Hot Pot (by G)

I've been saving this one up for a weekend, in retrospect there was no real reason to wait for a weekend - it didn't take too much time to make. The soup broth started with shallot and garlic being fried along with some coriander stems. Then pre-soaked porcini, along with the soaking liquid were added with a couple of tins of chicken broth... I added some chicken style stock as well for a more intense flavour. That simmered for a couple of hours. In the meantime I fried some chopped birdseye chillies and cracked black pepper in oil and let it steep for a while.

To one side of the hot-pot pot I added a little bit of chilli and half the stock, to the other side I added the rest of the chilli and the rest of the stock.  Serving was pretty easy after that a plate of meats - pork rib, chicken, prawns and salmon, and some vegetables, greens, carrot and corriander.  There were also some noodles - flat white ones, and later, some soba noodles.

I don't want to jinx it but I think that eating at the table is a good omen - see Biggs' shrimp broil from a few weeks ago - because this was a good one. So savoury, so much meat, so nourishing. I am happy with this effort.