Soupruary 21st: Hot Pot

I wanted to find something to make that was party-worthy, customizable, vegetarian and carnitarianivorousish, and at least vaguely pan-Asian-influenced. Thus: The cheater hot pot!


Location:
Adam's house, Covington, Kentucky


Attendees:
Adam, Aileen, Ashley, Evey, Kevin, Yusef, Mikey, Shiv, Taylor, me


Menu:
Hot Pot

Entertainment:
PAJAMAJAMIYAZAKITHON!!!

The Soup:
This soup was different for each person who ate it. I like that it allowed everyone to be involved in the food. The spread was rather pretty, and the leftovers made some great stir fry the next day. I have to give special thanks to Adam here; I had to duck out to attend another party for a while before all the Pajamajam guests had arrived, and he did the stirrin' and fryin' for the rest of the folks.

I'm calling this happy party soup cheater hot pot, because really everything should just be cooked by the broth instead of being stir-fried (as I did it), and I should have made a broth from scratch. But! This seemed to work. Here's what I did:

Chopped vegetables:

green beans

green onions

daikon

snow peas

carrots

celery

red bell pepper

shiitake mushrooms

asparagus

broccoli

napa cabbage

hot finger chiles

Also:

bean sprouts

bamboo shoots

Minced:

garlic

fresh ginger

Garnish:

cilantro

lime wedges

chicken breast, cut into bit sized pieces and stir-fried with Szechuan chile sauce

extra firm tofu, cubed

cellophane rice noodles, soaked in hot water 15 minutes and cut in 3-inch sections

vegetable broth, brought to a boil and seasoned with salt, green curry paste and Szechuan chile sauce to taste

Have guests pile their selected ingredients into their bowls, stir fry for about 30 seconds on medium-high heat, and pour the ingredients back into the bowl (one at a time, but it goes quickly). Ladle broth over ingredients, garnish and serve.