Warm Up With 12 Steamy Asian Pots

The fun thing about hot pot is that it’s more than just a bowl of soup—it’s a social event. Everyone crowds around a bubbling pot of broth and dips in meats, noodles and veggies to cook. You can get a home hot pot setup or improvise with an Instant Pot in the middle of the table. This guide shows how to get started.

If you’ve never had authentic ramen, note that it is nothing like instant noodles from the store. Start with a well-seasoned broth, make a “tare” or sauce and then pick your meat and veggies. Think fresh, colorful and rich flavors for the best bowl.

Udon noodles are thick and chewy, which makes for a very satisfying bowl of soup. A homemade dashi, a soup starter made with kelp, dried fish flakes called bonito and dried sardines, is key for flavor. Then it’s all about the noodles and toppings for this relatively simple meal.

A low and slow simmer of the beef broth makes it taste best. Add in rice noodles, cooked beef or raw, thin slices and onions. This recipe also helps differentiate between Northern or Southern phở so you can adjust the broth or toppings accordingly.

Koreans beat the heat of the summer with this nourishing chicken and ginseng soup, but you can enjoy it anytime you need a pick-me-up. Stuff the chicken with ginseng and rice, cook it in the pot and serve with the chicken still whole but tender.

Fermented kimchi, tofu and canned tuna are added to a soup and served sizzling-hot in a stone pot in this flavorful dish. The more aged the kimchi, the deeper the flavor of the soup.

A traditional New Year’s Day soup in Japan, ozoni is a bowl filled with veggies, chewy mochi rice cakes and miso in a dashi broth. For a garnish, top with citrus and parsley (traditionally yuzu and mistsuba but you can use what’s available.)

A traditional wonton soup in China is usually made with pork or shrimp dumplings. This modern version makes it vegan with light veggie dumplings, made from scratch. Serve in broth and you’re done!

Keep this recipe in your back pocket when you need a quick, comforting soup. It’s the equivalent of a scrambled egg for dinner, but even more satisfying with warm broth and savory seasoning.

Otherwise known as hot and sour soup, it’s an explosion of flavors with mouth numbing spice, sour vinegar and savory notes paired with chewy glass noodles. This is a summer food in China because it makes you sweat, thereby cooling you off but it will warm you in the winter too. Roasted peanuts or soybeans are a perfect toothsome topping.

Another spicy soup, this Thai dish can be served either clear or creamy (this recipe covers both). Lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves give the soup sharp, sour flavors to counterbalance the spicy chili peppers.

Curry paste is the main flavoring of this spicy soup, with coconut milk for creaminess. Add noodles and fried tofu puffs to soak up the tasty broth.