Pots on parade (2)

Clear Vietnamese

Vietnamese hot pot looks as clear as the country's famous pho, but contains a rich flavor due to its abundance of aromatic ingredients and herbs.

Vietnamese hot pot stock usually consists of water, straw mushrooms, lemon grass, lemon leaves, parsley, fresh lime, fresh chili and mint leaves, all of which lend a pungent flavor similar to Thai Tom Yum soup.

Vietnamese hot pot is served in Vietnam all year around (there is no winter in Vietnam), but many Vietnamese restaurants in China, like the well-known Nudge in Beijing's Houhai area, only offer hot pot during the chilly months of winter.

The signature ingredients to soak in the sour and hot clear soup usually include beef, glass noodles, cabbage and fresh seafood. The cooked food is usually eaten with fish sauce, which has a strong raw fish flavor, or soy sauce, which produces a milder, less astringent taste.

Hot and Sour Thai

A bit similar to Vietnamese style, Thai hot pot also uses a wide arrange of pungent herbs, but the addition of coconut milk causes the soup base to taste heavier and much stronger.

The ingredients are usually cooked in a "royal-style" metal pot that the Thai people usually use to serve other dishes like chicken curry.

The dipping sauce contains vinegar, lime juice, chopped garlic, coriander leaves and other fragrant spices. Common soup bases for Thai hot pot include non-spicy clear chicken soup, spicy hot and sour soup and red curry soup that do not necessarily need dipping sauce.

The best thing you can do with this variety of hot pot is to simply drink the soup, which is comparable to the more famous Tom Yam soup in richness. However, compared to Sichuan style hot pot, the Thai variety is lower in cholesterol and oil.

Kimchi Korean

Just as Kimchi plays a major role in spicing up most Korean dishes, so too does it make a major appearance in Korean hot pot.

Kimchi hot pot is the most well-known and well-received among the different varieties of Korean hot pot. The dish is mostly served in winter in Korean restaurants. As opposed to Sichuan-style hot pot, the Korean varieties usually are served alongside a set meal containing a small soup base, beef, tofu cubes, mushrooms, squid rings, noodles and other savory delicacies.

Armed with a big bowl of Kimchi cabbage, Korean hot pot is probably the quickest and easiest hot pot one can make at home.