Vegan hot pot is more of an experience than a meal and more of an assembly than a recipe. Of course, there are a few elements to pull together and a random piece of kitchen equipment you might need to dust off. But with an extension cord and a dozen little dishes to serve sauces, you're on the path to a low-stress festive dinner with family and friends.
A few years ago, our close friend, who happened to be from France, fell in love with a Cantonese woman visiting the states. That relationship added a unique layer of excitement to our friend group since she despised American food and would instead direct us to all the great local Chinese restaurants. This led us to the magical land of hotpot, a fine place to find oneself.
She shared with us hot pot etiquette, what to order, and how to host a hot pot party at home. Those tidbits I'll discuss in this post, so let's dive in!
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What you’ll need:
🍲 Pot to cook in
There are three cooking options for hosting a hot pot at home. You might want to buy an induction plate with a separate pot or an all-in-one with a heating element attached. Some pots also come with a partition, with is useful when making two broth flavors or assigning sides.
If you want to save money and real estate in the kitchen cupboard, you can use an Instant Pot or dutch oven on the stovetop.
You'll likely need an extension cord and a table that allows the hot pot to be within everyone's reach.
🍜 Strainer ladles
Used to fish for food, these tools of the trade are common in Asian markets or online. Since I was a pot specifically for the hot pot, I found that these strainers work great. Although if you're using the instant pot, you'll notice it's much deeper, and a strainer like this one might be more useful.
🥢 Chopsticks
You'll need enough for all guests to have their own set. You'll need a couple of extra spares to grab food from the pot to keep things clean.
🥣 Small bowls
Everyone gets their own bowl, plus you'll need a dozen small dishes to dole out sauces and extras.
Ingredients
A vegan hot pot has four main food categories beyond the broth and sauces: vegetables, mushrooms, noodles, and tofu (always firm). Have a few of each, and your meal is complete! In this section, I'll share grocery list suggestions.
Vegetables:
There are two types of vegetables when it comes to hot pot, those that absorb flavors and those that give flavor. For instance, tomatoes give flavor, while bok choy gets flavor.
Leafy greens - wintercress, spinach, bok choy, napa cabbage, Tong Hao.
Root vegetables (sliced) - potato, sweet potato, taro, pumpkin, lotus root, daikon.
Tomatoes - Roma, beefsteak, or heirloom.
Mushrooms:
Edible mushrooms absorb and add flavor. With nearly a half dozen varieties that work perfectly with this cooking method, it's a wonderful opportunity to try something new.
- Shiitake, stem removed
- Oyster, sliced
- White or brown beech
- Enoki
- Black fungus dried and then rehydrated
Firm tofu:
The night before, grab firm or extra-firm tofu and throw it in the freezer. Fetch it early in the morning and set it out to thaw. This can be done days ahead as well and stored in the refrigerator. Frozen tofu will result in a spongey tofu texture that's prepped to suck up the flavorful broth.
Slice the tofu into small rectangular or square blocks before serving. Tip: go 50/50 with spongey and smooth tofu! Depending on the number of guests, have at least one package per person.
You can also use fried tofu purchased from the store.
Noodles (and dumplings):
The noodles' main job is picking up the broth's flavor. There are many types of noodles, from vermicelli to udon. I pick handmade fresh noodles from the Asian market, it absorbs flavor and has a slurpable texture.
- Fresh handmade noodles (be sure to look at the ingredients to avoid eggs)
- Udon
- Ramen
- Vermicelli (a gluten-free option made with rice noodles)
- Sweet potato silk noodles (gluten-free)
This section also holds veggie dumplings, steamed or fried, stuffed buns, and Chinese scallion pancakes that also fit the bill.
Broth
Scour the internet, and you'll find that (Guo Di/锅底) hot pot broth varies on a spectrum as wide as the Grand Canyon. From light herbal to thick and spicy, there's a broth for everyone. You might notice packaged bladders of pre-made broth - I'm not a fan. They have a laundry list of preserved ingredients, mostly hard to pronounce, and never end up tasting as good as the homemade ones.
Since minimal cooking is involved in this meal, I recommend making the broth yourself.
I've added the ingredients of my go-to broth below, with full details inside the recipe card. Here are the broth ingredients:
Mild Soup Base - vegetable or mushroom stock, tomato, scallions, sliced ginger, garlic cloves, bay leaves, cilantro, white onion, star of anise, red chili peppers.
Dipping Sauce
The world within hot pot dipping sauces is limited only by your imagination or the outer limits of desire. There are nearly as many recipes out there as their eaters! Restaurants throw you into the driver's seat with a buffet-style sauce station.
Common ingredients include chopped scallions, minced garlic, sesame oil, peanut butter, and chili crisp. It will probably take a few trips, but you'll find what you like. It helps to remember that dipping sauce is a flavor addition and no pressure; it's optional.
I've singled out two here, as they represent popular sides of the sauce spectrum:
Barbara's Favorite Sauce - I usually will grab a bottle of coconut aminos over soy sauce. It's a bit sweeter, and soy sauce tends to cause a puffiness I like to avoid. I whip this sauce up often to slather over tofu, pour it into a pan of lo mein noodles, or rub on a head of cauliflower. It has coconut aminos, minced garlic, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and chili flakes.
Spicy Chili Sauce - for the heat enthusiasts at the table. This all-purpose sauce is poured over anything, making it perfect for a hot pot. It has garlic chili sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, scallions, and soy sauce.
I also like to put out store-bought condiments like chili crisp, sweet chili oil, and coconut aminos or plain soy sauce.
The exact recipe measurements are found in the recipe card below.
Instructions
Steps to a flawless, low-stress hot pot experience: cut everything up nicely – the tofu in square blocks, the greens into attractive bites. Pile everything on a large platter, ensure the hot pot is within everyone’s reach, and you’ve got the party playlist bumpin'. Your work is done!
- Prepare the broth in a large pan on the stove. If using an Instant Pot, skip the stove.
- Slice the vegetables, square the tofu, and set up the mushrooms by separating and chopping off their ends. If you're serving dumplings and/or scallion pancakes, prep those while the broth simmers.
- Set up the sauce station by placing the ingredients in small bowls.
- Arrange the table with the pot in the center, transfer the broth once the group is ready to dine, and turn the heating element on.
Tips:
🍲 Wait for the broth to boil - don't add any items until the pot is boiling. Turn the heating element to medium-high. It should be simmering, not violently boiling.
🍲 Don't overstuff the pot - this affects cook time and risks overflow, damaging the heating element.
🍲 Use good etiquette - use the shared chopsticks or tongs to add ingredients and the ladles to remove them. Keeping your personal utensils out of the pot is the only rule.
Top tip
Have a kettle with water on the stove ready to boil when the broth gets low. This dining experience is meant to last hours. As the host, you might need to assure your guests that it's okay to relax, enjoy conversation, and intermittently eat as the night goes on. Add hot water to the broth as needed.
FAQ
If you don't want to invest in a hot pot with a heating element, there are other options - using an Instant Pot or the stovetop with a dutch oven.
With both, make sure not to overstuff the pot and cause damage to the heating element.
It's easier if you don't. Set the table with small bowls encouraging guests to add enough to the pot that will comfortably fit.
Leafy greens - will need a quick dip, while root vegetables can cook for about 15 minutes.
Mushrooms - cook in about 2-3 minutes
Tofu - as little or as long as you like. I prefer about 3-4 minutes
Noodles - per package directions
Dumplings - per package directions
Since it's a warming meal, it's best consumed in the winter, which is a great time to have dinner parties, especially after the western holidays. The most popular time to have a hot pot party is Chinese New Year which falls around late January-Early February. I buy Chinese New Year decorations to add around the room and celebrate over a healthy hot pot!
Hot Pot Playlist: Check it out!
Looking for other recipes? Try these:
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Vegan Hot Pot
Equipment
- 1 hot pot (alternative options are an Instant Pot or dutch oven on the stove)
Ingredients
Homemade Broth (2-4 people)
- 12 cups vegetable stock
- 1 bunch of scallions
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- ½ sliced of white onion
- ½ sliced tomato
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 stars of anise
- 1 inch ginger, sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 3 red chili peppers
Hot Pot Ingredients: pick an assortment of each
- assortment of vegetables (see vegetable section of post for options)
- assortment of mushrooms (see the mushroom section of the post for options)
- firm tofu, sliced (one package per guest)
- packages of noodles (see the noodle section of the post for options)
- Dumplings, buns, and/or scallion pancakes optional
Dipping Sauces:
Barbara's Favorite Sauce (quantity for 1 person)
- ½ cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chili flakes
Spicy Chili Sauce (quantity for 1 person)
- 3 tablespoons garlic-chili sauce
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
Instructions
- Prepare the broth in a large pan on the stove. Add all broth ingredients to boiling water, cover, and bring to a simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. If using an Instant Pot, skip the stove and fill the Instant Pot ⅔ with stock and all other ingredients. Turn to saute for 30 minutes. For both options, be sure not to overfill the pot, causing it to overflow and damage the heating element.
- Prep the fresh ingredients: Slice the vegetables, square the tofu, and set up the mushrooms by separating and chopping off their ends. If you're serving dumplings and/or scallion pancakes, prep those per package instructions while the broth simmers.
- Set up the sauces in small bowls for each guest or make a station with the ingredients and allow guests to serve their own. Note: the dipping sauce recipes above are provided in quantities for one serving; multiply as needed.
- Arrange the table with the pot in the center, transfer the broth once the group is ready to dine, and turn the heating element on.
- Hosting Tip: have a kettle of water nearby to add to the pot for when the broth reduces. Have fun! The best part about hot pot is there's little room to mess it up, relax and enjoy 🙂
Notes
- 12 heads of bok choy, 2 bunches of spinach, 1 small bag of watercress.
- 1 lb of shiitake mushrooms, 2 packages of beech mushrooms, and 3 packages of enoki mushrooms.
- two packages of 8-ounce fresh noodles and one 8-ounce package of vermicelli noodles.
- two packages of 14-ounce firm tofu, placed in the freezer, then removed to thaw.
- Optional: dumplings/gyoza, scallion pancakes, buns (I find these in the Asian supermarket freezer section *read ingredients to ensure vegan).
Haake-meister says
Oh my! This recipe has it all!!!! Wow great post BB
Barbara Zackey says
Thanks, HM! I'm so happy you like it <3