Vegan Hot Pot & Raclette
A question I get asked quite a lot and which comes up all the time in the different vegan discussion groups by new vegans is How to make a good vegan Chinese hot pot or raclette? Personally, I find it the best meal to accommodate all the different diets. Everyone eats what they want and cooks it however they want, no bickering!
“How to make a good vegan Chinese hot pot or raclette? ”
LOGISTIC
There’re certain aspects to think about when sharing a hotpot or raclette with non-vegans. Don’t hesitate, before the evening, to talk about those certains aspects with your host:
Hotpot: It’s better to have your own pot of broth or to put your forks in a pot reserved for vegetables, otherwise you’ll end up with lots of small pieces of meat on your food
Raclette: Reserve a space on the grill, to stay free of meat juice
MY TIPS
Hotpot: Before I went vegan, I used to love making meat bundles with a cube of cheese inside. For the cheese, it's easy to replace with vegan cheese, but for the meat, it's more difficult. Most thinly sliced seitan flakes or breaks when rolled. The only seitan I've found to replicate fondue meat is from Miss Recipe, which you have to order online. If you know of any other vegan hotpot meats, I'd be very grateful if you'd share them with me.
Fondussimo: I haven't bought one yet, but the principle of little baskets in the hotpot rather than using fondue forks is YES. You can also ditch them and use a ladle instead.
Raclette: My friends say I make little sandwiches when we do a raclette. My technique is to cook my proteins and vegetables on the grill, then take a piece of thinly sliced baguette bread and place protein, vegetables (the most important being onions and pickles) and thinly sliced cheeze on top. I then place the whole thing under the heating element, se it melts. Delicious!
Chinese hot pot with Miss Recipe’s seitan
MEAT
There’re so many possibilities when it comes to meat replacement: seitan, tofu, tempeh, textured soy .. Here are my favorites:
Gusta’s seitan: I love their Shawarma and Original seitans. In cubes for a hot pot, in slices for a raclette.
Soyganic’s smoked tofu : in cubes for a hot pot, in slices for a raclette.
Miss Recipe’s seitan : it’s very thin sliced seitan that you can roll without breaking it. Can be used for hot pot as well as for raclette.
Shefu tofu: marinated tofu nuggets that resemble chicken. As good in fondue as in raclette!
Yves Veggie or Tofurky’s lunch meat : these slices made with gluten and tofu are thin, but can break more easily than the Miss Recipe’s seitan. Perfect for a raclette!
Gusta, Field Roast or Beyond Meat’s vegan sausages : my favorites are Italiana and Montréalaises for Gusta and Italians for Field Roast.
Paradis végétarien’s vegan meats : they make fake chicken, duck, shrimps..
Teriyaki tofu: marinate beforehand. In cubes for a hot pot, in slices for a raclette.
Tempeh mariné : marinate beforehand (marinade here). In cubes for a hot pot, in slices for a raclette.
Beef strips: I've seen Gusta's strips, which are quite easy to find in grocery stores. As good in fondue as in raclette!
VEGGIES
You can put on anything you like, but here are my essentials:
Pickles and pickled pearl onions: essential for a raclette
Bruxelle sprouts: in a fondue it's yummy!
Mushrooms: For the raclette, I recommend Portobello brushed with tamari sauce. Paris mushrooms are perfect for a fondue.
Broccoli & cauliflower: in the fondue
Onions: cooked on the raclette plate or in the fondue broth
Potatoes: for the raclette, I like to put it on bread and grill it with cheeze. For the fondue, put small potatoes in the broth and pick it up later.
Tomato: for the raclette, I like to put a slice of tomato, topped with onions and grilled with cheeze. You think it's weird? A friend of mine introduced me to it, and it's worth a try!
CHEEZES
Cheezes are more essential for a raclette, but can also be used to put inside bundles of meat for a hot pot. Here are my favorites:
Daiya’s Gouda or Monterey Jack: we must give Daiya another chance! They’re the most accessible vegan cheese in grocery stores and their taste has improved so much. It also melts perfectly for a raclette (cut into thin slices) or it can be put inside inside a meat bundle in the hot pot. It’s also delicious cold (which is pretty rare for vegan cheese)!
Field Roast’s Chao: this cheeze melts really well and is delicious
Nafsika’s Garden: melts well and tastes great
Violife: also melts very well and tastes delicious
Gusta’s original or Mozzarella cheeze: it melts also really well and I really like the taste
Cream cheeze: To eat on baguette bread as a side to a hot pot meal. For a raclette, you can spread cheeze on a piece of baguette, put vegetables and meat on top, then place in the raclette pan, under the heating element.
OTHER SUBSTITUTES
Gnocchi, ravioli or dumplings: it’s very good in a hotpot! Make sure they’re vegans.
Udon noodles (or other noodles): also very good in a hotpot.
Cheeze fondue : If Chinese hot pot is more or less appealing to you, I have a vegan cheese fondue recipe that you can make in 10 minutes.
HOT POT BROTH
Homemade : I saw this recipe (in French only) but haven’t try it yet
Bought: I always buy Canton’s original broth (yes it’s vegan!). It has a sweet taste and I love it! For other brands, you just have to check the ingredients, to make sure there’s no beef broth in it (the most common).
BREAD
Baguette bread is essential to a hot pot and a raclette.
There you go, I think I covered the subject of vegan hot pot & raclette. Feel free to write in the comments section your favorite products for raclette/hot pot or if you have any questions.
