250g Chinese cabbage, steams removed and
leave cut into 5cm (2 in) squares
1 tbsp oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat
side of a cleaver
750ml chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
30g bean thread noodles
225g Chinese mushrooms (shiitake)
180g baby spinach
Dipping Sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
1 tsp Chinese black rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp chili sauce or dried chili flakes
- optional
1/2 spring onion (scallion), finely
chopped
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Method :
Cut the beef
across the grain into paper thin slices. Place in a bowl and add the soy
sauce, 1 tablespoon of the rice wine and the sesame oil, toss and
arrange on a platter. Separate the hard cabbage pieces from the leafy
ones. Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil and heat until very hot.
Stir fry the hard cabbage and garlic for several minutes, adding 1
tablespoon of water. Add the leafy cabbage and stir fry for several
minutes. Add the rice wine, chicken stock and salt, and bring to the
boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Soak the bean
thread noodles in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain and cut into 15cm
(6 in) lengths. Arrange the mushrooms, spinach and noodles on several
platters and place on a table where a heated Mongolian Hot Pot has been
set up. (If you do not have a Mongolian Hot Pot, use a pot and a hot
plate, or an electric frying pan or an electric wok).
Combine the
dipping sauce ingredients and divide among six bowls. Pour the cabbage
soup mixture into the hotpot and bring to the boil. To eat, each diner
takes a slice of meat, dips it into the hot stock until the meat is
cooked, then dips the meat into the dipping sauce, and eats. The
mushrooms, noodles and spinach are cooked in the same way and dipped in
the sauce before eating. Supply small wire strainers to cook the noodles
so they stay together. The noodles and mushrooms should cook for 5-6
minutes, but the spinach should only take about 1 minute. Once all the
ingredients have been eaten, the soup is eaten.
