It is not necessary to use all ingredients listed here
as long as you offer an interesting blend of meats, fish
and vegetables. Other meats and vegetables can be substituted,
if desired.
Place beef, chicken and fish in freezer and chill until
firm to touch but not frozen. Slice beef and chicken in
strips 1/4-inch thick and about 2 inches long. Cut fish
into 3/4-inch cubes. Shell and devein shrimp. Chop cabbage
into bite-size chunks. Clean mushrooms. If using forest
mushrooms, remove and discard stems. Slice mushrooms and
sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut off and discard root portion
of enoki mushrooms and separate clusters as much as possible.
Wash, trim ends and string pea pods. Clean green onions
and cut in halves lengthwise, including green portion. Cut
into 2-inch lengths. Clean spinach and discard thick stems.
To serve, arrange beef, chicken, fish, shrimp, cabbage,
forest mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, snow peas, green onions,
spinach leaves, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots in individual
rows on large platters or serving plates. Bring broth to
boil. Place heating unit under Chinese hot pot and pour
boiling broth into hot-pot bowl. Using Chinese wire ladle
and chopsticks or fondue forks, each person places whatever
ingredients are desired into hot broth to poach. When cooked
(this will take only a few moments), ingredients are then
dipped into sweet-and-sour sauce, soy sauce or hot mustard
as desired, and eaten with noodles, adding cilantro, if
desired.
from soar.berkeley
