Hot pot at home with a store-bought base

Buy a hot pot base at an Asian supermarket and a portable burner. Any pot works; a Dutch oven is fine.

Choose what goes in: thinly sliced beef or lamb rolls, tofu puffs or skins, frozen meatballs, root vegetables and greens. Meat does not all need to be paper thin.

Mix the base according to the package, bring it to a boil and move it to the burner.

Cook the food bit by bit at the table. Root vegetables go in first because they take a while; add the rest a little at a time. Use a separate pair of chopsticks for raw meat.

Dipping sauce, spicy: minced garlic with toasted sesame oil.

Dipping sauce, non-spicy: fresh heaven-facing chili mixed with light soy sauce.