🍲 Recipe · vegetarian
Vegetarian Hot Pot 素食火锅
Full-flavour mushroom broth — no meat, no compromise
A deeply savoury vegetarian hot pot built around a wild mushroom broth. No meat, no animal fat — but more umami than many meat-based broths because of the kombu, dried shiitake and soy sauce base. Includes high-protein tofu options and hearty vegetables.
Broth Ingredients
- 1 packet wild mushroom hot pot base (菌菇锅底) — verify no chicken extract
- 10g dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked (save the soaking water)
- 10cm piece kombu (dried kelp), wiped clean
- 1.5 L water + mushroom soaking water
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 2 cm ginger, sliced
- Salt to taste
Dipping Sauce
- 1.5 tbsp sesame paste
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp black vinegar
- ½ tsp chili oil (optional)
- 1 tbsp warm water
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp scallion
At-Table Ingredients
Protein (plant-based)
- 200g firm tofu, sliced 1cm thick
- 100g tofu puffs (油豆腐)
- 80g tofu skin / yuba (腐竹), soaked 20 min
- 100g wheat gluten balls (面筋)
Mushrooms
- 100g king oyster mushrooms, sliced
- 80g enoki mushrooms
- 80g fresh shiitake, stems removed
- 50g wood ear mushrooms, rehydrated
Vegetables
- 150g napa cabbage
- 100g lotus root, thinly sliced
- 100g winter melon, cubed
- 80g water spinach (空心菜)
- 80g corn, cut into rounds
Noodles
- 100g sweet potato noodles, soaked 30 min
Instructions
1
Build the umami broth
Combine water, kombu and mushroom soaking liquid in the pot. Add soaked shiitake. Bring to a gentle simmer — do not boil kombu or it turns slimy. Remove kombu after 10 min. Add hot pot base packet, ginger, soy sauce and white pepper. Simmer 10 more min.
2
Add slow-cook vegetables first
Add corn and winter melon (both take 8–10 min). Then lotus root (5–7 min). These contribute sweetness to the broth.
3
Cook mushrooms mid-session
Add king oyster, shiitake and wood ear mushrooms — 3–5 min each. These absorb broth flavor and release umami back into the pot. Enoki is quick — 60 seconds only.
4
Cook tofu and protein
Firm tofu: 3–4 min per side. Tofu puffs: 3–4 min until swollen and broth-soaked. Tofu skin: 2–3 min. Wheat gluten: 3 min. Do not stir aggressively — tofu breaks.
5
Leafy greens last
Napa cabbage: 1–2 min. Water spinach: 30–45 seconds. Add noodles in the final minutes — sweet potato noodles take 5–7 min from soaked state.
⚠️ Food Safety
Kombu: very high iodine — remove after 10 min steeping; limit total kombu to 10cm per pot
Wood ear mushrooms: must be fully cooked — raw or semi-raw can cause gastric irritation
Verify mushroom hot pot base has no chicken extract if strictly vegetarian
💡 Tips
- The mushroom soaking water is liquid gold — it doubles the umami depth of the broth. Don't discard it.
- Tofu absorbs broth flavour after several minutes — let it sit in the hot broth between cooks rather than eating immediately
- For vegan: check soy sauce brand (most are vegan) and skip oyster sauce in any dipping sauce additions