Hot pot is most commonly enjoyed with friends and families during festive season, or some special occasion. It can be New Year dinner, birthday celebration with a few friends, or most famously being eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. What if you are alone, craving for hot pot, and could not find anyone to share it with you? Why not make a simple one-person hot pot?
Hot pot for one has always been my go to dinner whenever my wife was not around and I was craving for some hot pot. Actually, craving isn’t the only thing to blame if I am being honest. I have been eating a lot recently because it is just so simple to make. I mean, really simple.
All you need are just a few slices of pork belly (or beef if you prefer) and some vegetables with the likes of cabbage, enoki mushroom, or shiitake mushroom. The meat is pre-cut so there is not much you need to prepare. You just need to cut the vegetables to bite size and you are good to go.
With the ingredients well sorted, the next thing will be the soup. Now, we Malaysians are all well pampered with all kinds of instant steamboat soup that we can easily get from any market. Tomyam, curry base, malak, or etcetera. So choose what you like. For me, I like the simple and light dashi stock which is inspired by one of my favourite Netflix shows, Midnight dinner. It is slightly fishy and quite umami. A perfect soup if all you need is a light soup base. Besides, there are many instant dashi powder packs you can easily get nowadays. Just use that.
With both ingredients and soup out of the way, it is time to make our hot pot for one! Get a decent size and not so big hot pot (clay pot), and start cooking~
Midnight Dinner Inspired Hot Pot For One
Equipment
- A single person hot pot (clay pot will do as well)
Ingredients
Soup base
- 2 cup Dashi
Ingredients
- 2 leaf Chinese cabbage
- 5 slice Pork belly (Or beef slices)
- 1/2 pack Enoki mushroom
- 2 tsp Sake
- 4 Shiitake mushroom
Seasoning
- A bit of salt if needed
Dipping sauce
- Ponzu sauce (Optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients. Slice the Chinese cabbage. Remove the stock of the enoki mushroom and shiitake mushroom.
- Now get your hot pot. Place and arrange all the ingredients in your hot pot.
- Pour the dashi in.
- Boil it and cook it with lid on for about 5-10 minutes or until the vegetables are done and the meat are well cooked.
- Skim off the scums if needed. Season with some salt
- When everything are well cooked, turn off the heat and serve. Enjoy it with ponzu sauce.
