Huo Guo

This blog post is dedicated to my absolute favorite meal in Taiwan, huo guo (haw gwa.) Huo guo is a type of cooking that is done in a hot pot. Is is sort of like fondue, only the food is cooked in soup, not oil. Each person has their own individual hot pot, with their own controls. Sometimes there is a single large hot pot that is shared by an entire group, but the mini hot pot restaurants have become very popular. After choosing a flavor of soup for cooking, a large platter of  beautifully cut and washed vegetables plus your choice of meats, fish or tofu are prepared for each person. You also choose between fan (rice) or mien (noodles.) The mien have to be cooked as well. Typically the platter has some enokitake mushrooms, cabbage, seasonal greens, a slice of corn on the cob, taro, onion, doufu (tofu), sweet potato, pumpkin or squash, tomato wedges, crab sticks, fish balls and sometimes a square, hard piece that is made from rice mixed with pig's blood (ugh!) But you can also oder a totally vegetarian platter that included more doufu.

Once the burner is turned on, the controls are adjusted and the cooking begins. Individual pieces of vegetables, meats (lamb, beef, chicken, stomach,) fish (oysters, shrimp) and doufu (tofu) are placed in the boiling cauldron. Combinations of things that are cooked together yield especially delicious results. Chopsticks as well as strainers and ladles are provided for cooking and eating. 

Each restaurant has a sauce bar, where you make your own personal combination of condiments and spices. My favorite has been cilantro, green onion, garlic, some brown good smelling stuff that I think is vinegar, plus soy sauce. YUM! Many other spices are available, like barbecue sauce called "sha cha sauce" (made from peanuts and ground up dried fish, similar to a stay sauce) but I am very content with my limited palette! Usually a basket of raw eggs are available to add to the soup or sauce to thicken it up. Each restaurant has some specialty items that are added to the veggie plate. A few fish balls, a couple of flower-like tofu slices and a few sausages, pickles and chunks of root. The root is placed in the soup for more flavor.

After the food is cooked, it is lifted out of the cauldron, dipped in the sauce, laid on top of the fan or mien and gobbled up. The flavor is just so excellent, fresh and delicious, everytime. I love that I know exactly what I am eating and can make choices that suit me. Rachael is sampling her vegetarian and medicinal herb huo guo.

Some restaurants specialize in other forms of huo guo, such as sour and spicy kimchee or the ultimate spicy huo guo ma la (don't try this one unless you REALLY love spicy food.) There is often a tomato base, a medicinal herb and a Japanese-style curry flavor to choose from. I have always selected the house soup, which is a default soup, unique to each restaurant and often made from carefully guarded, secret ingredients. Does that sound scary?

The hot pot, as huo guo is sometimes called, is featured in other Asian countries. In Japanese, it is call, "shabu." There are many shabu restaurants in my neighborhood that feature the spicy ma la version. It is also poular in Mongolia, only the shape of the hot pot has a cone for keeping the soup warm.

Preparing and eating huo guo, requires a great deal of time and is a perfect dining experience to share with friends and family. There is plenty of time for relaxing conversations and discussions as each person cooks and eats their meals. I have been pricing out hot pots and most are around 700 NT..about $20. Not surprisingly, Amazon carries a wide variety, plus cookbooks! You can tell, this is one eating experience I will be bringing back to the States!