The title of this is to commemorate bad & boujee while I still can, it's also to encourage you to eat hot pot at home whenever you can!

I'm sure you've seen shabu/hot pot somewhere by now, whether it's on instagram or online.

Shabu-shabu is the Japanese food-term for thinly sliced meat and vegetables cooked in a boiling liquid/broth.

Hot pot is by far (way) up on my list of things to eat on a regular basis.
It’s healthy, super easy to make, and great for crowds.
You’re probably asking yourself “where am I going to buy all this stuff?!”

Well of course amazon can be your BFF for this one, but if you have a local Asian supermarket nearby, then I would definitely check that out first!

Here’s the basics of what you’ll need to have your very own hot pot experience, at home (in your PJs).

Induction pad – to heat up everything
Hot pot pot ::bad and boujee voice:: single bowl | split bowl – has to work with the induction pad
All in one
Metal tongs – for the raw meat/seafood
Ladles
Mini strainer – for noodles and things that float away
Dipping bowls

Okay so now that we’ve got the basic kitchenware out of the way we can move on to some of the basic ingredients you’ll need to actually cook!

Sliced/shaved meats : my favorites are beef (fatty) & pork, but you can get all sorts of things! Chicken, lamb, etc.
I usually buy this pre-sliced and frozen at my local Asian supermarket, unless you have a slicer (v rare) it’s going to be pretty hard to slice it yourself. BUT if you must, just stick the meat in the freezer for about 20 minutes or so, that way you have something a bit more firm to work with.
Seafood : salmon, tuna, squid, clams, mussels, fish sticks!
a quick and easy way to get a great sampling is to pick up a sashimi platter at the market, that way you don’t have to be stuck with just one type of fish!
Tofu : silken is a good standby, fried, bean threads (tofu skin), firm, etc.
There are soo so many types of tofu out there definitely feel free to Google this.
Vegetables : nappa cabbage, baby bok choy, watercress (yuck), spinach, daikon, corn, carrots, tomatoes, taro?, etc. essentially any vegetable that you like is going to be perfect
Mushrooms : wood ear, shitake, enoki, king oyster, etc.
again like tofu, there are so many different varieties, that’s why I separated them out on their own
Fish/meat balls : Asian markets have an amazing assortment of these things, choose one of all and see what you like!
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO EAT, really.

Broth
Okay now this is where it’s handy to have a bowl with a divider, that way you can try different kinds.

For the base of any broth feel free to use any sort of stock that you have (no salt if possible) whether it’s store bought or homemadeisbetter.

If you’re feeling adventurous you can always pick up different flavorings either online or at your local Asian market (LAM). Some great ones out there that you’ll see on menus are – miso, Mongolian, herbal, Szechuan, Tom Yum, vegetable, pork

Sauce
This is arguably one of the most important parts of hot pot, to me anyway. Of course there are a few different ways you can customize your dipping sauce, below are some basic ingredients that I use to build off of.

Chinese barbeque sauce, I use Bull Head
(make sure you stir up the can every time, and store in a plastic bag)
Soy sauce
Sugar
Scallions
Garlic
RHCP aka birds eye chili’s
Feel free to add anything else! Oyster sauce, ginger, etc.

A few of my favorite places to go to when you don’t feel like cleaning are:

Shabu Zen, my all-time favorite. I prefer the Chinatown location but Allston is the one with parking
Van Shabu on Dorchester Ave. – all you can eat hot pot & sushi?!
Kaze in Chinatown – great location and quality!

I’d love to see you guys try this out :)