Mushroom hotpot with seasonal vegetables

This warming hotpot of mushrooms and winter vegetables is a perfect comforting dinner to come home to on a cold winter's night.

Mushroom hotpot with seasonal vegetables Credit: Alan Benson

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 100 g assorted Asian mushrooms
• 1 cup of pumpkin cut into 1 cm cube
• 2 long eggplant, quartered lengthways and cut into 2 cm wide pieces
• 2 zucchini, quartered lengthways and cut into 4 cm long pieces
• 1 bunch English spinach, wash and picked

Ingredients for stock (see Note)

• 1 l water
• 6 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mushroom oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp mushroom soy
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 4 cm piece of ginger, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 2 bird’s eye chilli, minced
• 1 tsp 5 spice
• 2 star anise
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp salt

To garnish

• 1 handful of beansprouts
• sprigs of coriander 
• sliced long red chilli
• 1 tbsp fried shallots 
• ½ tsp fried garlic 

Instructions

To make the stock from scratch, combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to the boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes then strain through a sieve and reserve for later use.  This stock can be frozen for future use. 

Place the Asian mushrooms, pumpkin, eggplant and zucchini in a clay pot or saucepan.  Place the clay pot over medium to high heat.  Add enough stock to cover the vegetables by 2 cm and bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  Add, and stir through the English spinach to wilt and combine with the rest of the ingredients.  Scatter the beansprouts, coriander, chilli, fried shallots and garlic over the top of the vegetables and serve. 

Note

• You can use store-bought stock if you want.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Lynsey Fryers. Food preparation by Tammi Kwok.

Luke Nguyen's Food Trail airs Thursdays at 8pm on SBS. Visit the program page for recipes, videos and more.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.