RE: [CH] Fire Pot Spicy Broth

Linda Hutchinson (lipant@sympatico.ca)
Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:18:31 -0400 

Here is the recipe, got it by following a lot of links:

Spicy Hotpot
Ching-He Huang

Recipe courtesy Ching-He Huang, 2008
Show: Chinese Food Made Easy Episode: Spicy Sichuan
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Total Time:

1 hr 20 min

    * Prep: 1 hr 0 min
    * Inactive Prep: --
    * Cook: 20 min

    * Level: Intermediate
    * Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

    * Spicy Soup Base
    * 2 tablespoons groundnut oil (peanut)
    * 3 to 4 long dried Sichuan chiles or long dried chiles
    * 2 ounces whole Sichuan peppercorns
    * 1 tablespoon chile bean sauce*
    * 1 tablespoon chile sauce
    * 6 cups hot vegetable stock
    * 2 star anise
    * 6 dried Chinese mushrooms or 6 dried shiitake or porcini
mushrooms
    * 1 small handful dried orange peel or the zest of 1 orange
    * 9 ounces chile oil
    * 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
    * 2 medium red chiles, seeded and sliced
    * *Can be found at specialty Asian markets.
    * Hotpot
    * 9 ounces (MSG free) fish balls Cook's Note: If you are unable to
get hold of these, leave them out, or substitute with vegetables
instead.
    * 1 large spring onion, coarsely chopped
    * 1 small handful Chinese cabbage leaves, sliced 1-inch thick
    * 1 small handful deep-fried tofu Cook's Note: If you are unable to
get hold of this, leave it out or substitute with vegetables instead.

    * 1 small handful fresh tofu, cut into 1-inch chunks
    * Vinegar, Chile and Soy Dipping Sauce
    * 3 tablespoons black rice vinegar (recommended) or balsamic
vinegar
    * 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
    * 1 red chile, seeded and finely chopped
    * Special Taiwanese Dipping Sauce (1 serving)
    * 1 egg yolk
    * 1 tablespoon Oriental satay sauce* or barbeque sauce
    * 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
    * 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
    * 1 tablespoon finely sliced spring onions (green)
    * *Can be found at specialty Asian markets.
    * For assembly
    * 9 ounces (MSG-free) fish cake, sliced Cook's Note: If you are
unable to get hold of this, leave it out or substitute with vegetables
instead.
    * Baby corn, as needed*
    * Raw lamb, thinly sliced, as needed
    * Raw prawns or shrimp, shelled and deveined, as needed
    * Firm tofu, cut into chunks, as needed
    * Enoki mushrooms, as needed
    * *Can be found at specialty Asian markets.

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DIRECTIONS

This is a mouth-tingling, numbing hotpot! The spicy soup stock base is
a delicious broth in which fresh ingredients are poached - like a
Chinese fondue. The Mandarin word for such a feast is 'Huo-guo',
meaning 'hotpot', because all the ingredients are cooked in a hotpot!

I love this kind of feast, it is easy to prepare, and is great for
interaction with friends. All you need is an electric wok or fondue set
up in the centre of the table and plenty of soup ladles and away you
go. I had this dish in Chengdu in the middle of summer and it was
fantastic. Be warned - this is extremely spicy.

For the soup base:
Heat a 3 1/2 pint capacity wok over a high heat, and add the groundnut
oil. Stir-fry the chiles and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant. Add
the chile bean sauce, and chile sauce, then pour in the stock. Add the
star anise, mushrooms, orange peel, chile oil, and ginger, and bring
everything to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer
for 20 minutes.
Ten minutes before serving, stir in the chiles.

For the hotpot:
Whilst the stock is simmering, divide all the fish balls, spring
onions, cabbage, deep-fried tofu, and fresh tofu on 4 serving plates,
cover with plastic wrap, and chill them in the refrigerator.

For the soy dipping sauce:
Combine the black vinegar, soy sauce, and chiles in a bowl, and set the
sauce aside.

For the special dipping sauce:
Let each guest prepare their own Taiwanese dipping sauce at the table.
In a small bowl, stir to combine, the egg yolk, satay sauce, cilantro,
and spring onions.*

For the assembly:
To serve, arrange all the ingredients on the table. Transfer the soup
base to an electric wok or fondue pot, and set it up in the center of
the table. Let the guests help themselves, and cook the raw ingredients
in the spicy broth. Serve with both dipping sauces.
Cook's Note:

Make sure you have plenty of utensils for the raw ingredients at the
table, and let your guests use those to add anything into the stockpot
- this reduces the chance of cross contamination from the raw
ingredients and your guests' serving plates.
*RAW EGG WARNING

Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and
lightly-cooked eggs due to the slight risk of Salmonella or other
food-borne illnesses. To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only
fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade A or AA eggs with intact
shells, and avoid contact between the yolk or whites and the shell.