Chinese Hot Pot

I grew up in the city, far away from the influences of farm life.  This may explain why I find so many aspects of growing food to be completely magical and unlike anything I have ever before imagined.  For example, tonight we harvested young seedlings to use in Chinese hot pot.  If you have never eaten hot pot, I encourage you to do an Internet search and try making it.  Chinese hot pot is a sort of stew made at the table typically for the evening meal during wintertime.  It is more of an assembly of ingredients and a way of cooking at the table than a recipe, although certain sauces can be prepared in advance.  Over the course of the meal, fresh ingredients are added to hot broth in the center of the table as you dine, including meat, fish, mushrooms, seafood, and fresh greens.  For tonight's meal we thinned five trays of three-inch seedlings to yield a large bowl of greens for use in the stew: lettuce, bok choi, Swiss chard, tong ho, and young kale.  The greens need only a few moments of blanching in the broth.  This is a wonderful and unexpected way to enjoy the rich nutrition and flavor of delicate greens.

Chinese Hot Pot prepared at the table, clockwise from upper right:

broth with tofu and mushrooms simmering on a propane burner,

peanut sauce, large colander of fresh micro-greens, thinly sliced beef.