SOUP FOR THE SOUL

by Qingyang Yang (Susu)

When it comes to picking favorite foods, everyone will express various opinions Some people prefer savory foods and believe that meats such as chicken or pork are the best. On the other hand, some prefer sweet foods and believe that desserts like cakes or brownies are the most delicious. While this list could go on and on, I would like to introduce a new potential favorite food to you: Hot Pot

When winter comes, the freezing cold can make the months depressing It can sometimes make it seem like we lose our feelings, since our hands, faces, and feet all feel very cold and uncomfortable. Conversely, a treat that tends to pop into my mind Hot Pot brings all the opposite feelings It’s warm, comforting, and a meal that’s eaten with several others What exactly is Hot Pot? A big pot is placed in the middle of the table, with a partition in the middle to separate the different flavors. Soup is placed in the different areas in the pot. After the soup is done, different ingredients such as meat, shrimp or vegetables are placed into it

How does one go about making Hot Pot? First, a Hot Pot broth needs to be made People usually purchase packaged Hot Pot soup bases. These have different flavors, such as Lee Kum Kee’s Soup Base; this base in particular has a seafood flavor. Various other bases can be used ranging from tomato soup to spicy bases All of these can be bought at an Asian market Second, some ingredients for the hot pot must be prepared It needs to be balanced There will be different kinds of foods; the ingredients usually are vegetables, mushrooms, meat, and seafood. One of the most common vegetables are leafy greens. Wash them thoroughly and cut them in simple pieces For the vegetables that have small leaves, it is best to leave them how they are and put them into the pot The larger leafy greens need to be cut into small pieces (1-2 inches) and placed into the pot. (Leafy greens that we can use are the following: cabbage, choy sum, and spinach.) Other vegetables: need to be peeled and cut into pieces that are

¼-⅛ inches; it only needs a short time to be cooked For example, lotus root, potato, sweet potato, pumpkin/kabocha squash, Daikon radish, tomatoes (cut into wedges), and corn (cut whole ears of corn into 1-inch pieces) all work in this recipe

Mushrooms:

Enoki mushrooms (slice 1/2-1 inch of the base off, and separate the larger bundle of enoki into smaller more manageable bundles. Cook until wilted; cook time: 30-45 seconds)

Wood ears (soak to reconstitute, rinse any dirt or sand off, and remove any woody ends; cook time: 2-3 minutes)

King mushrooms (Trim the ends, thinly slice; cook time: 2 minutes)

Shiitake mushrooms (Trim woody stems, slice, and add to the pot early, as they will flavor the broth; cook time: 2-3 minutes)

Oyster mushrooms (Clean thoroughly; cook time: 2-3 minutes)

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