This is the second pot I bought from MV trading. I lived in Thailand for a few years and one of my favorite dinners was Yao Hon Kowlee BBQ. In Thailand, real fire (charcoal pot is used) and the BBQ/soup pot, which aluminum with slits cut into it that allows for cooking the meat and at the same time allowing the fats and caramelized juices to flow into the soup, sits above the glowing coals. As the dinner progresses, the soup (recipe to follow) gets tastier. Having a clay pot that weights 20 lbs filled with 3-5 lbs of burning coals limited this dinner to an out door affair. We live where it gets over 100 f in the summer and snows in the winter so we could not enjoy this as often as we would like (its not fun sitting around 3-5 lbs of burning coals when its +100f). I searched the net periodically for something that would allow my family to grill meats and have the drippings to flavor a base soup and this was the closest I could find.
This works great if you have the correct utensils and enjoy a social dinner and are not in a hurry. Its romantic if just you and your spouse/significant other. But also fun for the kids (we have 5 thus the need for 2). The kids enjoy have Yao Hon as often as we want to set this up. They would eat it daily if we let them. Below is a list of things I have found to help make this a fun and delicious dinner including meats vegetables and dipping sauces.
1. a couple quarts of Broth (vegetable or chicken, low salt if you are restricted). It is much easier if you pre boil the broth before adding it to this pot. It inst required as there are 2 settings for the soup base (hight and low) and high will bring the soup to a boil but pre heating allows for a quicker start.
2. Meats: any meat you like grilled usually we do 2 types of meat like Sirloin (1 inch squares) and large shrimp. Often we also throw some Japanese egg plant or portabella mushrooms on the grill toward the end of dinner to lighten it up. We have a Thai marinate we soak the meats in, but you can use your favorite pre-grilling marinade or rub. Just use a lighter amount.
3. 3-5 types vegetables: we do thai vegetables, but it really is a matter of choice ( Bok choy, cabbage, spinach, Chinese broccoli, regular broccoli leaf veggies cut into 1inch by2 ibch strips). We always use mushrooms but again, all about your likes so the list of veggies can go on and on. Often we add a couple scallions and garlic cloves to the broth depending.
4. Glass noodles (rice vermicelli) again as preference goes, you can use any type of soup noodles that you like. Ramen noodles work well as a substitute.
5. Eggs: We mix the glass noodle with a raw eggs before putting the noodles into the broth. You can also scramble the egg and add it directly to the boiling broth for an egg-drop style but it inst required.
6. Lubricant: In Thailand, they place a huge chunk of Pork fat with skin on and this releases a slow steady oil that keeps the meat from sticking. We use a can of Pam and coat the Grill portion between each set of meat. I always spray the top of the meat before turning it. This is a low calorie option and works well.
7. Dipping sauces at least 3: Again this depends on your meats and tastes. For example for Steak you can use Bearnaise (package mix works well), shrimp or chicken you can use teriyaki, Portabella you can use your favorite BBQ sauce. We use some special thai sauces that make this a very Thai experience. It all depends on the time you want to spend (open jars for quick and easy or spend some time to make some home made).
8. Misc: Tongs, Ladle to dish out soup, Large cooking Chops sticks to turn the meat over, regular chops sticks for eating, Medium Bowls for soup, small plate for cooked meats, ramekins for dipping sauces, spoons for soup (consider the Asian style soup spoons to make the soup more romantic/fun), small pitcher with extra broth (needed not only to replace soup if wanted, but also I use the broth on the grill plate between each set of meat. It cools the grill plate and removes the caramelized drippings so they don't burn).
Directions: Pour pre-heated broth into soup pan. Fill to about 2 inches from top. Turn the Boil switch to "high". Do not turn on the grill side until the vegetables are cooking. When the soup starts to boil, add the noodles and egg to broth and use chop stick/large spoon to make sure egg doesnt stick to bottom.
Add alot of vegetables to broth remembering most of the leaf veggies will shrink so you really cant put too much.
Turn on Grill portion and coat grill with pam. Here is the fun times as each person having dinner can put a few pieces of meat on the grill and cook their own meat. After using chop stick on raw meat, stir the soup to make sure veggies are all cooking and sterilizing the sticks.
After everyone has removed there first pieces of meat, pour just enough broth onto the plate to cool it and use chop sticks to break up any juices. Use the tongs to grab the plate and dump the liquid right into the soup. Sometimes it takes 2 rinses. Spray with pam and then Add more meat. The soup usually takes about 15-20 minutes, but we normally only take a small portion of the soup at a time as the soup gets better and better each time you rinse the grill into it. The grill gets hot enough to really brown the meat but it doesnt do it too fast so medium rare is about the best you can do.
This is a slower, social dinner that allows for lots of interaction and hands on fun. If you open a bottle of wine or have some cocktails, this is one of the best dinner parties you can have. It is extremely low fat with lots of veggies so it satisfies multiple needs. On the flip side, you can Keep it extremely simple with simple veggies, chicken/steak and store bought sauces.
I am a foodie at heart and have been lucky enough to have traveled all over the globe collecting recipes and experiencing food from so many cultures the way it should be. I hope that this isnt too intimidating as it is really a joy to experience. The $75 might seem abit steep, but we use it about 2 times a month and so the cost per use is really worth it.
The pot and the grill worked very well and clean up was easy.
It is helpful to boil your water in a pot first then pour it into the Shabu Shabu pot. By doing this you do not have to wait for the water to heat up and you can begin your feast much faster.
Buy Shabu Shabu Hot Pot with BBQ Grill Now
I had previously purchased a Tayama hot pot which I had to return (Amazon.com). I was very disappointed after having purchased and prepared a lot of vegetables and meat, the hot pot did not get hot enough to cook anything (used hot water and was not even simmering after 40 minutes). Amazon.com was great about the return though and issued my refund for the return shipping fee before I had even returned it. As soon as they received the return, I was refunded for the item and original shipping fee.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000K6EJBA/ref=oss_product
I was apprehensive on ordering another hot pot, but gave this one a try. It heated very quickly (under 10 minutes to boil 4 cups of cold water). The grill heated quickly as well. I'm very happy with this item. Would definitely recommend.
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I have used this Hot Pot twice, it is so nice, the grill bar is so easy to clean. I love this product a lot, the only drawback is that it doesn't offer the keeping warm feature, you either turn it on or off. Other than that, it is definately a good buy.
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Got this as we enjoy Shabu Shabu and had a gas burner for the table which didn't really do the job. Couldn't heat the water, so had to pre-boil it on the stove and transfer to the gas burner.. Had to buy the bottles of gas, which always run out when you need them!! Well I am happy to report that this electric one does it all and very well. Heats the water from cold to boil in less than 5mins and holds the boil easily.... Top grill is small but works well if you like Korean BBQ.. This is a must if you like hotpot cooking!!!
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