Originating from Yunnan, the Wild Mushroom Hot Pot (云南野生菌火锅) boasts a history of hundreds of years. Initially invented by the local Tibetan ethnic group, they would cook freshly picked wild mushrooms and home-raised goat meat in a large copper pot, adding unique spices and seasonings to create a distinctive mushroom hot pot flavor. Over time, this unique cooking technique has been refined and passed down, resulting in the highly revered and complete culinary system of Yunnan mushroom hot pot that we know today.
Main Features
- Unique Flavor: The wild mushroom hot pot is known for its tender chicken, clear and delicious broth, and fragrant mushrooms. It is light, refreshing, and leaves a lasting impression.
- Rich Ingredients: The primary ingredients include live tender hens and various wild mushrooms such as fresh shiitake, enoki mushrooms, yellow silk mushrooms, broom mushrooms, big foot mushrooms, and chicken leg mushrooms. These wild mushrooms grow at altitudes of 2000-4000 meters, providing a wide variety and abundant supply for the hot pot.
- Distinctive Broth: The broth for the wild mushroom hot pot uses an old mushroom soup base, made by simmering over seven types of dried wild mushrooms with high-calcium bone materials. The long simmering process allows the mushrooms to fully absorb the flavors of the bone broth, resulting in a rich and delicious hot pot base.
Nutritional Value
Yunnan wild mushroom hot pot is rich in various amino acids, vitamins, and health factors, offering benefits such as body nourishment, immune system enhancement, anti-tumor, anti-cancer, and blood sugar reduction. The broth also contains a significant amount of trace elements like selenium, zinc, and iron, along with various vitamins, all of which are highly beneficial to human health.
Cooking Essentials
- Ingredient Selection: The core of the mushroom hot pot lies in the choice of mushroom ingredients. Yunnan, being one of the richest regions in China for mushroom resources, offers nearly 100 types of wild mushrooms. These mushrooms are not only delicious but also rich in nutrients.
- Broth Preparation: Preparing the broth is a key step in making wild mushroom hot pot. An old mushroom soup base is used, with the addition of various dried wild mushroom slices and high-calcium bone materials, simmered for several hours until the broth is rich and flavorful.
- Cooking Method: After slaughtering and cleaning a live tender hen, chop it into small pieces and cook with chicken fat, chicken eggs, and chicken gizzards. Bring to a boil, skim off the scum, and change the water. Add ginger pieces and simmer until the chicken is tender. Then, add the wild mushrooms and cook together. Finally, season with salt and other seasonings to taste.
Yunnan Wild Mushroom Hot Pot is a celebration of natural flavors and rich nutrition, making it a beloved dish for both locals and visitors.
