Also called firepot cooking, hot pot is the Chinese version of fondue. Everyone chooses their food and cooks it in a large communal pot. Chinese fondue uses a single pot with various ingredients and sauces.

It is a Chinese tradition for families or groups of friends to sit around a table and eat from a steaming pot in the middle; cooking, drinking and chatting in the mean time. Chinese hot pot is an active and fun way to have a cosy dinner.

The hot pot has a long history in China. It originates from the north, where the winters are particular chilly early in the year. During the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-906) it spread to the south. Northern nomads who settled in China enhanced the pot with beef and mutton, and southerners did the same with seafood.

The pot is ceramic or steel. At Sea Palace we use steel pots for hygienic reasons. In the past, charcoal was the fuel of choice. Nowadays gas or electricity is mostly used for this purpose. Some of the pots are equipped with a chimney in the middle along with a valve for controlling the flame.

Meat, seafood, vegetables, tofu, and bean noodles are the most popular ingredients. All ingredients are served raw on a plate and freshness is self-evident. Meat is cut as thin as paper which will lead a sizable piece of meat often to shrink to a small bite after being boiled.

Seafood usually includes shrimp, crab, oysters, clams, squid, cuttlefish, and fish fillet. Seafood sometimes comes in ball or ravioli-like form. Lettuce is a special favourite for its tender, crispy, and sweet nature.

Please avoid over boiling ingredients. It will cause meat, seafood and vegetables to loose their tenderness and crispiness. The ingredients are already well cut to minimise the cooking time. Why not try hot pot at Sea Palace?

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