Taiwanese Hot Pot with Homemade Meatballs

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 lb ground pork, 1 green onion/scallion (finely chopped), 1 Tokyo negi (long green onion) (white part only; finely chopped), 1 Tbsp ginger (minced), 1 large egg yolk. Then, add the meatball seasonings: 1 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well with your hands.
2. Make small balls with your hands and refrigerate them in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook in the hot pot.
3. For each individual dipping bowl, add 2 Tbsp Taiwanese BBQ Sauce, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1½ tsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), chopped green onions/scallions, and chopped cilantro (coriander).
4. Cut and gather all the ingredients on serving platters; please see my suggestions above.
5. My favorite hot pot ingredient is stuffed mochi in aburaage (fried tofu pouch). Cut an aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch) in half and stuff a small piece of Japanese rice cake (kiri mochi) called sendingochi in it. You can use a toothpick to close the pocket.
6. Into a large pot, pour 4 cups chicken stock/broth. Add 4 cups water until the pot is half full. (You may not need all of the soup now, but keep them to add later.) Add the 2 green onions/scallions (chopped), 5 cloves garlic (sliced), and 1 knob ginger (sliced). Bring it to a boil.
7. First, add some of the hard/dense vegetables such as sweet corn, Tokyo negi (long green onion), carrots, the white part of napa cabbage (near the root), shungiku (chrysanthemum greens) stems, shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, frozen dumplings, etc. Cook, covered, until boiling.
8. When the soup boils again, reduce the heat to a simmer. Most of the ingredients you put in earlier are not ready yet. Keep cooking until they are fully cooked (10–12 minutes). Meanwhile, add the homemade meatballs, mochi in aburaage, and soft/less dense ingredients like leafy greens, maitake mushrooms, fish balls, shrimp, and 1 medium-firm tofu (moment dofu). Keep simmering until they are warmed and cooked through.
9. When you cook 1 lb thinly sliced ​​beef (such as ribeye), hold a piece at the end with your chopsticks and dip it in the boiling broth. Gently shake the beef in the simmering broth for 20–30 seconds. The beef is now ready to consume. Try not to leave the meat in the broth for too long because it'll get tough and won't taste as good.
10. Dip the ingredients in the sauce to enjoy!
11. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.