If you still haven’t prepared a meal for Mother’s day, creating a Chinese hotpot is a simple and fun idea that all the relatives are sure to enjoy. A hotpot meal consists of a large pot of boiling broth that is placed in the center of a table which is surrounded by a variety of thin sliced raw meats and chopped vegetables. To make this you will need to have either an electric wok or pot, or an electric burner that can keep the broth boiling so that it safely cooks the meats and vegetables.

To start you will need to choose a type of broth. Normally slow cooked Chinese chicken broth is used. However for a quick and easy option you can use store bought chicken broth and add a few pieces of ginger, green onion and garlic to it before it is boiled.

The next step is to choose a starch to serve along side the hotpot. This can be either noodles are rice. The quick and easy option would be to use Uncle Ben’s microwaveable rice which is sold in most local grocery stores. One bag would feed about 3 guests.

Finally you want to choose and prepare the meats and vegetables. You can use almost any meat or vegetable you wish. However, if you are looking for quick and easy options, choose meats that are pre cut or ask your local butcher to thinly slice them. There are also precut vegetables that can be found in the produce section of most local grocery stores. Vegetables such as snow peas, baby corn, bamboo, and sliced mushrooms are simple options that don’t need to be cut. Here are the most popular options when choosing meats and vegetables. A half a pound of meat per person is the standard when choosing the meats. Try to have at least two different meat options and three different vegetables in your hotpot.

Meats:
chicken
beef
pork
seafood fish
squid
shrimp

Vegetables:
bok choy
cabbage
mushrooms
snow peas
baby corn
bamboo

Once everything is selected and prepared, simply lay out the meats and vegetables on individual plates. Then set the table with each guest receiving two pairs of chopsticks. One to cook with and the other to eat with. Then cook the side item, whether it be rice or noodles, and boil the broth. You may also want to set out some condiments and sauces such as soy sauce, hot chili garlic sauce, and hoisin sauce for guests to flavor their meats and vegetables with.

Then simply let the guests choose and cook their own selections of food and create their own plates. Just make sure that not too many items are being cooked in the broth at one time. You always want the broth to be at a simmer so that it safely cooks the foods, enjoy!