SUPREME HOT POT

Supreme Hot Pot image

This dish came to The Times in the late 1990s as part of a Chinese New Year story about the author Gish Jen. Growing up in Scarsdale, N.Y., she was "suspicious" of her mother's cooking. "I mean, I never ate the kind of Chinese food they serve in restaurants." But she came to love her mother's family-style Shanghai cooking. This dish is her mother's.

Provided by Molly O'Neill

Time 5h15m

Yield Twelve servings

Number Of Ingredients 29

Ingredients

1 4- to 5-pound chicken
1 yellow onion
5 black peppercorns
2 stalks celery
1 carrot
1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled
1 scallion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg white, beaten to stiff peaks
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper, plus additional to taste
6 large eggs
6 water chestnuts, minced
1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
6 ounces ground pork
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon chicken broth
1/2 cup vegetable oil, for frying
20 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and steamed until tender
1 pound extra-large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 head Chinese cabbage, roughly chopped
4 cups cellophane noodles, cooked and cooled

Steps:

To make the soup, place all the broth ingredients in a large pot, cover with cold water and simmer, skimming often, for 4 hours. Remove from heat. Strain the broth, discarding the vegetables and the chicken, and refrigerate. Remove the layer of fat that forms on the surface.
To make the dumplings, process the shrimp in a food processor until it is a fine paste. Add the remaining ingredients and process briefly to combine.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Gather it together and throw it against the bowl about 10 times until the mass is firm. With damp hands, form the mixture into 20 balls.
Place half of the chicken broth in a pot, bring to a simmer and gently add the shrimp dumplings. Allow the broth to reach a boil and continue simmering the dumplings for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently remove them from the broth, place in a colander, cool completely under cold, running water and set aside. Strain the broth into a clean container and set aside.
To make the pork rolls, lightly beat the eggs and place near the stove. Combine the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and place near the stove along with a glass of ice water and a teaspoon and a tablespoon measure.
Place a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and move the skillet around until the oil completely covers the bottom of it. When the oil is hot, drop a tablespoon of the egg mixture into the skillet. Immediately dip the teaspoon into the ice water, fill it with the pork mixture and place the mixture on one half of the small pancake. With a spatula, fold the other side over to create a miniature omelet. Flip to cook on the other side and immediately remove to a tray and set aside. Repeat until you have used up the pork mixture, adding oil as needed.
To complete the hot pot, place the reserved chicken broth and the strained broth used for cooking the shrimp in a large pot, preferably one that can be used to serve from at the table. Bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and white pepper to taste. Add the mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the fresh shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and cellophane noodles and continue cooking until the pot begins to simmer.
Carefully add the shrimp dumplings and then the pork rolls in egg wrapper to the soup. Cover. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Place the pot in the middle of the table and ladle into soup bowls.