Regarding the best ingredients for hot pot, Gu Qingcheng decided to create a comprehensive menu.
Meats included beef, lamb, pork, pork offal, pig tongue, pig liver, bacon, luncheon meat, tripe, aorta, duck intestines, chicken wings, crispy sausages, quail eggs, ham sausage, regular sausage, beef tendons, and frogs.
Beef, pork, and lamb were available pre-sliced thinly in the supermarket, typically needing only a few seconds of cooking. Luncheon meat, ham sausage, and similar items were sliced thicker and required longer cooking times.
Beef was an essential hot pot ingredient. Besides thinly sliced fatty beef, Gu Qingcheng also stocked beef balls.
Lamb was another indispensable meat for hot pot. Similar to fatty beef, the lamb used in hot pot was often called fatty lamb, also available at the Shan Mao supermarket.
The family also enjoyed internal organs. Pork offal, pig tongue, and pig liver were pre-prepared at the supermarket. Gu Qingcheng also soaked them in salt water to remove any gamey taste.
Seafood options included crab meat, fish balls, scallops, oysters, squid, shrimp, and cod slices. Fish was sliced thinly as it cooked quickly. It was best to place them in a strainer basket before dipping into the hot pot, cooking and eating them immediately.
Shellfish included shrimp, scallops, crabs, oysters, clams, and mussels. Shrimp were the most common accompaniment.
Squid and cuttlefish were frozen but could add a unique umami flavor to the broth, so Gu Qingcheng did not hesitate to add some.
Fish balls, with their bouncy and smooth texture, were a must-have for hot pot.
Vegetables were, of course, essential for hot pot. Varieties included daikon radish, carrots, tomatoes, winter bamboo shoots, celtuce, chives, potatoes, yams, kelp, lotus root, cucumbers, winter melon, lettuce, various leafy greens, baby bok choy, napa cabbage, spinach, cabbage, water spinach, broccoli, and cilantro. The supermarket offered pre-washed and pre-cut vegetables, saving preparation time. Since her mother enjoyed vegetables, Gu Qingcheng bought a small assortment of each, with variety but not large quantities.
While seafood and meat were the stars of hot pot, a hot pot without vegetables felt incomplete. Vegetables not only cut through the richness but also enhanced the broth's flavor.
Mushrooms were also essential. Varieties included button mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, fresh mushrooms, termitomyces mushrooms, straw mushrooms, and tea tree mushrooms. These mushrooms generally took 3-4 minutes to cook, with enoki mushrooms being the fastest, ready in about 30 seconds.
Bean products offered a satisfying chew. Tofu, firm tofu, tofu skin, dried bean curd sticks, and konjac noodles were also excellent for hot pot.
If they were still hungry after finishing the above ingredients, they could use the leftover broth to cook noodles or vermicelli. Options included hot pot noodles, instant noodles, sweet potato noodles, wide noodles, cellophane noodles, hand-pulled noodles, and gluten.
Gu Qingcheng preferred instant noodles, Gu Chaobei wanted hand-pulled noodles, and Hu Lanfang felt sweet potato noodles were better for weight management.
Gu Qingcheng accommodated everyone's preferences.
The luxurious private suite offered excellent privacy. Once the door was closed, it felt like a separate world, undisturbed by anyone, allowing them to enjoy their hot pot with peace of mind, which the Gu family greatly appreciated.
The charcoal hot pot was ingeniously designed. Once the charcoal was lit, within ten minutes, the broth began to bubble vigorously. As the charcoal burned hotter, the ingredients in the pot started to tumble around, signaling the perfect temperature for cooking.
The three began their feast!
"Mmm, this is delicious. It's cold, so hot pot is perfect. This is my first time having boiled lamb this year, and I didn't expect it to be in ancient times, haha."
Hu Lanfang dumped an entire plate of thinly sliced lamb, labeled "Inner Mongolian Green Organic Grassland Lamb," into the spicy broth.
Gu Qingcheng and her father added cuttlefish balls, fatty beef rolls, enoki mushrooms, and imitation crab sticks. Once these ingredients floated to the surface, they were ready to be eaten.
Duck intestines were Gu Chaobei's favorite. He taught them a trick for cooking them: "seven up, eight down." Holding the intestines with chopsticks, dip them into the pot for one to two seconds, then pull them out. Repeat this eight times for crisp duck intestines.
The hot pot dipping sauces were fully stocked in the supermarket and didn't cost much. Gu Qingcheng generously bought them all, making the spread as complete as Haidilao.
The three ate until their mouths were greasy.
Gu Chaobei, getting excited, said, "Qingcheng, another bottle of Maotai!"
"You're getting carried away. What Maotai? That's over 4,000 yuan a bottle," Hu Lanfang quickly stopped him.
"Mom, here Maotai sells at a reasonable price, only over 2,000 yuan a bottle, but you can only buy one at a time. Let me check the requirements. Oh, purchase limit, once a day, only one bottle," Gu Qingcheng replied.
"Come on, let's have a drink to celebrate our survival and this sumptuous hot pot."
Gu Chaobei's words were persuasive, and Hu Lanfang's heart softened.
Indeed, they had mysteriously arrived here, and from the moment they arrived, danger had loomed. Qingcheng had almost been killed by Gu Dou, and she herself had almost been swallowed by a python.
Fortunately, they were blessed with good fortune, and everyone was safe now. It was worth celebrating with a drink.
Thinking this, Hu Lanfang generously said, "Alright, Qingcheng, open a bottle of Maotai for your father."
"You got it!"
Gu Qingcheng wasn't one to be stingy with money. If the money was spent happily and worth it, she was willing to spend it.
However, Gu Chaobei intervened, saying, "I was just saying it casually. Maotai is too expensive. Good steel must be used on the blade. We still need to stockpile a lot of goods, so let's not waste it. Just buy a bottle of Jiang Xiaobai. We don't have much tolerance for alcohol anyway, and we won't drink much."
Gu Qingcheng eventually complied and bought a dozen bottles of Jiang Xiaobai, which was significantly cheaper than Maotai.
Hu Lanfang praised Gu Chaobei for suddenly becoming more frugal.
Gu Chaobei twisted open the cap and smelled the aroma of wine, feeling quite tempted.
Hu Lanfang smiled, seeing him scratching his ears and cheeks.
Gu Qingcheng took out three white wine glasses. Gu Chaobei poured a glass for each of them.
"Daughter is still young, so only half a glass for her. Come, let's raise our glasses. Wishing our family a lifetime of luck, to always be together, happy and joyful!"
Gu Chaobei proposed the toast.
"Yes, our wishes will surely come true!" Hu Lanfang declared heartily.
The couple shared a common trait: optimism and the ability to find joy amidst hardship.
The three clinked their glasses.
Seeing her parents' optimistic attitude, Gu Qingcheng's mood also lightened.
Hu Lanfang and Gu Chaobei downed their glasses in one go. Gu Qingcheng took a small sip, the fiery taste of the alcohol stimulating her. She stuck out her tongue and fanned her mouth with her hand, saying, "Forget it, I won't drink. It's not suitable for children."
"Haha, just letting you taste it. Did you really think I'd let you drink it?" Gu Chaobei knew his daughter couldn't drink, so he was just teasing her. He then poured her remaining half glass into his own cup.
"But white wine does warm the body," Hu Lanfang commented.
The couple drank cup after cup, accompanied by the rich hot pot broth, their bodies breaking out in a sweat.
They even took off their fuzzy pajamas, wearing only their thermal underwear.
Gu Qingcheng looked at the charcoal hot pot and fell into thought.
She suddenly realized that she should have bought more copper pots from the Shan Mao supermarket and stocked up on more charcoal for grilling.