When I wrote about chef Todd Dae Kulper for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “At Home with Atlanta Chefs” series last year, I asked for a recipe he likes to cook with his family. He sent me a novel — about the pleasures of hot pot.
We ended up going with the Umi executive chef’s recipe for a quick and easy bibimbap, but his hot pot rumination and recipes — everything from spicy Sichuan to a “beautifying broth” for the skin — were too good to throw away.
“I love this recipe for anyone that wants to nourish their family or friends,” Kulper wrote me enthusiastically. With Chinese-inspired hot pots, he said, you can impress your guests with a spread, make health-conscious decisions bite by bite, and stay on budget, too. “I chose this meal because it works for all three categories. You can ‘show out’ or prepare it specifically for yourself and family! This dish caters to everyone and is customizable to fit everyone’s taste and dietary profiles.”
Chef’s got a point.
Stopping by Kulper’s Johns Creek home for a demo, I was blown away by the beauty and simplicity of his table. Previously, most of my hot pot meals were limited to restaurants, where big bowls of broth are the norm, and customers are charged by the number of add-ins. It’s tempting to load up.
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Kulper’s approach is more refined. He cooks at a high-end Japanese restaurant, after all. His customers expect dishes to please the eye as well as the mouth. Born in Korea, he was adopted by an Iowa farm couple, but in work and in life, he has embraced Asian culture. His wife, Mina, is Korean, and their heritage is reflected in their cooking.
The chef’s family is into eating healthy meals, and when he feels the urge for a cleanse, he turns to vegetables and vegan fare. His hot pot set-up is built around a divided dish, so that carnivores and vegans can dine in harmony. You can have leafy greens, dainty enokis and tofu in kelp-based broth. I can have beef, shrimp and fish balls in a fiery Sichuan soup made with bone broth. No one leaves hungry.
Hot pots are clever and crafty, in that they can serve as both a communal experience and the ultimate DIY dinner. In the company of others, you can cook and compose your own personal bowl.
When you’re ready to plunge into a hot pot, spend the morning at an Asian market, then call all your friends. At stores like Jusgo, a Chinese supermarket in Duluth, you can find snow pea tips, chrysanthemum greens, dried wood ear mushrooms and kelp, and aisle after aisle of frozen goodies to dunk in your pot: fish cakes, shrimp balls, shrimp tofu, frozen dumplings.
Kulper’s hot pot bases come together in minutes — though for the vegan recipe, you do need to soak kelp in water overnight. If time is an issue, you don’t even have to shop for multiple ingredients to make a base. Many Asian stores have a crazy abundance of packaged hot pot starters. No judgement here: They may be store-bought, but they are known to pack deeply complex flavors.
In fact, a recent New York Times story on hot pot, timed for Lunar New Year, featured a recipe calling for packaged hot pot base and suggesting a divided dish so that lovers of both spicy and bland broths can share the love, or at least the tofu and the lotus root.
One thing you don’t want to omit is a starchy element. At the end of your repast, toss in a package of ramen noodles (sans flavor packet), a few scoops of cooked white rice, or some frozen dumplings. They’ll absorb the flavors of the pot and any leftover morsels — to delicious effect.
Curious about Kulper’s beautifying broth? (I know I am.) Follow the recipe for the Sichuan hot pot, but omit the shiitakes, chiles and chile oil, and add 3 ounces of dried dates or jujubes and 2 of wolfberries — aka goji berries. Toss in some extra garlic and ginger.
“There are no rules to hot pot,” Kulper says. “I recommend you get creative with it.”
RECIPES
Hot pots offer something for every taste. Todd Dae Kulper, executive chef at Umi in Buckhead, offers recipes for meat lovers and vegans, too. With minimal preparation, you can put out a spread to wow your guests. If you’re feeding a crowd, you can easily double or triple the amount of broth. Just don’t forget the noodles.
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Sichuan Spicy Hot Pot
For this one-pot meal, you may use any broth of choice, store-bought or homemade. Kulper likes low-sodium chicken broth or beef bone broth. For my version, I used chicken thighs to make a rich, golden broth. You may use vegetable or vegan broth, including the seaweed-based stock in our recipe for Vegan Hot Pot. Plain water works, too. The aromatics and add-ins will impart flavor.
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Vegan Hot Pot
For centuries, Asian cooks have used dried seaweed to make an umami-rich stock. It is simplicity itself, and an excellent base for a vegan or vegetarian hot pot. Call this recipe the skinny hot pot.
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Alexandra’s Dipping Sauce
Alexandra Jang, 13, loves to help her dad, chef Todd Dae Kulper, in the kitchen, and when it comes to hot pot, this is her favorite dipping sauce. Excellent taste, young lady! We loved it, too.
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