Value maxxing for Chinese New Year: Amp up your hotpot with 18 items, from lobster tail to oden

SINGAPORE – With Chinese New Year around the corner, festivities inevitably revolve around food. Dining out can be pricey, while hosting at home often means hours of preparation.

A festive hotpot offers a practical middle ground. It is easy to assemble with ready-to-use broths and dashi bags. Dress it up with freezer-friendly seafood and a few premium touches that will not blow your budget.

Think lobster tail at $88 a kg instead of paying for a whole lobster, or oden air-flown from Toyosu Market for an instant lift in flavour. Even a pack of Hokkaido Snow Pork shabu slices (at $10.90) adds a luxe restaurant feel.

Here are 18 ingredients to keep your hotpot running bountifully – but under budget – through the festive period.

Scarlett Supermarket

Info:

scarlettsupermarket.com.sg/stores

Yocorn Frozen Abalone ($18.80 for box of eight pieces, 500g)

Instead of the usual canned abalone, try out whole pieces of frozen abalone that come with a half-shell. Liquid nitrogen freezing helps preserve the shellfish’s natural texture and freshness. The resulting abalone has a firmer texture than canned ones. Thaw, then rinse under running water to remove any residue.

Remove and discard the shell. Cook for two minutes for optimal texture. Overcooking will make it tough and chewy.

Port65

Info:

port65.sg/collections/all

Tsukiji Kanisho Jumbo Snow Crab Claw ($33.80 for 250g) 

Cooked and blast-frozen to lock in freshness and flavour, these crab claws, imported from Canada, add a touch of luxury. Thaw overnight in the chiller and cook for one minute in the hotpot to heat through.

The crab meat is firm, flaky and sweet. The crab claws are currently on sale at $23.66 until Feb 28. 

FairPrice

Info: Go to

fairprice.com.sg/store-locator

or

fairprice.com.sg

Ocean Fresh Delite Frozen Sichuan Pepper Shrimp Paste ($4.90 for 150g)

Bouncy in texture, this shrimp paste is infused with the mild numbing flavour of Sichuan pepper. It is a compromise for those who want a little taste of spice without going full mala hotpot burn. 

Lion Dance Taiwan Gong Wan With Shiitake Mushroom ($13.05 for 400g) 

Made without monosodium glutamate and nitrates, the meatballs – studded with tasty bits of shiitake mushroom – are indeed bouncy and crunchy as stated on its packaging. Throw these in and eat them as soon as they float to the surface.

Lion Dance Timeless Classic Signature Sole Fish Pork Ball ($9.90 for 300g)

The meatballs are springy in texture, with sole fish adding a savoury lift without tasting overly fishy. It imbues a slightly smoky, briny edge, making each bite aromatic and full-bodied.

Souper Tang Collagen Beauty Hotpot Soup Base ($6.90) 

The Souper Tang Collagen Beauty Hotpot Soup Base turns velvety after a 15-minute boil, developing a slight gelatinous cling that coats your lips. The herbal sweetness is present, but not overwhelming – ideal for when you want the hotpot ingredients to stand out. The salt level is strong, so I add about 300ml more water than stated on the packet instructions. The broth is still rich, but easier to drink. 

The Seafood Market Place By Song Fish

Info: Go to songfish.com.sg/store-locator or songfish.com.sg

Collagen Broth ($8.80 for 500g) 

Prepared from slow-simmered chicken bones, this collagen-rich broth has a gentle savoury taste. With ginger and pepper used sparingly to balance out the fowl, this stock tastes homemade, minus the hassle of boiling chicken bones from scratch on your own. Add more water to counter the saltiness of the broth.

Half Shell Scallop ($12.80 for 600g)

Suitable for grilling, these scallops work just as well for hotpot. Rinse well after thawing. They stay sweet and plump after a quick dunk, with a brininess that adds depth to your broth.

Norwegian Atlantic Cod Fish Tofu ($4.30 for 225g, $11 for three packs)

These small golden blocks, made with fish meat and non-genetically modified soya beans, have a firm, tasty bite with no fishy odour. Drop them straight into the pot and tuck in once they start floating.

Scallop Roll ($5 a box of 200g)

Compressed from multiple scallops and sliced thin for hotpot, these rolls cook in under a minute. The wide surface area absorbs broth quickly, giving each slice a burst of scallopy sweetness.

Lobster tail ($150 a kg)

Opting for the tail means paying only for the part that counts. The offer price of $88 a kg until Feb 28 means that a 304g tail works out to $26.75. Remove the shell and slice the meat to your preferred thickness for hotpot. It cooks quickly and stays firm with a natural sweetness and crunchy bite. It adds an easy indulgence without the cost – or waste – of buying a whole lobster.

Zairyo

Info:

zairyo.com.sg

Natural Dashi Bags ($14)

These Shizuoka-made dashi bags offer a clean, natural base with no salt, additives, preservatives or colouring. Each unbleached bag contains katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and kombu (kelp), rendering a clear, savoury stock for noodle soups, simmered dishes or miso soup.

For hotpot, the dashi bags lets you control the level of seasoning from the start. One bag simmered in 400 to 500ml water for five minutes yields a light, aromatic broth that works well as a base. Add napa cabbage and radish to the broth for extra sweetness.

Ebara Yuzu Tsuyu Shabu Steamboat Soup Base ($6.30)

This comes in two 100g sachets and serves two. Mix one sachet with 350ml water a person. Made with brewed soya sauce and kelp dashi, the broth gets a bright lift from yuzu and sudachi, with a touch of sesame oil for depth.

The citrus cuts through richer meats and keeps the pot tasting fresh, while the soya sauce base clings to sliced meat and vegetables. The soup base also works as a dipping sauce if you prefer collagen broth for your hotpot. Add sliced spring onion for more aroma and flavour.

Yume No Daichi Hokkaido Snow Pork Collar Shabu Slices ($10.90 for 150g)

This pork collar comes from Hokkaido’s Yume No Daichi breed, a special cross-breed of four different kinds of pigs raised in a stress-free environment and on a wheat- and sweet potato-based diet. Aged for seven to 14 days, the meat has a smooth bite and a natural sweetness.

The fat melts quickly in the pot, giving each slice a buttery finish without feeling heavy. The fan-shaped tray is presentable enough to serve as is, without needing to replate the meat.

Kani Tsumire (Crab Fish Balls, $9.80 for 11 pieces, 180g)

These crab fish balls from Toyosu Market in Tokyo are made from a blend of crab, sea bream and Pacific cod. Once thawed, they cook quickly and impart a seafood sweetness to your broth. 

Tai Tsumire (Seabream Fish Balls, $9.80 for 11 pieces, 180g)

Also from Toyosu Market, these sea bream-based fish balls with bits of spring onion have a cleaner, lighter flavour compared with the crab version. Sweet-tasting with no fishy odour.

Fresh Oden Set ($29.50)

With an 80-year heritage and made fresh in Japan, this seasonal 12-piece oden set comes in eight varieties, complete with its own soup base. Firm yet tender, it is available only from autumn to winter in Japan. Stocks are limited and each chilled set keeps for about five days once it arrives in Singapore.

Oden Set ($10.80)

This frozen oden set is a more economical alternative. It contains nine varieties, about 16 to 17 pieces in total, and comes with its own soup base. Produced in Shiogama, a port town in Miyagi Prefecture, known for its processed seafood products, it delivers the familiar sweetness of classic oden. For extra depth, add daikon, tofu or a boiled egg.