Firepot Party

The fire burns, the caldron bubbles and each guest cooks his own dinner, while the host has only to offer encouraging words. That's the firepot, or hot pot, an Oriental fondue in which raw morsels are simmered in a circular saucepan over a chimneyéd charcoal brazier. The party begins with an array of sliced meats, seafood and vegetables at the ready. Everyone is given a small wire basket into which he places his chicken or shrimp or whatever he singles out; he then lowers it into the bubbling broth, waits only a moment, retrieves the cooked morsel and uses chopsticks or fork to swish it into one of several dips. Words are inadequate to describe the startlingly fresh, mellow flavors of firepotted foods such as beef, mushrooms and cucumbers; even a sharp soy-and-scallion dip or a curry dip only seems to add to the exquisite flavors of thinly sliced foods momentarily baptized in hot broth. At some firepot parties, guests are encouraged to mix their own dips from a variety of raw ingredients, but there can be (concluded on page 205)Firepot Party(continued from page 93) a traffic problem with so much crisscrossing and entangling of arms around the table that eating shifts into low gear. A much better plan is to allot a few previously cooked dips in individual portions at each place at the table. Of course, the firepot is much more than just another utensil for cooking food; conversation thrives in the communal atmosphere that's apparent as soon as the broth begins bubbling and continues to the end, when the host adds noodles and a vegetable or two to the firepot and serves it, in true Oriental style, as the finale to the dinner. (A wide, shallow chafing dish or an electric skillet can pinch-hit for the firepot.)

[recipe_title]Firepot[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]1 lb. boneless shell steak or rib steak[/recipe]

[recipe]1 breast of chicken (2 halves), boned and skinned[/recipe]

[recipe]1 lb. medium-size shrimps[/recipe]

[recipe]1 medium cucumber[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. fresh firm mushrooms[/recipe]

[recipe]1 lb. bean curd[/recipe]

[recipe]1 small bunch bok choy (Chinese cabbage) for soup[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. snow peas[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. fine-size noodles for soup[/recipe]

[recipe]2 quarts chicken broth[/recipe]

Steak should be machine sliced by the butcher 1/16th in. thick and cut into pieces for dipping about 3 ins. by 1 in. or as close to that size as possible. Shops specializing in Japanese foods frequently offer beef sliced in this manner. If the meat is bought in one piece, it may be semifrozen and then sliced by hand. Separate fillet under top of chicken breast from rest of breast and pound each piece with meat mallet to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut breast crosswise into strips about 1/2 in. wide. Peel and devein shrimps and cut in half lengthwise. Peel cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds with spoon. Cut crosswise into 1/4-in. slices. Cut mushrooms from top of cap through stem into 1/4-in. slices. Cut bean curd into 12 squares. Wash bok choy, cut off root end and cut crosswise into 1/4-in. diagonal slices. Remove tips and strings from sides of snow peas. Cook noodles in salted water until tender. Drain. Cover with cold water and store in refrigerator until needed. On a very large platter or individual plates, arrange, in neat groups and as symmetrically as possible, the steak, chicken, shrimps, cucumber, mushrooms, bean curd, snow peas and bok choy. Cover platter with clear plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time. Just before serving, bring broth to a boil on kitchen stove and keep warm. Light charcoal in fireplace or in hibachi and when glowing hot, carefully place it in firepot, which should rest on asbestos pad or table protector. Fill circular pan of firepot with chicken broth to a depth of about 3 ins. Add more broth during dinner, if necessary; it reduces during cooking. At each guest's place, there should be a pair of chopsticks or a fondue fork for lifting food from platter to basket, a dinner plate, a soup bowl and a soup spoon--preferably, a Chinese porcelain spoon. At dinner's end, the host drains noodles and adds them, along with the bok choy and any remaining snow peas, to the firepot for soup.

Stand-ins for beef: leg of lamb or pork tenderloin.

Stand-ins for shrimps: scallops, oysters, clams, sliced abalone or small frogs' legs.

Soy-and-scallion dip: Mix 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons cocktail sherry or sake and 2 tablespoons very finely minced scallions; serve cold or at room temperature.

Curry dip: In top part of double boiler, blend 2 teaspoons cornstarch in 1 tablespoon brandy; slowly stir in 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar and 4 teaspoons curry powder; when very smooth, stir in 1 cup stock; cook over simmering water, stirring constantly and scraping bottom frequently, until thick; beat 2 egg yolks and slowly add a few tablespoons sauce to yolks; stir egg-yolk mixture into sauce and cook 1/2 minute longer, stirring constantly; may be served warm, cold or at room temperature.

Almond-sesame dip: Place 2 tablespoons sesame seeds in heavy dry pan over low to moderate heat and stir constantly until seeds are browned; pour seeds into blender and blend until pulverized; add 1/2 cup almond butter, 1/2 cup cold chicken broth and blend until smooth; serve cold or at room temperature.

Prepared condiments: prepared Chinese mustard, plum sauce, hoisin sauce or puréed chutney.

So gather round and get acquainted.