How to prepare a tasty and healthy steamboat or hotpot soup at home?
Steamboat or hotpot is not a new thing for the foodies of Singapore and different parts of Asia. This traditional Chinese cooking method is convenient and popular among the people who love cooking as well. This dish is way different than other dishes as you can add a wide range of ingredients to the steamboat or hotpot soup. There is no specific restriction on the usable ingredient for Steamboat or hotpot, and that’s what makes this dish so easy to prepare.
The best thing about this dish is that you can make use of almost any leftover ingredients in your fridge to prepare a delicious meal. The cooking method is not too lengthy and it isn’t too complicated as well. So if you are looking to have a tasty and healthy meal that is easy to prepare and serves as a nice family dinner at home, steamboat or hotpot is definitely a good choice for you.
With convenient food delivery services nowadays, you can even order a steamboat or hotpot online in Singapore, but if you would like to prepare it at home, you can check out our recommended cooking methods below, along with some delicious steamboat or hotpot foods that you can add into the soup as well!
What are the factors you should consider before preparing a steamboat or hotpot?
Before you start cooking the steamboat or hotpot soup, there are some factors to consider in order to enhance the quality and taste of the dish. Remember, a delicious dish can’t be made by using proper ingredients only, you have to use the right equipment and the right methods for making the end product delicious.
Factor 1: Stove for your steamboat or hotpot
Which stove is suitable for cooking steamboat or hotpot soup? A lot of people have the same questions in their minds. Both gas stove and induction stove works fine for cooking steamboat or hotpot soup, but you have to make sure that it is a portable stove as you need to place the stove in the middle of the dinner table. However if you were to make a choice between these 2 types of stove, we would highly recommend an induction stove as you will lessen the chances of overheating the pot during the cooking process. You can also use a gas stove if you don’t have an induction stove, but you have to consistently keep your eyes on the cooking process to avoid overheating.
Factor 2: Pot for your steamboat or hotpot
When you are selecting the right pot for cooking steamboat or hotpot soup, it is recommended that you get one with a wide diameter. Besides that, the pot should not be so deep that you can’t see the ingredients that you have put inside the pot. However, a split pot will be a better option for you than a regular pot in terms of cooking steamboat or hotpot soup, as this way you will be able to enjoy 2 different soup bases at the same time.
What ingredients can make your steamboat or hotpot soup way more delicious and healthier?
You can’t overlook you and your family members’ health while preparing the steamboat or hotpot soup. You should attempt to prepare the soup in a healthy way so that the soup doesn’t become bad for your health. Adding unnecessary ingredients or spices might cause digestive issues. In the following points, we will highlight the main tips that you must follow while preparing steamboat or hotpot soup for your family. These tips will make the preparation way healthier without any doubt.
Prepare a light steamboat or hotpot soup base
- Preparing the steamboat or hotpot soup base properly is the primary thing that you must do carefully. It is better that you prepare a light soup base for a healthier choice. The preferred ingredients of a light soup base are likely to be mushroom, cabbage, tofu, or any other vegetable that can be used for preparing soup. You can also add low-sodium chicken to the soup base to make it more delicious. However, refrain from using broth as an ingredient of the soup base of your dish, as it is high in sodium.
- You can also consider our Beauty Chicken Collagen Soup for your soup base. Our Beauty Chicken Collagen Soup is a premium mix of organic chicken from Japan’s Miyazaki prefecture along with cage-free chicken from Malaysia. It owes its deliciousness to native chicken farmers who have devised an ingenious method to concoct the mouthwatering chicken stock from Jidori chicken bones. Not only is it tasty, but is chock-full of collagen which helps to rejuvenate skin and increase its elasticity, leaving it fresh and revitalised. Hence, its superior properties has crowned it with the title of ‘Golden Chicken Stock’.
- Internal organs of animals like livers, intestines, pork kidneys contain a lot of fat that can be harmful to your health. Instead of adding these into your preparation, you should opt for fishes, seafood, lean pieces of chicken and pork, etc. These sources will be beneficial for you as they are high in protein.
- Adding foods that contain high levels of carbohydrates such as rice and noodles might make the meal richer and more challenging to digest. There is no need to add rice and noodles as those will increase the number of calories in your meal. Specifically, if you’re on a calorie-deficit diet, adding rice or noodles into steamboat or hotpot soup won’t be a favorable option for you.
- Adding more vegetables to the soup can greatly enhance its taste. Especially vegetables such as tomato, carrot, cabbage, spinach, sprouts, green peas, and cauliflower. These types of vegetables can add different depths of flavours to the soup and give you a more scrumptious soup base. Besides that, these vegetables are excellent sources of fiber, and fiber is an essential element for the well-being of your digestive system.
- Sauces are essential when you’re preparing steamboat or hotpot Try not to add sauces that are too spicy, as those can ruin the soup’s flavour. You can use light dipping sauces like soya sauce along with fresh-cut chilies, vinegar sauce, etc. These sauces are not harmful to your digestive system in anyway, and they will also make the soup taste better.
- You can add other ingredients for steamboat or hotpot such as Yong Tau Foo Ingredients, fish balls, meatballs, sausages, Shabu Shabu Pork Belly and more into your preparation. Our steamboat or hotpot ingredients includes steamboat or hotpot Specialty, Taiwanese Products, Handmade Dumplings, Shabu Shabu Pork Belly, steamboat Balls, Sausages, Sauce & Canned Food, Vegetables & Mushrooms. At Joo Hwa, we are best know for our Mouth-Watering Fresh and Frozen Yong Tau Foo Ingredients in Singapore. Each piece of Yong Tau Foo Ingredients at Joo Hwa is made with special recipe. When you pair our Yong Tau Foo Ingredients with a steamboat or hotpot meal, the taste of your steamboat or hotpot soup is instantly elevated.
- If you heat the pot for too long, it can cause an absolute increase in the soup’s nitrate levels. Keep in mind that you are not supposed to overheat the preparation, otherwise the delicious soup can turn into a toxic element for you and your family.
