Yesterday I had a Hotpot Jones. But it was just me during lunch and so a big production was not in order. Plus I’d already eaten my quota of meat this week and didn’t want too much sodium. So I used some vegetarian broth that I had on hand and using one pot, made a very lovely hotpot soup. I then dumped in my noodles and poured the whole mixture into a soup bowl. The results were delicious. I guess it was more a “Ma La Tang” than hotpot, since it was basically a spicy bowl of soup with no table-cooking. But it did have all the necessary hotpot flavor. And it took care of my Jones.
Vegetarian Hotpot for one
1 tsp peanut oil
2 or 3 dried chilies, broken in half
1/2 tsp fermented black beans, rinsed with water
1/2 tsp chili bean paste
1 tsp freshly-grated ginger
1 tsp Shaoxing wine
vegetarian broth
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
In a soup pan, place the oil and the chilies and cook on low heat until fragrant. Meanwhile, mash the rinsed fermented black beans, the chili bean paste and the ginger together with the Shaoxing wine. Add to the chili-oil mixture and sizzle for just a minute. Pour in the vegetarian broth and add the Sichuan peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Add in whatever pre-cooked noodles and veggies you like and serve.
