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–+ servings
Instant pot hot pot

Instant Pot Hot Pot: Cozy Comfort Made Easy

This Instant Pot Hot Pot is a game-changer for me. It's a smart and convenient way to whip up a delicious Chinese hot pot meal without leaving the comfort of my own kitchen.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 2 people
Author: Cielle

Equipment

  • 1 Instant Pot (or any specialized Electric Pot designed for Hot Pot)
  • wooden or bamboo chopsticks (for picking up food items in the hot pot)
  • bowls (for holding the cooked food items and dipping sauces)
  • Ladle (for scooping the broth to serve alongside the noodles)

Ingredients

I. Broth (Instant hot pot base, up to your preference)

  • Spicy Sichuan flavor, Tomato flavor, Mushroom flavor...
  • Water (according to the instructions on hot pot base's package)

II. Food items (Choose at least 3 ingredients from the protein and vegetable categories and 1 ingredient from the noodles and dumplings category)

Protein (based on your dietary preferences)

  • Meat: Thinly sliced beef, lamb, and pork specifically for hot pot.
  • Seafood: sliced fish fillets, shrimp, cuttlefish, beef balls, pork balls, fish balls, fish tofu, fish cake...
  • Tofu and soy products: tofu puffs, frozen tofu, dried bean curd rolls, fresh or dried tofu skin.

Vegetables

  • Leafy greens: napa cabbage, bok choy, baby bok choy...
  • Mushrooms: oyster mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, shimeji mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, wood ears, button mushrooms.
  • High-carb vegetables: sweet corn, lotus root, potatoes,sweet potatoes.

Noodles and Dumplings

  • Noodles: sweet potato glass noodles, wheat noodles, egg noodles, rice noodles...
  • Dumplings: homemade or store-bought dumplings or wontons.

III. Dipping Sauce (personalized based on your preference)

  • Soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar
  • Chinese sesame paste, Peanut butter
  • Chinese chili oil, Sesame oil
  • Minced garlic, Chopped scallions, Chopped cilantro

Instructions

Wash and cut all the food items (Arrange them on separate plates according to their categories for easy serving)

  • Bok choy and baby bok choy (thoroughly washed)
  • Napa cabbages(thoroughly washed, cut into 2.5 - 5 cm or 1-2 inch pieces)
  • Enoki mushroom (end removed and torn into smaller bundles)
  • King oyster mushroom(end trimmed, thinly sliced)
  • Oyster mushroom (separated into small parts)
  • Shimeji mushroom (end removed, separated into small parts)
  • Button mushroom (thinly sliced)
  • Shiitake mushroom (soakd to reconstitute)
  • Wood ears (soaked to reconstitute, removed any woody parts)
  • Potato, sweet potato, lotus root (cut into 0.5 cm or 1/4 inch thick slices)
  • Sweet corn (cut into 2.5 cm or 1 inch thick slices)
  • Dried tofu skin (rehydrated)
  • Sweet potato noodles (pre-soaked for 1 hour)

Prepare dipping sauces

  • Customize the sauces to suit your taste preferences.
  • My recipe:
    - 2 tbsp Japanese sesame sauce (Goma Dare) or Chinese sesame paste
    - 1 tbsp soy sauce
    - ½ tbsp Chinese black vinegar
    - 1 tsp Lao Gan Ma chili oil.

Add soup base and water

  • Place the hot pot soup base and pour water into the Instant Pot.
  • Use the "Saute" mode on high heat to bring the broth to a boil.

Start cooking

  • Once the broth is boiling, add the prepared food items to the pot.
  • As you enjoy the meal, the broth will gradually reduce. Keep extra hot water nearby to refill the broth when needed.

Notes

  • Add food items when the broth starts boiling. Wait for the broth to reach a boil before introducing your food items.
  • Avoid overcrowding the hot pot to maintain the proper temperature.
  • Adjust cooking times for different ingredients.
  • Ensure the hygiene by dipping your chopsticks into boiling broth after handling raw food.
  • If you want to enjoy the hot pot alone, you could make a quick single-serving hot pot noodle soup instead of the full setup.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!