My kids love eating Shabu Shabu (Japanese hot pot) and Taiwanese hot pot. Japanese hot pot, we call “nabe,” typically has a basic soup base using kombu or dashi. On the other hand, Chinese hot pot is more creative, ranging from super spicy hot pot to just simple chicken broth.
We love hot pot because it not only tastes good, but it is also extremely simple to serve for a large party. Everyone cooks their food in a big shared pot. Today I will share our Taiwanese hot pot and meatball recipe that I make occasionally for hot pot, just to provide a variety of cooking ingredients besides the typical frozen options (dumplings, fish/shrimp ball, fish cake, etc). I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family does!
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Taiwanese Hot Pot with Homemade Meatballs
Delicious Taiwanese Hot Pot and Homemade Meatballs recipe is a family-favorite comfort food that we enjoy on a cold winter day. Hot pot is all about customization, so add your favorite ingredients to suit your tastes and mood!
Ingredients
For the Homemade Meatballs
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 green onion/scallion (finely chopped)
- 1 Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion) (use only the white part; finely chopped)
- 1 Tbsp ginger (minced)
- 1 large egg yolk
For the Meatball Seasoning
- 1 Tbsp sake
- 1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the Dipping Sauce (per person)
- 2 Tbsp Taiwanese BBQ Sauce (spicy or non-spicy Satay Sauce)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1½ tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- green onions/scallions (chopped)
- cilantro (coriander) (chopped)
For the Taiwanese Hot Pot Soup
- 4 cups chicken stock/broth
- 4 cups water
- 2 green onions/scallions (chopped into 2-inch, 5-cm pieces)
- 5 cloves garlic (sliced)
- 1 knob ginger (1 inch, 2.5 cm; sliced)
For the Hot Pot Ingredients (suggestions)
- homemade meatballs
- 1 lb thinly sliced beef (such as ribeye) (I get “shabu shabu“ beef from a Japanese market; you can follow my tutorial to thinly slice your own meat)
- dumpling (store-bought)
- fish balls (store-bought)
- shrimp
- napa cabbage
- shungiku (chrysanthemum greens)
- Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion) (you can substitute it with leek or green onions)
- carrots
- sweet corn
- enoki mushrooms
- shiitake mushrooms (discard the stem)
- maitake mushrooms
- button mushrooms
- 1 medium-firm tofu (momen dofu)
- aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch) (or Chinese crispy fried tofu)
- Japanese rice cake (kiri mochi) (it‘s not Taiwanese, but it‘s my family‘s must-have hot pot item)
Instructions
To Make the Homemade Meatballs
- In a large bowl, combine 1 lb ground pork, 1 green onion/scallion (finely chopped), 1 Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion) (white part only; finely chopped), 1 Tbsp ginger (minced), 1 large egg yolk. Then, add the meatball seasonings: 1 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well with your hand.
- Make small balls with your hands and refrigerate them in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook in the hot pot.
To Make the Dipping Sauce
- For each individual dipping bowl, add 2 Tbsp Taiwanese BBQ Sauce, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1½ tsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), chopped green onions/scallions, and chopped cilantro (coriander).
To Make the Taiwanese Hot pot
- Cut and gather all the ingredients on serving platters; please see my suggestions above.
- My favorite hot pot ingredient is stuffed mochi in aburaage (fried tofu pouch). Cut an aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch) in half and stuff a small piece of Japanese rice cake (kiri mochi) called kirimochi in it. You can use a toothpick to close the pocket.
- Into a large pot, pour 4 cups chicken stock/broth. Add 4 cups water until the pot is half full. (You may not need all of the soup now, but keep them to add later.) Add the 2 green onions/scallions (chopped), 5 cloves garlic (sliced), and 1 knob ginger (sliced). Bring it to a boil.
- First, add some of the hard/dense vegetables such as sweet corn, Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion), carrots, the white part of napa cabbage (near the root), shungiku (chrysanthemum greens) stems, shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, frozen dumpling, etc. Cook, covered, until boiling.
- When the soup boils again, reduce the heat to a simmer. Most of the ingredients you put in earlier are not ready yet. Keep cooking until they are fully cooked (10–12 minutes). Meanwhile, add the homemade meatballs, mochi in aburaage, and soft/less dense ingredients like leafy greens, maitake mushrooms, fish balls, shrimp, and 1 medium-firm tofu (momen dofu). Keep simmering until they are warmed and cooked through.
- When you cook 1 lb thinly sliced beef (such as ribeye), hold a piece on the end with your chopsticks and dip it in the boiling broth. Gently shake the beef in the simmering broth for 20–30 seconds. The beef is now ready to consume. Try not to leave the meat in the broth for too long because it’ll get hard and won’t taste as good.
- Dip the ingredients in the sauce to enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 974kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 70g, Fat: 54g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 22g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 233mg, Sodium: 812mg, Potassium: 1735mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 26g, Vitamin A: 5975IU, Vitamin C: 48mg, Calcium: 348mg, Iron: 7mg
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