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Deryn

Deryn

Many Canadians have long been enamoured of what is here termed just 'Chinese fondue'. I think it must be a derived hybrid/equivalent of a hotpot like the one you pictured. 

 

For Chinese fondue one doesn't need a hotpot however (though that is nice to have for 'authenticity'). It is usually just done in a fondue pot with a (purchased or home made broth, not 'spicy', often with a wine base which a true hotpot I am pretty sure doesn't have). Definitely no charcoal used. I have even used a chafing dish when I didn't have a fondue, years ago. The broth gets tastier and tastier as the evening progresses and it is often drunk at the end of the meal.

 

One does definitely need that paper thin meat - and many supermarkets sell it (various meat varieties - chicken and beef being probably the most often purchased). I have cut my own but never managed (even though I froze the meat first and used a slicer) to get it as perfect and thin as the butcher can. I have also used shellfish/seafood (though the broth bases if doing only beef and chicken OR seafood are usually slightly different - much deeper for the beef, lighter for seafood so a mixture may not result in the best drinking soup at the end). I don't recall ever using lamb and never mutton or pork for that matter. I did add some pre-cooked spicy sausage to the platter once I think .. I think I might be a bit worried that meatballs might not cook through before they were eaten - especially if there were a few bottles of wine on the table being passed around .. but I do think meatballs are a great idea as well.  

 

Vegetables I have used most often were probably nappa (so there is an Asian influence), mushrooms, cherry tomatoes (not sure why but they are small and you can spear them easily), and zucchini. Noodles may be added at the end if the 'soup' is to be drunk but while I have done that, I don't think that is 'traditional' here.

 

The sauce(s) is(are) however not necessarily even poor replicas of a Chinese sauce - they tend to be more French (or they did when I was doing fondues like this - more like what one would use for a western traditional oil based fondue - which sounds strange now that I think of it .. bearnaise or hollandaise with Chinese fondue?) - but I bet people just put out whatever sauces they like and/or have around - so they could be barbeque or honey mustard today for all I know. I remember serving a simple Asian flavoured salad (soy, sesame, honey, rice vinegar over shredded carrots and maybe a bit of nappa or lettuce) on the side a few times - wonder where I got that idea.

 

What a mish mash our 'Chinese fondue' is .. seeing what you had there, I will be sure NOT to invite any Chinese person for that kind of meal at my place I think .. they would be shocked I bet - but it is still fun and easy to put together. This kind of 'dinner party' was a trend and hit back in the 60s as I recall and it is still apparently going strong enough even today that one can buy the pre-sliced (though often frozen) meat and broth easily (at least in Ontario and I believe Quebec .. I have not yet found it in this NS neck of the woods unfortunately). And I have not ever seen this kind of fondue meat (or the cans of starter broth) sold down south in the US (in or in any state that leads from eastern Canada to either Texas or North Carolina anyway) either that I can recall.

 

It is certainly a wonderful way to spend an evening with a few friends - and promotes good conversation over a lingering meal (where no one gets too full and the hosts/hostesses are not run ragged preparing last minute dishes, etc.). I really miss those 'fondue' dinners - much more than I ever miss eating cheese fondue or oil based (mostly) beef fondues. Very light on the waistline too (although not if you serve too much booze or a decadent dessert).

 

The sliced meat in the NA version of 'hotpot' usually stays reasonably well wound up on the forks .. though a few pieces are sacrificed to the fondue broth gods of course .. but I wonder if meatballs would - haven't tried those but they sound like a darned good addition. :)

 

Were you using chopsticks to just lower the meats etc. into the broth and then later fish them out?

Deryn

Deryn

Many Canadians have long been enamoured of what is here termed just 'Chinese fondue'. I think it must be a derived hybrid/equivalent of a hotpot like the one you pictured. 

 

For Chinese fondue one doesn't need a hotpot however (though that is nice to have for 'authenticity'). It is usually just done in a fondue pot with a (purchased or home made broth, not 'spicy', often with a wine base which a true hotpot I am pretty sure doesn't have). I have even used a chafing dish when I didn't have a fondue, years ago. The broth gets tastier and tastier as the evening progresses and it is often drunk at the end of the meal.

 

One does definitely need that paper thin meat - and many supermarkets sell it (various meat varieties - chicken and beef being probably the most often purchased). I have cut my own but never managed (even though I froze the meat first and used a slicer) to get it as perfect and thin as the butcher can. I have also used shellfish/seafood (though the broth bases if doing only beef and chicken OR seafood are usually slightly different - much deeper for the beef, lighter for seafood so a mixture may not result in the best drinking soup at the end). I don't recall ever using lamb and never mutton or pork for that matter. I did add some pre-cooked spicy sausage to the platter once I think .. I think I might be a bit worried that meatballs might not cook through before they were eaten - especially if there were a few bottles of wine on the table being passed around .. but I do think meatballs are a great idea as well.  

 

Vegetables I have used most often were probably nappa (so there is an Asian influence), mushrooms, cherry tomatoes (not sure why but they are small and you can spear them easily), and zucchini. Noodles may be added at the end if the 'soup' is to be drunk but while I have done that, I don't think that is 'traditional' here.

 

The sauce(s) is(are) however not necessarily even poor replicas of a Chinese sauce - they tend to be more French (or they did when I was doing fondues like this - more like what one would use for a western traditional oil based fondue - which sounds strange now that I think of it .. bearnaise or hollandaise with Chinese fondue?) - but I bet people just put out whatever sauces they like and/or have around - so they could be barbeque or honey mustard today for all I know. I remember serving a simple Asian flavoured salad (soy, sesame, honey, rice vinegar over shredded carrots and maybe a bit of nappa or lettuce) on the side a few times - wonder where I got that idea.

 

What a mish mash our 'Chinese fondue' is .. seeing what you had there, I will be sure NOT to invite any Chinese person for that kind of meal at my place I think .. they would be shocked I bet - but it is still fun and easy to put together. This kind of 'dinner party' was a trend and hit back in the 60s as I recall and it is still apparently going strong enough even today that one can buy the pre-sliced (though often frozen) meat and broth easily (at least in Ontario and I believe Quebec .. I have not yet found it in this NS neck of the woods unfortunately). And I have not ever seen this kind of fondue meat (or the cans of starter broth) sold down south in the US (in or in any state that leads from eastern Canada to either Texas or North Carolina anyway) either that I can recall.

 

It is certainly a wonderful way to spend an evening with a few friends - and promotes good conversation over a lingering meal (where no one gets too full and the hosts/hostesses are not run ragged preparing last minute dishes, etc.). I really miss those 'fondue' dinners - much more than I ever miss eating cheese fondue or oil based (mostly) beef fondues. Very light on the waistline too (although not if you serve too much booze or a decadent dessert).

 

The sliced meat in the NA version of 'hotpot' usually stays reasonably well wound up on the forks .. though a few pieces are sacrificed to the fondue broth gods of course .. but I wonder if meatballs would - haven't tried those but they sound like a darned good addition. :)

 

Were you using chopsticks to just lower the meats etc. into the broth and then later fish them out?

Deryn

Deryn

Many Canadians have long been enamoured of what is here termed just 'Chinese fondue'. I think it must be a derived hybrid/equivalent of a hotpot like the one you pictured. 

 

For Chinese fondue one doesn't need a hotpot however (though that is nice to have for 'authenticity'). It is usually just done in a fondue pot with a (purchased or home made broth, not 'spicy', often with a wine base which a true hotpot I am pretty sure doesn't have). I have even used a chafing dish when I didn't have a fondue, years ago. The broth gets tastier and tastier as the evening progresses and it is often drunk at the end of the meal.

 

One does definitely need that paper thin meat - and many supermarkets sell it (various meat varieties - chicken and beef being probably the most often purchased). I have cut my own but never managed (even though I froze the meat first and used a slicer) to get it as perfect and thin as the butcher can. I have also used shellfish/seafood (though the broth bases if doing only beef and chicken OR seafood are usually slightly different - much deeper for the beef, lighter for seafood so a mixture may not result in the best drinking soup at the end). I don't recall ever using lamb and never mutton or pork for that matter. I did add some pre-cooked spicy sausage to the platter once I think .. I think I might be a bit worried that meatballs might not cook through before they were eaten - especially if there were a few bottles of wine on the table being passed around .. but I do think meatballs are a great idea as well.  

 

Vegetables I have used most often were probably nappa (so there is an Asian influence), mushrooms, cherry tomatoes (not sure why but they are small and you can spear them easily), and zucchini. Noodles may be added at the end if the 'soup' is to be drunk but while I have done that, I don't think that is 'traditional' here.

 

The sauce(s) is(are) however not necessarily even poor replicas of a Chinese sauce - they tend to more French (or they did when I was doing fondues like this - more like what one would use for a western traditional oil based fondue) - but I bet people just put out whatever sauces they like and/or have around - so they could be barbeque or honey mustard today for all I know. I remember serving a simple Asian flavoured salad (soy, sesame, honey, rice vinegar over shredded carrots and maybe a bit of nappa or lettuce) on the side a few times - wonder where I got that idea.

 

What a mish mash our 'Chinese fondue' is .. seeing what you had there, I will be sure NOT to invite any Chinese person for that kind of meal at my place I think .. they would be shocked I bet - but it is still fun and easy to put together. This kind of 'dinner party' was a trend and hit back in the 60s as I recall and it is still apparently going strong enough even today that one can buy the pre-sliced (though often frozen) meat and broth easily (at least in Ontario and I believe Quebec .. I have not yet found it in this NS neck of the woods unfortunately). And I have not ever seen this kind of fondue meat (or the cans of starter broth) sold down south in the US (in or in any state that leads from eastern Canada to either Texas or North Carolina anyway) either that I can recall.

 

It is certainly a wonderful way to spend an evening with a few friends - and promotes good conversation over a lingering meal (where no one gets too full and the hosts/hostesses are not run ragged preparing last minute dishes, etc.). I really miss those 'fondue' dinners - much more than I ever miss eating cheese fondue or oil based (mostly) beef fondues. Very light on the waistline too (although not if you serve too much booze or a decadent dessert).

 

The sliced meat in the NA version of 'hotpot' usually stays reasonably well wound up on the forks .. though a few pieces are sacrificed to the fondue broth gods of course .. but I wonder if meatballs would - haven't tried those but they sound like a darned good addition. :)

 

Were you using chopsticks to just lower the meats etc. into the broth and then later fish them out?

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