Winter warmer
Well, just so we won't be accused of foodie fraudulence as Tiff mentioned below...let me share a foodie experience I had last night.
For the Chinese (& many other cultures for that matter), the act of eating is very much about gathering with family & friends to share a meal. And nothing beats this more than getting together with friends for a Chinese steamboat dinner, as the hubbie & I did last night.
For those not in the know, steamboat consists of pots of homemade broth constantly on the boil on little gas stoves placed on the table. Into it are thrown anything that you fancy...sliced meats, seafood, fish balls, beef balls, eggs, vermicelli (or noodle of your choice)...and loads & loads of Asian greens. I call it the Asian fondue. You then scoop out the contents with little mesh spoons, accompanying the food with all manner of condiments & sauces (last night I had a mix of hoisin sauce with some laksa paste...sweet with chilli....mmm, very nice)....& eat! Food is constantly added, the stock is regularly topped up & by the end, you have this wonderful tasty soup to drink from all the goodies cooking in it. It's filling, it's messy, it feels healthy (everything is boiled) & it's very social cos everyone gets involved (as you can see above).
At last night's gathering, we had a market garden's worth of Asian vegies & we were eating for about 2 hours. We were stuffed! But it was a great winter warmer. I don't think I could have this too often, although my mother-in-law recently mentioned putting on a steamboat before winter's end....hmmm, I think I should be ok by then! N
For the Chinese (& many other cultures for that matter), the act of eating is very much about gathering with family & friends to share a meal. And nothing beats this more than getting together with friends for a Chinese steamboat dinner, as the hubbie & I did last night.
For those not in the know, steamboat consists of pots of homemade broth constantly on the boil on little gas stoves placed on the table. Into it are thrown anything that you fancy...sliced meats, seafood, fish balls, beef balls, eggs, vermicelli (or noodle of your choice)...and loads & loads of Asian greens. I call it the Asian fondue. You then scoop out the contents with little mesh spoons, accompanying the food with all manner of condiments & sauces (last night I had a mix of hoisin sauce with some laksa paste...sweet with chilli....mmm, very nice)....& eat! Food is constantly added, the stock is regularly topped up & by the end, you have this wonderful tasty soup to drink from all the goodies cooking in it. It's filling, it's messy, it feels healthy (everything is boiled) & it's very social cos everyone gets involved (as you can see above).
At last night's gathering, we had a market garden's worth of Asian vegies & we were eating for about 2 hours. We were stuffed! But it was a great winter warmer. I don't think I could have this too often, although my mother-in-law recently mentioned putting on a steamboat before winter's end....hmmm, I think I should be ok by then! N
posted by nicbiccie at 9:52 pm
3 Comments:
My mother used to do steamboats for dinner parties when I was a kid. Hers was an old fashioned steamboat with a chimney into which you put hot coals to keep the stock boiling. My job was to lay out the chopsticks and little wire fishing net thingies and then stay out of the way. The whole enterprise was clearly a disaster waiting to happen with little kids about so I was always safely in bed before the guests came.
Thanks for the memories! They made me smile.
Oh I love steamboat! So great in winter and such a dig-in DIY communal sort of eating. Love the photo too. Captures the mean event perfectly.
Wow Ali, that does sound potentially dangerous...hot coals! Glad it brought back a bit of nostalgia for you!
Thanks Helen! And thanks for organising the foodbloggers meet-up today - it was great to meet you! I'm still stuffed! N
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