Tofu & Vegetable Hot Pot

The weather has turned cold here, and earlier than usual–we had snow on Saturday! It was freezing in the office today so I came home craving something hot and soothing. I’ve been meaning to replicate the vegetable hot pot at a favorite restaurant of mine, and I just happened to have some leftover cabbage and mushrooms in my fridge.

I did a bit of research on hot pots, and mine doesn’t technically qualify as one. Traditionally, a hot pot is made by cooking all of the vegetables, meats, and seafood in a big pot of simmering liquid. I sauted all of my vegetables and added the liquid after, but I think it still counts

A few notes:

• If you are gluten-free, take care to read the ingredients on any container of miso you plan to eat. Miso is frequently made by fermenting barley, so make sure you get a rice-based miso. I used a mellow red miso, and different brands and styles of miso can vary in saltiness, so start with a little less miso–you can always add more, but it’s hard to take out.
• You also need to read the soy sauce bottle carefully–hydrolized wheat protein is a cheap filler that many companies add to the mix (La Choy is the only mainstream soy sauce brand that is gluten-free and available in regular grocery stores).
• I used baby portabello mushrooms, but you can use variety you like, and even mix a couple varieties. I also used regular cabbage in my soup because it’s what I had on hand, but Napa would be more traditional.
• I happened to have thai rice vermicelli on hand so I used those, but if you can find Asian glass noodles that’s traditionally what would be used in this recipe.

Tofu & Vegetable Hot Pot

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, quartered and sliced thinly
1 medium carrot, sliced into thin rounds
1 cup thinly sliced cabbage
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
2 Tbsp miso paste
4 cups water, divided
1/4 tsp sriracha
1 block of firm tofu, cubed
2 tsp soy sauce

2 oz glass noodles or very thin vermicelli
hot water

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, heat oil. Add onion, carrot, cabbage, and mushroom. Cook for 3-4 minutes until onions are soft.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together miso and 1 cup of water until dissolved. Add remaining water and sriracha and stir to mix. Pour liquid into pot, add tofu, and stir to combine. Raise heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are soft, 10-15 minutes. Taste and add soy sauce as necessary.
3. Meanwhile, place noodles in a large glass or heat-proof bowl. Pour hot water over noodles and allow to sit at least 10 minutes, until noodles are very pliable. Give the bowl a little shake every few minutes the move the noodles around.
4. Place about 1/4 of the noodles in the bottom of a soup bowl. Ladle soup over top and serve.

The cost:
onion: .29
carrot: .69
cabbage: 1.19
mushrooms: 1.69
miso: 3.99
tofu: 1.79
noodles: 1.99

Grand total: $11.63 , $2.91/person (ingredients are enough to make 2 batches)