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January 9, 2014

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Hotpot variations let everyone have it their way

By Wu Huixin | January 9, 2014, Thursday | Print Edition

Steaming hotpot warms the stomach and the wide variety of ingredients available provides diners with energy in winter. Chinese people also think that sweating while eating hotpot can help cure a cold.

While some hotpot restaurants are pricey, the dish also can be found at prices more affordable for most people, from small roadside eateries to regular hotpot restaurants.

Hotpot is also a much-loved meal that people around China enjoy with family and friends. Large, communal-style pots can present some difficulties, since everyone has their own favorite seasonings, and one pot with one flavor is unlikely to satisfy everyone.

Luckily, hotpot has developed into a couple of different styles that solve this problem, such as shaguo, doulao and Japanese shabu-shabu. They include a pot the diameter of a table tennis racket for each guest, and while the raw ingredients are still shared, customers choose their own soup.

Doulao

Unlike most hotpot meals, that include mainly meat and poultry, vegetables and soybean-derived foods, doulao contains seafood in many guises — including fresh seafood, seafood meatballs and mashed seafood — all cooked in a clear, light soup.

The pronunciation of 豆捞 is similar to 都捞 — meaning “scoop together” and symbolizing good fortune.

It is said that the doulao was invented by a Macanese named Jin Jia. The story goes that toward the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the philanthropist Jin’s works moved a god in heaven, who gave him a magic pot containing an inexhaustible supply of food, and people flocked for a scoop.

However, a gang of ruffians heard about this magic pot and tried to steal it from Jin. But during the robbery, the pot fell and broke into pieces. The fragment that Jin managed to grab turned into a golden bean, while the other pieces grabbed by the ruffians became only worthless shards.

The golden bean continues to work the pot’s magic — when put into a jar of rice, the quantity increased, and when put in a jar of oil, more oil was produced. Jin then opened a restaurant free to the poor, named Doulao. From then on, doulao became a popular Macau meal and spread around China.

Recommended restaurants:

• Doulao Fang

Address: 7/F, C Pavilion, Hangzhou Tower, 230 Huancheng Rd N.

Tel: (0571) 8517-7277

 

• Macau Doulao

Address: 441 Kaixuan Rd

Tel: (0571) 8603-1777

Shabu-shabu

Shabu-shabu is the Japanese version of hotpot. Besides the separated pot for each, it usually includes miso soup as the broth.

Miso soup is comprised of miso and dashi. Miso is a Japanese seasoning made from fermented rice, barley, and soybeans with salt and the fungus. Dashi is a kind of broth made of kelp, sardines and dried, shaved fish.

The ingredients typically added into shabu-shabu include tofu, seaweed, potatoes, onions, shrimp and radishes, usually varying by region. Using dipping sauces such as chili, seafood or barbecue adds flavor.

During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945), Japanese people took the Chinese shuan yang rou (äÌÑòÈ⣬mutton hotpot) back to Japan and it caused a sensation. They adapted shuan yang rou and thereafter shabu-shabu became a common dish in Japanese cuisine.

Recommended restaurants:

• Taipei Shabu-shabu

Address: 445 Gongxiu Rd

Tel: (0571) 2286-7777

• Taoping Shabu-shabu

Address: 688 Shanying Rd

Tel: (0571) 8264-0101

Shaguo

It’s the name of both a Chinese pottery vessel and a variety of hotpot. Unlike shabu-shabu and doulao, which can be cooked in both ceramic and metal pots, shaguo should be simmered in pottery, which is believed to retain the flavor of the food.

When people eat shabu-shabu and doulao, they usually add foods to the soup continuously while eating. But for shaguo, diners have to choose the raw ingredients before cooking. Then, chefs cook them and serve them hot.

The best match with shaguo is the vermicelli. Simmered with tofu, vegetables and meat for about half an hour, vermicelli adds smoothness to the dish.

Recommended restaurants:

• Changji Jinhua Shaguo

Address: 38 Jiefang Rd

Tel: (0571) 8704-0058

• Jiubaiwan Shaguo

Address: 452 Zhongshan Rd N.

Tel: (0571) 8517-6600

 

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