Dad's Authentic Hot Pot at Home: A Chinese Chef's Secrets

Instructions

1. Freeze and partially thaw meat. Partially frozen meat is significantly easier to cut into thin slices since it holds its shape when you cut it. If starting with fresh meat, place it in the freezer for about one to two hours. If starting with frozen meat, move it to the refrigerator overnight to partially thaw. The meat should be still hard but have some give.
2. Wash and prepare any vegetables and mushrooms. Wash and rinse all vegetables thoroughly. If using firm tofu, cut it into cubes. Prepare dried vermicelli noodles, spinach, Chinese broccoli, seafood mushroom, and king oyster mushroom as needed.
3. Cut beef, pork, and chicken into thin slices. Place a towel underneath the cutting board for stability. Carefully cut beef and chicken into 1-2 mm slices to ensure quick cooking in hot pot. Marinate pork chop slices by mixing salt, baking soda, cornstarch, and water in a bowl, then mix the pork chop with the marinade.
4. Prepare squid by removing innards by cutting down the middle with a knife. Pull out the entrails, the clear quill, and the purple membrane on the outside of the body. Cut away the innards hanging underneath the eyes to save the tentacles. Score the interior/stomach side of the squid by making diagonal cuts. Cut the piece into multiple smaller triangles. Marinate the squid by mixing baking soda and water in a bowl, then mix the squid in.
5. Prepare marinated fish slices by cutting about half of the tilapia fillets into ~1 cm slices. Marinate with salt, cornstarch, water, and white pepper. Mix the seasonings in an empty bowl first, then mix in the fish.
6. Prepare fish balls by finely mincing tilapia and shrimp, then beating them down to flatten. Mix the tilapia and shrimp together and flatten. Finely chop cilantro, green onion, rehydrated dried orange peel, and ginger. Mix salt, sugar, white pepper, chicken bouillon, egg, and cornstarch in a bowl. Add the fish paste and greens to the bowl and mix thoroughly for 2-3 minutes. Add sesame oil and olive oil and mix for another 30-60 seconds. Take clumps of fish paste and slam it down on the bowl to increase pliability. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
7. Prepare soup base by peeling daikon, cutting it in half, and then cutting it up into about 1 cm slices. Start boiling the hot pot broth with daikon, which will be eaten at the end after soaking up all the delicious flavors from the other foods.
8. Prepare dipping sauce by mixing light soy sauce, Shacha sauce, olive oil, sesame oil, oyster sauce, salt, sugar, chicken bouillon, chili oil, and boiled water in a bowl. The boiled water helps the sauce stay fresh for longer.