Cantonese-Style Hot Pot (Da Bian Lu)

打边炉

Cantonese-Style Hot Pot (Da Bian Lu) — a Cantonese Chinese recipe, ready in about 45 minutes. Step-by-step instructions with photos.

Ingredients

• chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
• dried shrimp
• dried shiitake mushrooms
• scallions
• ginger

Instructions

1. Rinse chicken thighs and place in a large pot with 1.8 L cold water, dried shrimp, soaked shiitakes (with soaking liquid), ginger, and scallion whites. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then immediately lower to low and skim any foam.
2. Simmer uncovered for 40 minutes, stirring gently every 10 minutes. Skim fat occasionally — aim for a clean, golden broth with delicate aroma.
3. Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot. Discard solids except shiitake caps — slice them thinly and return to broth.
4. Bring strained broth back to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Stir in 1 tsp light soy sauce (15 ml) and ½ tsp white pepper (1 g) — just enough to lift flavor, not dominate.
5. Transfer to a tabletop hot pot. Arrange raw ingredients around: paper-thin beef, peeled prawns, fish balls, enoki mushrooms, and baby bok choy. Serve with dipping sauce: light soy + sesame oil + minced scallion greens.