There are loads of different hotpot recipes. Many different countries and regions have their own versions of hotpot and there are often several different types and/or flavours common within a single region. I found a recipe for vegan Lẩu and decided to give that a go. The broth smelled delicious while it was cooking. And that was before adding the vibrant red, garlic-y aromatic oil!
I didn't have a lot of the suggested dippers, but I did my best to put together a nice spread with what I had. We all enjoyed the meal and came away full, so I'm gonna call it a success. I've put in a grocery order so hopefully we can heat up the broth again tonight and enjoy some different things cooked in it. I've got a bunch of mushrooms, bean sprouts, yard-long beans, and dumplings on the way!
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| The broth (Not the best lighting or pot for it but, trust me, it was delicious!) |
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| The dippers: baked tofu, blue pearl oyster mushrooms, baby mustard greens, and dried seitan. Also available but not pictured here: spinach rice vermicelli and buckwheat-sweet potato soba noodles. |
Lẩu
Slightly adapted from The Viet Vegan
Ingredients
Broth
- 3L water
- 1 daikon, peeled and very roughly chopped
- 4-5 carrots, peeled and very roughly chopped
- 2-3 onions, peeled and halved
- 1 c. dried mushrooms, soaked for 10 minutes and rinsed1
- 4-5 ears of corn2
- 7-8cm piece of ginger, peeled and very roughly chopped
- several leek tops/leaves (optional)
- 2 Tbsp. frozen chopped lemongrass or the white parts of 3 stalks of lemongrass, sliced thin
- 2-3 Tbsp. mushroom stock concentrate, to taste
Aromatic Oil
- 3 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
- 1 bulb garlic (~6-12 cloves), minced
- 1 Tbsp. frozen chopped lemongrass or the green parts of 3 stalks of lemongrass, minced
- 2 Tbsp. sweet paprika
- 1-3 tsp. red chile flakes, to taste
Dippers
These are just suggestions/ideas. Use as many or as few as you'd like!Vegetables
- bok choy
- yu choy
- pea sprouts
- bean sprouts
- kale (mature or baby)
- mustard greens (mature or baby)
- broccoli
- green beans and/or yard-long beans
- nappa cabbage
Protein
- tofu puffs
- vegan shrimp
- seitan (dried or fresh)
- yuba
- sliced tofu (baked or fresh)
Mushrooms
- cremini
- oyster (regular oyster mushrooms or any of the "colour" varieties)
- king oyster
- enoki
Noodles
- rice noodles (vermicelli or ribbon)
- udon
- shirataki noodles
- bean thread noodles
- wontons/dumplings
Sauces
Again, use as many or as few as you'd like.- sambal olek
- hoisin
- sriracha
- light soy sauce
- black vinegar
- dumpling sauce
- laoganma
- peanut sauce
- Vietnamese spring roll sauce
Directions
Broth
- Combine all broth ingredients in pot.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for at least an hour and up to 5 hours. (I used the InstantPot slow cook setting on high for this.)
- Strain the broth. Solids may be eaten with dipping sauce or discarded.
Aromatic Oil
- Heat oil over medium heat.
- Add garlic and lemongrass and cook until garlic starts to turn golden.
- Remove from heat and add paprika and chile flakes.
- Scoop a ladel-full of the strained broth into the pan to loosen any stuck on bits.
- Dump the broth and oil into the main broth pot. Broth is now ready to go!
Serving
- Prepare all your dippers by slicing thin and/or cutting into bite-sized pieces as appropriate.
- Set out your dipping sauces and utensils. (Chopsticks, tongs, spider/strainer, etc.)
- Set the broth pot (and a portable burner) on the table and bring to a boil.
- Diners can now drop in their desired foodstuffs to cook in the pot. Retrieve them with the spider when they're done.
- Dip in desired sauce(s) and enjoy!
1 I filled the measuring cup most of the way with Chinese black mushrooms and then topped up the last little bit with some black fungus. Back
2 I can't really get corn on the cob here right now, so I substituted 2 c. frozen corn kernels + the empty cob left over after popping some popcorn on the cob. Back
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