Cover Image: Simply Hot Pots

Simply Hot Pots

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I love making Asian food and this cookbook is one of my favorites so far. Hot pots weren't' something that I made before, or if I did, I didn't realize what they were called. Now, after reading this book and drooling over the recipes, I feel like I will be making more hot pot dishes and those inspired by and included in this cookbook. One of my favorite parts about cookbooks are the illustrations and photography and this cookbook does not disappoint; the photography is gorgeous! I just appreciated this cookbooks' level of description and dedication to the reader to help them learn to cook hot pots, but also feel confident about incorporating Asian cuisine into ther diets and repertoire. I loved this one so much and can't wait to buy a hard copy for my kitchen!

Was this review helpful?

Very good book especially if love cooking Asian/Oriental dishes. There are meals for everything and they are quite filling as well.

Was this review helpful?

The book comes with an explanation about hot pots and the equipment used in this type of recipes such as the different pots like electronic, cast iron, split hot pots, rice cookers, pressure cookers, etc. The pictures help explain the book’s descriptions and they are also beautiful. The book offers recipes on broths and sauces, pork, chicken, beef, seafood, spicy meals, vegetables, side dishes, and my favorite desserts. It has a very needed (at least in my case) hot pot glossary and an index. The book is only 176 pages, but they are full of information. This could be a great gift and a nice addition to our kitchen’s library for those of us who are interested in trying out something new. I received a free copy via NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely adore Asian cooking and hot pots are one of my favorites. My first introduction to Shabu Shabu started it all. I’m thrilled to have stumbled upon this cookbook and am now building my own hot pots for quick and easy meals. I keep the produce, broth, and meats in the house and now have some simple and easy meals I can pull together quickly. I travel often for business and these are easily replicated in a small hotel room with a small stove, so I am going to become the queen of hot pots in my family.

For when I’m up to cooking there are a lot of great recipes in here that will expand my broths, ingredient, sides and desserts. I AM EXCITED to try more of these recipes out!

I know what my nephew and his wife are getting for Christmas this year…it will add to their love of traveling and cooking meals from around the world. How fun will this be for them to make for friends and entertain as they start their newly married life together.

A fun family meal that brings everyone together. The possibilities are endless.

Was this review helpful?

I am a professional level cook but let me say right up front that this title simply is accurate in 2 ways. First I believe beginner's to professionals can cook these dishes and 2nd it is just a whole variety of hot pot meals. The recipes and techniques are well thought out and simple top follow. If you want to improve your repertoire and learn different cuisines please give this book a try. as it is well worth your while.

Was this review helpful?

This is a neat book. I took Japanese in high school and dreamed of travelling to Japan; I don't know if that dream will ever become a reality. I have forgotten most of the Japanese I knew, except for "Let's eat," "Hi," "Let's drink tea," and how to sing Old McDonald Had a Farm in Japanese. However, I could easily bring one of these Simply Hot Pots meals into my home. I thought the addition of an apple into a vegetable stock was a neat idea, and I definitely want to try that. The broths would be very healthy and comforting. Even though the book talks about the tradition of Japanese hot pots, it also has international versions like Thai Chicken Coconut Curry that sound so delicious. The photography is excellent, which is important in a book that is teaching about food that may be unfamiliar to the average American cook.

Was this review helpful?

I have been interested in hot pot cooking for a while now, but never quite knew where to start. This cookbook is super informative and detailed, and I feel much more educated and confident trying the cooking technique now. I also really liked the photos. Thank you for the preview!

Was this review helpful?

I actually have an electric hot pot I've been too nervous to use until now! This book really tells you all you need to know to make delish hot pots at home. Everything from broth to mix ins and sauces and dips. A complete guide.

Was this review helpful?

Scrumptious ~ Accessible ~ Authentic
tl;dr: All the hot pots you didn't know you wanted.

I'm buying this book. Then I am buying a hotplate. Written by a fourth-generation Japanese-American Californian, this book shows all the things I love about hotpot and then more. I basically requested the ARC to get the cover recipe, a traditional hotpot. But, since I have earmarked a number of other ones. My children love Shabu Shabu, but it is expensive. I am excited to make these fun for the family meals at home. Now, let's say you don't want to buy a hotplate (or use an of the stovetop recipes), find the book anyway for the beautiful pictures. I also think the author's tween child is a champ to be in the photos. Mine certainly wouldn't.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Was this review helpful?

More than 30 years ago, I remember my husband and I being invited to a Japanese friend house for dinner, I still recall sitting at a very low table and being presented with a (beef) sukiyaki, with bowls, pot and ingredients to make our own meal at the table. I have never forgotten that meal - amongst friend sharing and eating, it was fresh, tasty and just fabulous.
It was a meal I have never had before and try as I may, I could never replicate it. Simple hot-pots bring Japanese cooking into the home and make it possible for people to make and understand the process of making these wonderful meals. It speaks of utensils, ingredients and skill required to make lovely meals in any home. The recipes are easy to follow, with great photos - all with time and skill required. Really love this book

Was this review helpful?

This is for a very specific cook. Many ingredients hard to find, and many recipes similar. Photographs and text were well done.

Was this review helpful?

Gorgeous pictures that make me want to start cooking right now! Delicious recipes! I can’t say enough wonderful things about this cookbook that shows how to easily put these Japanese and other Asian one-pot meals together. Some of the ingredients I would need to go to an Asian specialty store but most are easily accessible.

Was this review helpful?

A lovely lovely cookbook from the authors introduction sharing her families history her mother group of friends called the Dames who loved to cook together .The recipes the introduction to the idea of hot pot cooking cooking at the family table,The pictures are lovely both family and food I will be using this cookbook again and again and gifting to friends & family,#netgalley #simplyhotpots #quartopublishers,

Was this review helpful?

3 1/2 stars

Amy Kimoto-Kahn’s Simply Hot Pots is a beautifully photographed cookbook that describes the Japanese style of cooking known as nabemono, which is essentially cooking with a base and adding a variety of ingredients to a simmering hot pot at your table. This looks like a great communal feast or a fun get-together opportunity.

Kimoto-Kahn provides a background, telling the story of her parents and her mother’s group, The Dames who were known for their elaborate dinner parties, and this is the way she learned to cook.

The recipes try to incorporate many styles of Asian cooking from Mongolia to Thai and obviously Japanese. I love the sound of the Thai curry and the Mongolia hot pot, which is spicy and includes cardamom (yum), star anise, and ginger. Despite the fact that the author says no other broth than chicken bone should be used, this might be one I would love to play with to make vegetarian.

My excitement for Simply Hot Pots waned when I saw that vegetarians and vegans aren’t really considered. Of the five vegetable recipes, several include a broth that is not vegetarian, and Kimoto-Kahn doesn’t really provide any substitution suggestions, which I find so very helpful in other cookbooks because the chef knows what flavor they are going for.

With that said, the recipes are simple, the ingredients enticing, and I think this style of cooking would be such fun as well as tasty.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This book was received as an ARC from Quarto Publishing Group – Race Point Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

We are always on the lookout for new and exciting cookbooks and Asian food usually some people are scared to make because of the complex flavors and techniques. Simply Hot Pots fixes that problem with simple one pot meals that not only taste great but will leave your house smelling great too. I always look to see if the recipes are easy to follow and that the ingredients are easy to find and accessible and this book definitely had that requirement. I can not wait to try some of the pot bowls including the dashi and pork belly pot.

We will consider adding this cookbook to our collection in Non-Fiction at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Was this review helpful?

Simply Hot Pots, the new offering from Amy Kimoto-Kahn, author of Simply Ramen, is a cookbook for anyone who wants to implement an easy, delicious set of staple meals into their family diet.
Kimoto-Kahn presents her relationship with the food she makes as something that naturally flows from her upbringing and her family background. In her introduction, she explains how her association with her mother's tight-knit group of Japanese-American women, The Dames, gave her an introduction to dinner parties and the deep social roots of eating food together. She lays out recipes in the book that are connected to her society and her heritage--family recipes, recipes from friends, and recipes inspired by those she loves (she mentions that her Beef Brisket disk is inspired by her Jewish mother-in-law.)
The author walks us through each step of hot pot cooking, or nabemono, a traditional Asian style of cooking which she describes as not only a complete meal in a single dish, but it is also delicious, affordable, and simple to make comfort food. She begins with helping you choose a donabe (clay pot) and telling you tips on how to cure it, or choosing an alternative to an earthenware pot altogether. She then has a helpful list of all the equipment she uses, and that you may need, for a successful hot pot dinner.
Recipes you will find in this book are often accompanied by beautiful photos which, at least in my case, were enough to make me want to start making hot pot meals tonight. There are many different types of broths and sauces you can make, most which include some animal products, but some which are vegetarian or vegan. I imagine that some of the others could be tweaked to make them vegetarian-friendly as well. There are sections for each type of protein you could want, whether pork, beef, poultry, or seafood, and--once again--a spattering of vegetarian options. Despite the name of the book, there's a little more than "simply" hot pots here, too--there are several side dishes and a few desserts (the photos for which made my mouth water!)
I am very much looking forward to nabemono in my own home after reading Simply Hot Pots!

Was this review helpful?

Author Amy Kimoto-Kahn writes Hot Pot cooking is comfort food and she is right. When the weather is downright chilly there is nothing better than a Hot Pot meal. Her cookbook features a variety of Hot Pot recipes that will warm you up on a cold day. She also writes about how to purchase, cure and care for the traditional Donate pot which is the traditional pot used for Hot Pot cooking. At the end of her book you will find a Hot Pot Glossary which gives ingredient information.

Some of the recipes you will find include:

Basic Dashi
Chicken Stock
Basic Shabu-Shabu Broth
Thai Coconut Curry Broth
Ponzu Sauce
Pork Goma Miso Nabe
Chicken Sukiyaki
Kobe Wagyu Beef Sukiyaki
Seafood Medley Shabu-Shabu
Salmon Hot Pot
Crab Legs with Spicy Tonkotsu Nabe
Green Vegetable Nabe
Magic Mushroom Hot Pot
Vegetarian Rice Congee Hot Pot
Mongolian Lamb Hot Pot
Chicken Delicious
Simple Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing
Mom's Pork Wontons
Korean Scallion Pancakes
Yuzu Citrus Sorbet
Chocolate Coconut Mochi Cake

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

Really wanted to read this, but it was not in a format I could open with my computer (which isn't the easiest way to read even if I could open it). Please consider offering review copies that are compatible with Kindle for those of us with less-than-perfect eyesight.

Was this review helpful?

An innovative and authentic cookbook that takes you from broth to hot pot meals with diverse flavors and a thorough training in how to replicate these recipes in real life. I am inspired to take my soup loving life to new levels with this slurp happy guide.

Was this review helpful?

Hot Pots is a very appealing book. I routinely buy cookbooks more for inspiration and to salivate over than to actually cook from, but I’m definitely going to be cooking from this one.
The hot pots themselves are very appetising, but there’s more - the side dishes are different and appealing, and the puddings drool-inducing.
In all, I didn’t expect to be quite so taken with this book, as I had no idea what to expect, but I think this is going to become a kitchen favourite.

Was this review helpful?