Chinese Hot Pot---Thanksgiving 2009

Last Thanksgiving I made a Chinese Hot Pot dinner (Chinese fondue or steamboat), perfect for the chilly weather. It is basically a one pot meal with a simmering pot of broth in the center of the dining table. Typically, it includes different varieties of thinly sliced meat, seafood, leafy green vegetables, and noodles on the side. Each individual is given a small wire mesh ladle to cook the food in the broth. The cooked food is served with a dipping sauce (soya or chilli sauce). Nowadays, most Asian supermarkets have pre-packaged meat for your convenience. Personally, I prefer to do all the cutting and slicing myself---the meat is fresher and it's much more economical.

Ingredients:
1 medium-sized organic chicken
1 lb pork bones
½ lb beef, sliced thinly
½ lb prawns, shelled and deveined
½ lb scallops
1 small cuttlefish, scored and sliced thinly
1 cup mushrooms (shitake or cremini)
Spinach, baby bok choy, cilantro, lettuce
Noodles (dried or fresh)
½ cup freshly minced ginger
2 Tbsp. chopped spring onions
1-2 slices of ginger
Portable rangetop cooker (purchased at most Chinese grocery)
Method:
1. Debone and separate meat from chicken. Slice meat thinly. For stock, bring a pot of water to boil and add chicken carcass, meat bones, and ginger. Turn heat to simmer while preparing other ingredients.
2. Prepare the following: clean and slice rest of the meats thinly; trim, wash and drain mushroom and vegetables. If using dried noodles, follow cooking instructions on package.
3. Dipping Sauce: Put ginger and spring onions in a bowl. Heat oil in a small saucepan to a boil, turn off heat and pour oil over ginger mixture. Before of the hot oil as it will splatter. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir to mix and set aside for serving.
4. Set a portable cooking stove on the table with a pot deep enough for cooking. Strained stock and pour into pot and heat to a rolling boil. Add your choice of meat or vegetables to cook and serve with dipping sauce.