Chinese Steak Hot Pot

What a fantastic meal! We thoroughly enjoyed this dish. I was inspired recently during a trip to the local meat counter where I spotted some nice top sirloin steaks about an inch and a half thick. The soup is made with rice vermicelli in a light mushroom broth base seasoned with fish sauce, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. The steak was seared VERY hot and quick on each of the four sides. This is unnecessary in general, but I like the taste of a little caramelization on the steak. So here we are, to the best part of the whole process; I finally got to use the tiny little (one pint) crock pots that had sat in my cupboard for so long. They had always seemed ridiculous in size until I realize that they are the perfect individual hot pots for this meal.

The broth in the hot pot was a very simple concoction of beef broth, soy sauce, ginger, hoisin, sesame oil, and dried shitake mushrooms which can be easily modified by the diner. If a little more heat is desired, a teaspoon of Sambal Oelek (my favorite spicy chili paste) does the trick. The steak is served rare and cooked to the desired doneness in the hot pot. I enjoy my steak at a nice medium rare, so two to three seconds in the hot pot is all it needs. Each piece of steak is covered in a wonderful salty and savory broth cooked to a juicy perfection. Next time I will try serving this dish with shrimp and scallop. Check back soon for a posting on a more comprehensive broth and soup recipe.