While the sauce is what makes the hot pot experience unique to you, the ingredients are the star of the show. The beauty of hot pot is that all of the raw ingredients can be prepared ahead of time. I’ll usually prepare all the ingredients, plate them, wrap them in plastic wrap, and keep them in the fridge until it’s time to set the table.

The raw ingredients you offer really depend on how big you want to go. I find that curating the offerings helps the evening run a bit more smoothly. It creates more space on the table and less confusion for any novice hot potters. It also depends on your mood; some days you might want to go heavy on meat, while other days you may want to go heavy on the veggies.

Below is a list of what Mama Fong likes to offer in her da bin lo. It’s up to you what you choose from it. I like having variety, but as a general rule of thumb, have about 1/4 pound protein per person along with plenty of veggies. I also added a list of some optional ingredients. A word of advice: Plate the ingredients in smaller dishes or bowls so they can all fit on the table and be passed around. Or, if you don’t have the space, have a side table for all the ingredients and assign the person closest to the table to pass them around as needed. If hot pot night isn’t the perfect excuse to source from your local Asian market, then I don’t know what is.

Cut the head of the napa cabbage lengthwise into quarters and roughly chop each quarter into 1-inch side pieces. Discard the ends. If it’s a larger head of cabbage, you can cut into eighths and chop. Rinse, drain, and plate in a  large bowl  or two smaller bowls.

Cut the leaves and thinner stems of the chrysanthemum. Discard the ends and thicker stems. Rinse the leaves, drain, and plate in a larger bowl or two medium bowls.

Trim the dandelion leaves, rinse, drain, and plate in a medium bowl.

Cut the ends of the rinsed lotus root. Peel the skin and thinly slice into 1/8-inch rounds. Plate in a circle to form a spiral on a small round plate.

Rinse and trim the roots of the enoki mushrooms. Plate in a small bowl.

To a large pot of boiling water, add the noodles and cook, stirring to keep the noodles separate, for 1 1/2 minutes. Drain and rinse the noodles under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and plate in a large bowl or two medium bowls.

Slice the salmon into pieces 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. Plate in a circle to form a spiral.

Plate the fish balls, meatballs, and tofu in small bowls. Add the rib eye rolls to a small platter, in a stacked pyramid, depending on the serving dish.

Pour a 3:1 ratio of broth and water into your  Perfect Pot  and set over medium-high heat on the stove. Add about one-quarter of the napa cabbage to the broth and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, transfer the pot to the butane burner.

Set a butane burner to high to keep the pot at a boil. Once you start adding ingredients, the temperature of the broth will drop. Keep an eye on the broth throughout the night and turn down or up as needed. The broth level in the pot will decrease slowly throughout the night, so monitor the broth level by adding more boiling water when necessary.

Instruct your guests to start adding their desired ingredients into their baskets. Cook times will vary. The general rule of thumb is to add the noodles first and allow them to heat up for about 1 minute. Vegetables, tofu, and salmon cook quickly, about 30 seconds. Meat and lotus root generally take about 1 minute. Use your judgment to feel if something is cooked. More times than not, it will be ready to eat!