make it later. When the soup is boiling, we can put beef slices, muttonchops, and all kinds of vegetables we like into the soup. Be patient, after the soup boils again, we can enjoy the wonderful DIY hot pot!

Ingredients for the sauce (Image: Laura Luo)

Of course, the most important thing is the sauce! Whether the hot pot is delicious or not is determined by the sauce!

Remember the ingredients:
sufu (fermented beancurd) 3 pieces
sesame paste 4 tbsp
leek 1 tbsp
pepper powder 1 tsp
powdered beef 4 tsp

a) Mix all of the ingredients and stir the sauce to prevent it lumping
b) Add water into the sauce and stir them again. Don’t add a lot of water one time.
c) The sauce is done when it becomes semi-dilute
d) If you like spicy food, you can add some chili in it.

Ok, try to make your own hot pot :)

P.S Happy Halloween!