The Little Fat Sheep

Usually, we eat hot pot in the winter.

And it isn't winter anymore.

But, we still opted to eat hot pot.

The reason being, we were in Mong Kok last night.  And, usually, there is a long wait for any restaurant in Mong Kok because it is such hot spot for night life in Hong Kong.  We thought that we might get seats more easily if we ate at a hot pot place!

I mean, who would eat hot pot this time of year?

Actually, quite a bit of people would eat hot pot this time of year…ESPECIALLY at The Little Fat Sheep.

How the Little Fat Sheep works:
This place is an all-you-can-eat type of joint, but drinks cost extra.

1.  You order which hot pot soup set you like

2.  You order a much food as you like (from veggies to meats, to whatever else)

NOTE:  This is the time to be experimental in your eating ways.  There are a bunch of boxes that you can just "check off" to try.  Every dish will be a surprise.  And you can be adventurous without meaning to be!  Everything WITHOUT a price is included in the hot pot set that you originally paid for.  Everything WITH a price (like the drinks that the stuff at the bottom of this menu) will cost extra onto of your original all-you-can-eat price.

We opted for the yin yang pot, where one side is spicy and the other is not.  It's a great options for when you are in a group and some people don't like spicy…but others do.  It's also a great option for when your tongue can't tolerate spice and you need to take a break and eat non-spicy things for awhile!

***Some things available on the menu***

We went by rounds.  So, ROUND ONE, we got a few meats and a few veggies.

ROUND TWO, we got some old favorites from ROUND ONE and some new things to try.

By ROUND THREE, we were all just so focused on food that I didn't have the opportunity to remember to take photos anymore.

Lasting Impressions:

I love this place!

I love how it is an all-you-can-eat place.

I love how there is so much variety on the menu.

I love how everything comes in sample sizes so that you don't get full immediately.

I love how the veggies and meats are so fresh.

I love how I can sample so many things.

I love the environment, which is great for dinner with friends.

I love how everyone here is just happy-go-lucky and enjoying hot pot.

I love the staff and how they are equally as happy-go-lucky.

I really loved this place and TOTALLY RECOMMEND AN EVENING at The Little Fat Sheep!

DIY Hot Pot

The first time I really ever had hot pot was when I had moved to Chengdu back in 2006.  I had the pleasure of being treated out to authentic Sichuan Hot Pot.  As I looked down into yin yang looking pot, I wondered why one side was filled with boiling red oil and one side was filled with a clear type of soup.  

The tempting smell that quaffed from the boiling red oil side was more attractive and enticing for myself to try.  Low and behold, I found myself choking on my first bite because the spice was so intense.  But, the highlight of my eating experience in China was undoubtedly the hot pot. 

Hot pot is one of those meals where you can really socialize.  Everyone is cooking their own foods, there is a pace to eating, drinking and talking…it's just a wonderful time.  

In today's post, I thought I would share what we prepare for our own hot pot.

Asparagus

Japanese Golden Mushrooms

Tomatoes

Lettuce (we usually get three types of lettuce, whatever we can find at the wet market)

Pumpkin

Beef (sometimes Lamb) stripes

Jiao zi (dumplings)

Some of our hot pot foods are frozen and some are fresh.  I clean all of the vegetables and put them into their own little containers and just leave it on our table.  The frozen foods don't have to be thawed out because they'll just have the opportunity to sit longer in the hot pot soup!

In Hong Kong, we have a lot of hot pot soups to choose from.  One of the basic, inexpensive brands are the soup packets from Lee Kum Kee.  There are several options (pork based soup, seafood based soup, Sichuan spicy soup, etc).  We decided on the Satay soup base because we wanted to have some dipping sauce for our hot pot tonight.

With the soup bases, we usually fill up our hot pot (pictured below) with water, bring the water to a boil, and dunk two packets into the pot.  We then boil it and the soup is read.  It isn't much of a science, but we like the soup to be really flavorful rather than diluted, so we opt for adding two packets for about 2 liters of water than a solo packet.

Once the soup is ready, we usually add in a handful of tomatoes, pumpkin, mushrooms, and the lettuce to just simmer in the soup.  While we wait for it to cook, we break out our rice bowls and fill it with soy sauce and minced garlic (sometimes hot peppers from the market to make it spicy).

I just realized that I usually pick up the Lee Kum Kee brand!  Who knew I was that loyal of a customer!

And that's basically it.  

I thought it would be a great thing to share with you all…if you have not had hot pot before.  It basically is a big pot (we have an electric one) that we fill with soup.  Then we fill it up with vegetables and meats (and we even had these tofu puffs) and, once the food is cooked, we dip it into our dipping sauce and enjoy!

Since it is winter, it is especially a great treat to make hot pot at home.  Though I wish the photos could do it more justice, it truly is delicious!!!!!!