Asian noodle soups, of any kind, are one of my favorite dishes to enjoy. I love pho, ramen, pad thai, and hot pot. I’m on a mission to create homemade versions of all of these, and this is my recipe for hot pot!
Here is a list of what ingredients you can get at your regular grocery store, and which ones you’ll most likely have to look for at your local Asian market-
Grocery Store
- Sesame oil – you can find this in both regular and toasted
- Mirin – this is a sweet rice vinegar that adds a nice punch of flavor
- Rice vinegar – similar enough to the mirin in this recipe, so you can substitute this in it’s place if you’d like
- Chili garlic sauce – a strong, but not overly spicy, sauce that adds a tolerable amount of heat
- Hoisin sauce – a slightly sweeter sauce that adds both a salty and sweet flavor to the dish
Asian Market
- Baby bok choy – you can find this cute little green at a regular grocery store a lot of the time, but it is very inexpensive at Asian markets
- Enoki and Beech mushrooms – while regular mushrooms will do in a pinch, these cute little mushrooms add great flavor and cook super quickly, making them perfect for hot pot
- Mung bean sprouts – often found near the herbs and greens in your regular grocery store, but the kind at the Asian market are typically more fresh
- Thinly sliced pork belly or beef – this is the only thing you really need to get from the Asian market. Because of how thin they slice the meat, it is able to cook lighting fast in the broth.
- Ramen style or rice noodles – you can find multiple varieties of noodles at the Asian market, including a flour based ramen noodle and rice noodles. I prefer ramen style noodles, but rice noodles are equally delicious.
- Frozen dumplings – I have seen these at regular stores before, but I love the brands I find at the Asian market.
Note- While you can get some of these things from the regular grocery store, I highly recommend getting them all from the Asian food market! Most of the time their products are more authentic and much cheaper!
**Broth tip: Using homemade broth or stock really helps the flavors explode in this recipe**
Make sure to post pictures on Instagram and tag me @lkcooking if you make any of my recipes; I love seeing what you’re cooking!
Hot Pot Broth and Soup Toppings
Ingredients
Broth
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and smashed/sliced
- 2 inch piece of ginger root peeled and sliced into coins
- 1 tbsp mirin OR rice vinegar
- 10 cups chicken OR beef broth
- 1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp chili garlic paste
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tsp hoisin sauce
Soup Toppings
- Onion and/or leek sliced thin
- Baby bok choy sliced lengthwise
- Mushrooms enoki or beech mushrooms are more traditional, but you can slice/quarter white mushrooms
- Green onions sliced, both white and green parts
- Cilantro chopped
- Mung bean sprouts
- Pork belly is very thinly sliced, found at Asian food markets
- Noodles are either ramen style or rice noodles
- Frozen dumplings
Instructions
Broth
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Heat the sesame oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat for 30 seconds, until it starts to spread around the pan. Toss in the garlic and ginger, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes.
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Pour in the mirin (or rice vinegar, if using) to deglaze the pan, and cook for 30 more seconds , while stirring, to pull the flavors from the bottom of the pan.
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Pour in the broth, then bring the heat up to high. Add in the rice vinegar, chili garlic paste, soy sauce, and hoisin.
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Once the broth starts to boil, lower the heat to medium high and let simmer for at least 30 minutes, or for up to 2 hours for maximum flavor development (see note for slow cooker instructions).
Toppings
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Once your broth is ready, add in your desired toppings (in your desired amounts), and let cook just for a minute or two until the meat is cooked and veggies are tender. For the dumplings- drop them into the broth and let cook for about 4-6 minutes, until they float to the top. Remove and eat separately from the soup. Serve your soup in bowls topped with cilantro.
Recipe Notes
To make in a slow cooker- follow steps 1-2 on your stove top, then transfer everything to your slow cooker and follow the rest of the steps. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours. Before adding soup ingredients, have your slow cooker heating to high for at least 30 minutes, then add in your toppings and cook until tender (about 5-8 minutes).
