Lemongrass Chicken Stir-Fry

I think I probably would have liked this Vietnamese-inspired stir-fry a bit more with some veggies in it. I think some thinly sliced carrot would have been a nice addition. But it was still very tasty as-is. The marinade and sauce were both excellent. I just would have liked to have had a little veg incorporated into it. That said, I do appreciate how easily it came together. So I'm not complaining.

Lemongrass Chicken Stiry-Fry

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Marinade

• 2 shallots, quartered
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chile
• 2 stalks lemongrass, white part only
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. corn (or other neutral) oil
• 2-3 Tbsp. water

Sauce

• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Stir-Fry

• 680g skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tbsp. corn or peanut (or other high smoke point) oil, divided
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced on bias (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Thai basil

Directions

1. Combine shallots, garlic, ginger paste, chile, lemongrass, salt, and oil in a blender or food processor and purée. Add as much of the water as needed to blend the mixture.
2. Add the marinade to the chicken and toss to combine. Cover and chill for 1-24 hours.
3. Combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, and pepper and mix well. Set aside.
4. Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
5. Drizzle in 1/2 Tbsp. of the oil.
6. Add the onion and stir-fry until softened (2-3 minutes). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
7. Drizzle in another 1/2 Tbsp. of oil.
8. Add the carrot (if using).
9. Stir-fry until just cooked (2-3 minutes). Transfer to plate and set aside.
10. Drizzle in the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil.
11. Add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, and stir-fry until cooked through (5-6 minutes).
12. Add the sauce and return the veggies to the wok and stir-fry until sauce thickens (1-2 minutes).
13. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

This curry is an interesting combination of Anglo-Indian and Thai flavours. I associate the mix of lemongrass, coconut milk, and fish sauce with Thai cuisine and would have expected them to be combined with a Thai curry paste. This recipe takes a different route by adding a large amount of Madras-style curry powder -- an Indian-inspired British spice blend -- instead. It made for a nice, if unusual, result.

I mostly followed the recipe here. My only slight deviation was to swap out the skinless, bone-in chicken thighs for skinless, boneless chicken breasts. I also sliced the breasts in half lengthwise in order to speed up cooking time. I'm pretty happy with the results this produced. The final curry was a bit soupy, but very nice when served over a bit of brown rice.

Chicken and Coconut Milk Curry

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1.25kg skinless boneless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 shallots, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. Madras-style curry powder
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 stalks lemongrass, cut into 2cm chunks (white part only)
• 3cm piece of fresh ginger, sliced
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 1 (400mL) can coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into large dice
• 1 (~350g) sweet potato, peeled and cut into large dice
• 3 Tbsp. Thai basil, chiffonade

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add chicken and cook for ~4 minutes per side. (You may have to work in batches.)
3. Remove chicken and set aside, then add garlic and shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add curry powder, sugar, pepper, lemongrass, and ginger and cook for 30-60 seconds.
5. Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, and fish sauce and bring to a boil.
6. Add carrots, sweet potato, and chicken and reduce heat to medium-low.
7. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until veggies are fork tender and chicken is cooked through.
8. Stir in basil and serve over rice.

The plan had been to make some Korean-style marinated beef for dinner last night. Kind of like galbijjim, but with stewing beef rather than short ribs.

That was the plan. Unfortunately, I got started a bit late and didn't get the beef marinating in time. So we ended up having to do a quick pivot to another dinner plan. I knew we had a package of slightly freezer-burnt pork chops in the chest freezer downstairs, so I figured that this simple InstantPot recipe would be a good way to use them up. And it worked out great! The pork was delicious and so was the kale that went with it. And it harmonized well with the turnip (daikon) cakes that we decided to fry up to go with dinner too. So, despite being in a bit of a flap leading up to dinner, everything worked out really well in the end.

Lemongrass and Garlic Pork Chops

Slightly adapted from Healthy Instant Pot by Alexis Mersel

Ingredients

• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 3 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 6 cloves garlic¹, minced
• 2 large shallots², minced
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• ~1.4kg thick-cut bone-in pork chops
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 c. chicken or beef stock
• 300g frozen chopped kale³
• cooked rice, to serve

Directions

1. Remove any tough outer leaves from the lemongrass, press firmly with the flat of the knife, then slice very thin and set aside.
2. Combine the soy sauce, fish saue, sugar, garlic, shallots, and pepper and mix well.
3. Mix in the lemongrass.
4. Pour over the pork chops and turn to coat.
5. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
6. Set InstantPot to "sauté medium" and add the oil.
7. Remove the pork chops from the marinade (reserving the marinade) and sear in the InstantPot, working in batches and cooking each pork chop for 2-3 minutes per side.
8. Remove the pork chops from the InstantPot and set aside.
9. Add the stock to the pot and scrape the bottom to losten any stuck on bits.
10. Pour in the reserved marinade and turn the InstantPot off.
11. Return the pork chops to the pot and seal the lid.
12. Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes followed by a 10-minute natural release.
13. Release any residual pressure and transfer the pork chops to a serving dish.
14. Pour all but ~1/4 c. of the sauce over the pork chops.
15. Set the InstantPot back to "sauté medium" and add the kale.
16. Cook until the kale is heated through and the flavours have had a chance to mingle (3-5 minutes).
17. Serve the pork chops over rice with the kale on the side.

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¹ We were running a bit low on garlic, so I just used a few Tbsp. of garlic paste instead. I think I put in ~2 1/2 Tbsp. of paste, but I wasn't being too particular abou the measurement. ^Back
2 I had half a red onion in the fridge already, so I just minced that very fine and used it rather than going to the trouble of getting shallots special for this dish. ^Back
3 The original recipe calls for 150g of baby spinach, but suggests that chopped kale or bok choy would make good substitutes. I decided to go with kale since that make my life easier. But 150g didn't look like very much at all. So I decided to just use the whole 300g bag. I think this produced a much more reasonable amount of greens for the quantity of pork. ^Back

Sri Lankan Unroasted Curry Powder

This is the untoasted spice blend commonly used for vegetable curries in Sri Lanka. The rice and coconut get lightly toasted in a warm pan, but the rest of the spices do not. (Although the author notes that her mother always used to at least warm them a little "to release their flavours and make them easier to pound".) Iyer also includes a version of this untoasted blend in 660 Curries. I may transcribe that version as well at some point an add it below.

Sri Lankan Unroasted Curry Powder (for Vegetables)

Slightly adapted from Sri Lankan Flavours by Channa Dassanayaka

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. uncooked rice
• 1/4 c. unsweetened dried shredded coconut
• 10 fresh curry leaves¹
• 1/4 c. coriander seeds
• 2 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 c. fennel seeds
• 1/2 Tbsp. fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 (5cm/2") piece of pandan/pandanus leaf/rampe (optional)
• 1 stalk of lemongrass, white part only (optional)
• 2 cloves of garlic (optional)
• 1 (3cm/1.25") piece of ginger, peeled and sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Toast the rice in a dry pan until just beginning to brown (~2 minutes).
2. Add coconut and toast for another 30 seconds or so.
3. Transfer rice and coconut to plate to cool.
4. If desired, lightly toast the curry leaves and pandan (if using) and then transfer to plate to cool.
5. Add all ingredients to a spice grinder and grind to a powder. If using "wet" ingredients (like garlic, ginger, or lemongrass), use a molcajete or food processor instead so that the moisture doesn't gum up your spice grinder.

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Variations

Raghavan Iyer's Untoasted Sri Lankan Curry Powder

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds (from green pods)
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 (3") cinnamon sticks, broken into smaller pieces

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¹ Even if you elect not to toast/warm any of the other spices, I would recommend tossing the curry leaves in the pan for a few seconds, just until they seem a bit dry and brittle. Otherwise you'll likely have a difficult time grinding them. Likewise with the pandanus leaf if you choose to use it. ^Back

Khaukswe Hin (Burmese Coconut Chicken and Noodles)

After the great success of the liver curry, I decided to try out another pick from the One-Pot Meals of Asia cookbook. This one came out looking a bit grey and unappealing, but it tasted delicious! I think I'd make a few tweaks next time, but nothing major.

Khaukswe Hin

Slightly adapted from One-Pot Meals of Asia

Ingredients

• 1 (1.6-1.8kg) chicken¹, skinned and jointed
• 1/2-1 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3-5 whole cloves (optional)
• 1-2 bay leaves (optional)
• 1 whole dried lime² (optional)
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 8-10 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1/4 c. chickpea flour
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 2 c. coconut milk (lite/thin coconut milk is fine)
• 1 stalk lemongrass, minced
• 1 c. frozen chopped kale (optional)
• 1 c. frozen green peas³ (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1-3 Tbsp. hot chili oil
• 450g wheat noodles⁴
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
• 5-6 green onions, chopped
• 4 limes, quartered
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Sprinkle the chicken with the turmeric, cayenne, and salt and place it in a pot.
2. Add enough water to just cover the chicken. Toss in the cloves, bay leaves, and lime (if using).
3. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for ~20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the onions, garlic, and ginger in a blender or food processor and blend to form a paste. You may need to add a little water if using a blender for this step.
5. Once chicken is cooked, remove the pieces from the pot (reserving the broth).
6. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pick the meat from the bones and set it aside.
7. Heat neutral oil over medium-high heat and pour in the onion paste.
8. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated and the paste begins to fry.
9. Fry the paste for another 2-3 minutes.
10. Add the chicken and stir to coat it with the fried paste.
11. Add enough of the reserved stock to the chickpea flour to form a smooth paste and stir it into the pan.
12. Stir 2 c. of stock into the pan and bring to a boil.
13. Add the paprika, coconut milk, and lemongrass and cook for another 5 minutes. The sauce should thicken slightly.
14. Add the kale and peas (if using) and cook until heated through.
15. Stir in the fish sauce and the chili oil.
16. Just before serving, boil the noodles. Aim for al dente so they still have a little bite to them.
17. Drain the noodles and give them a quick rinse under cold water.
18. Serve immediately! Place a serving of noodles on a plate/bowl and top with curry. Garnish with egg quarters, green onions, and cilantro. Serve each portion with a lime wedge so that diners may squeeze the juice over the curry before they eat it. Enjoy!

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¹ I ended up using ~1kg of chicken drumsticks + 250g of king oyster mushrooms that had been fried in butter and then seasoned with pepper and soy sauce. ^Back
2 Neither dried limes nor bay leaves nor cloves were called for in the original recipe and I didn't use them this time 'round but, after tasting the finished dish, I think they'd make a nice addition. ^Back
3 The original recipe also doesn't call for peas or kale. However, without them, it's severely lacking in the vegetable department. I didn't want to have to make a separate vegetable side -- kinda defeats the purpose of a one-pot meal, doesn't it? -- so I added some veggies to the curry. I think it worked pretty well. Especially since I was a bit short on chicken anyway. ^Back
4 I ended up using a bag of dried Chinese egg noodles for this. The author notes that spaghetti, vermicelli, or tagliatelli may be used if you don't have any Asian-style noodles. ^Back

Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder

As far as I know, Sri Lanka only has two curry powders. There is the coriander-rich, lemongrass-scented roasted curry powder, which is used for meat dishes. And there is the coconut-and-rice-based untoasted blend, which is used for vegetable dishes. There are, of course, local/familial variations on each of these, but all the variants are generally recognizable as being a take on one of the two core blends: toasted or untoasted.

I had to make a few adjustments to this recipe. Mainly because I didn't have any lemongrass stalks on hand. I was working with frozen minced lemongrass. I did my best to estimate equivalents, but I think it would have worked better to just use a stalk of lemongrass as called for. That said, having the minced stuff on hand did make it easier to grind the finished spice mix to a powder!

Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder (for Meat)

Slightly adapted from Sri Lankan Flavours by Channa Dassanayaka

Ingredients

• 3cm piece of lemongrass (white part)
• 1 small (3-4cm) stick of cinnamon
• 1 dried Thai, cayenne, or arbol chili (optional)
• 1/4 c. coriander seeds
• 5-6 fresh curry leaves
• 5-6cm piece of pandanus (rampe/screwpine) leaf, torn into pieces
• 1 green cardamom pod
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 2 Tbsp. fennel seeds

Directions

1. Toast lemongrass, cinnamon, and chili (if using) over medium heat until lightly browned (2-3 minutes).
2. Add coriander, curry leaves, pandanus leaf, cardamom, and cloves and toast for another minute or so.
3. Add cumin and fennel and remove from heat.
4. Allow to sit in hot pan for 30-60 seconds to allow cumin and fennel to lightly toast.
5. Transfer mixture to plate to cool.
6. Once cool, transfer to spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.

Muttu Sambha (Sri Lankan Pearl Rice)

I wanted some rice to serve with the beef rendang I made the other day. Plain boiled/steamed rice is perfectly acceptable, but I wanted to try something a little different. Possibly I should've looked for a Malaysian or Indonesian coconut rice recipe, but I had this recipe handy already, so I went with that.

I chose to make this with brown rice. If you want to use white rice (which is what the original recipe is written for), you'll need to reduce the cooking time accordingly. (I realize that swapping out the rice probably means it's not technically muttu sambha anymore, but it was tasty and I'm not sure what other name to give it so, oh well...)

Muttu Sambha

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. minced lemongrass
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 (3") cinnamon stick
• 1 c. short-grain brown rice
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp. water

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat (sauté medium on InstantPot).
2. Add onion, lemongrass, cardamom pods, cloves, and cinnamon and cook until onion is light brown (~5 minutes).
3. Add rice, salt, turmeric, coconut milk, and water.
4. Cover and pressure cook on high for 14 minutes.
5. Allow a 10-minute natural release, then remove lid and fluff the rice.

We've had a couple of beef roasts languishing in the freezer for... longer than I'd care to admit now. I'm just not a big roast person. I tried cooking up one of them as an actual roast and it was okay, but I couldn't help thinking that I would've enjoyed it so much more as a nice curry, stew, or chili. So, rather than trying to do another roast, I figured I'd thaw one of the remaining ones out and chop it up for curry. I know this may sound sacreligious; hacking up a beautiful roast and using it for stew/curry. But if I enjoy it more that way than I would as a roast, then why not?!

I initially ran across a simple recipe for beef rendang on a Dutch blog. It was enough to pique my interest, but the recipe looked a little plain. So I went search for other beef rendang recipes to compare and contrast and see if I could find any that looked a little more punchy. The chilies and kerisik (toasted coconut) sold me on this one.

Beef Rendang

Slightly adapted from Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients

• 5-12 dried arbol or cayenne chilies¹
• 5 shallots
• 2-3cm piece galangal²
• 4 stalks lemongrass, divided; 1 cut into 10cm lengths and pounded, 3 green parts removed and white parts coarsely chopped (or 3 Tbsp. frozen minced lemongrass, divided)
• 5 cloves garlic
• 3-4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled
• 4-5 Tbsp. oil³
• 1 (3") cinnamon stick
• 3 whole cloves
• 3 star anise
• 3 green cardamom pods
• 700g boneless beef short ribs (or other cut of your choice), cut into cubes
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1 c. water
• 1-2 tsp. tamarind concentrate⁴
• 6 kaffir lime leaves, very finely sliced⁵
• 6 Tbsp. kerisik (toasted coconut)⁶
• 1 Tbsp. palm sugar
• salt, to taste

Directions

1. Pour hot water over chilies to cover and set aside for at least 10 minutes.
2. Remove chilies from water and remove stems and seeds.
3. Add deseeded chilies, shallots, galangal, white parts of three stalks of lemongrass (or 2 Tbsp. frozen minced lemongrass), garlic, and ginger to blender or food processor and process into a paste. If needed, add some of the oil from the next step to the blender jar to help it break down into a nice smooth paste.
4. Heat oil over medium heat. (Sauté medium on InstantPot.)
5. Add paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom and stir-fry until aromatic (1-2 minutes).
6. Add beef and pounded lemongrass and cook for another minute or two.
7. Add coconut milk, water, and tamarind concentrate and cook, uncovered, over medium heat until meat is almost cooked (~10 minutes).
8. Add lime leaves, kerisik, and sugar and stir to combine.
9. Reduce heat to low (slow cook medium on InstantPot), partially cover, and cook until pot is almost dry⁷.
10. Season to taste with salt and sugar.
11. Serve with rice.

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¹ The original recipe calls for 10-12 and I think that would've been a nice number. I scaled it back to five because I was worried that the Kidlet would object otherwise. With only 5 chilies, there is no detectable spiciness whatsoever -- not even to the Kidlet's super-sensitive tongue! ^Back
2 I was all out of fresh galangal so I substituted 1 tsp. of galangal powder. Definitely use fresh if you have it though! ^Back
3 The original recipe calls for 5 Tbsp. oil. I used this amount but found the final dish somewhat fattier than I would've preferred. I'd try cutting it back to 3 or 4 Tbsp. next time. ^Back
4 The original recipe calls for 2 tsp. of tamarind pulp (presumably from fresh tamarind). I was going to use 2 tsp. of tamarind concentrate, but then got worried that this might be too much. I scaled it back to 1 tsp. I was happy with the final result, but I think 1 1/2 or 2 tsp. probably would've been fine. ^Back
5 I didn't have any fresh lime leaves, so I crumbled a few dried ones instead. ^Back
6 To make kerisik, slowly and gently toast fresh or dried shredded coconut in a dry pan. It's important to get it dark enough to impart good flavour without getting it so dark that it becomes burnt. Watch it carefully and stir often. Remove from heat promptly once browned. If your coconut was coarsely shredded, pound it thoroughly after toasting to break it down into very small pieces. ^Back
7 I initially fully covered the pot and set it to low for 8 hours. It was still looking very soupy after the first few hours though, so I bumped the temperature up a bit (from slow cook low to slow cook medium) and set the lid slightly askew. It still needed another 12-ish hours after that to cook down enough. The end result was delectably tender and flavourful though. The exact cooking time will vary depending on your pot and stove/slow cooker/etc. Check it periodically and use your best judgement. ^Back

Lẩu (Vietnamese Hotpot)

I've never made or eaten hotpot before, but I was suddenly overcome with the desire to try it. We don't have a portable burner or hotpot... pot. But we do have an InstantPot. It's not ideally shaped for the task, but I figured it would due in a pinch just to try it out. If we really get into doing hotpot often I might consider buying a dedicated burner and pot for it. In the meantime, the InstantPot worked quite well.

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!

The broth (Not the best lighting or pot for it but, trust me, it was delicious!)

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

1. Combine all broth ingredients in pot.
2. 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.)
3. Strain the broth. Solids may be eaten with dipping sauce or discarded.

Aromatic Oil

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and lemongrass and cook until garlic starts to turn golden.
3. Remove from heat and add paprika and chile flakes.
4. Scoop a ladel-full of the strained broth into the pan to loosen any stuck on bits.
5. Dump the broth and oil into the main broth pot. Broth is now ready to go!

Serving

1. Prepare all your dippers by slicing thin and/or cutting into bite-sized pieces as appropriate.
2. Set out your dipping sauces and utensils. (Chopsticks, tongs, spider/strainer, etc.)
3. Set the broth pot (and a portable burner) on the table and bring to a boil.
4. Diners can now drop in their desired foodstuffs to cook in the pot. Retrieve them with the spider when they're done.
5. Dip in desired sauce(s) and enjoy!

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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