first date with the mongolian....

[fishfish]

nope ive not pulled a Mongolian bird,although i did work with a girl from the steppes once but that's another story.
Like many on here i have drooled over the Mongolian hotpot owned by the bushhcraft magazine guy that attends various shows,the Mongolian hot-pot cooker is a great idea dating back The Chinese hot pot has a history of more than 1,000 years and originated in .....would you believe it......Mongolia, the main ingredients cooked in it as a hotpot are usually beef, mutton or horse.,i have scoured the net for one of these cookers for years,i even bought one from the states for an arm and a leg and it was incomplete and couldnt send it back as it was £40 to post back to the US! Any how a couple of months ago i came across a small pocket stove made by primus at the car-boot sale for a fiver and knowing that my mate Eric is an avid collector and he was desperate for this model a deal was struck with Eric for his Mongolian hotpot,an item he refused to sell on many occasion!

DSC05851 by fishfish_01, on Flickr

So yesterday it was a hot one again and as most of the kids were at youth club helping out the flower fete in Tisbury so myself Charlie ,Sammy and Mrs Fish decided to go test the hotpot out at a favourite spot we frequent near home,a quiet out of the way chalk-stream ford with plenty of shade and clear water, aplace that has been used for at least two millenia by weary travellers ,journeymen and Romany Gypsies alike.

DSC05859 by fishfish_01, on Flickr
A view of the ancient ford.

The MHP (Mongolian hot-pot) was soon lit with the use of flint and steel and some nice dry tinder and sticks,the MHP fitted nicely on my kelly kettle base which was a bonus!. As its the hight of the veg growing season we took a few bits and bobs from the allotment and some home made venison and port sausages,the ingredients were quickly prepped and the dinner was bubbling away in no time ,filling the air with a lovely smell and quite different from the usual fayre of trout when at this fave spot of ours.

DSC05841 by fishfish_01, on Flickr
ingredients from the garden: purple sprouting,runner beans & red onion.


DSC05833 by fishfish_01, on Flickr
yours truly cooking


I was surprised how quickly the MHP got up to cooking temp,boiling 2 pints of stock in well under 5 minutes with a minimum of wood added,clearly this was every bit as useful as the kelly kettle ive owned for decades,working on the same simple technology .

DSC05837 by fishfish_01, on Flickr

DSC05846 by fishfish_01, on Flickr
boiling away nicely.

So within 20 minutes,pretty much the same time as in a kitchen our dinner was served,not wanting to blow my own trumpet but it was pretty darn fine as agreed by the others,Sammy being asleep on the grass as all the fun got just too much!

DSC05852 by fishfish_01, on Flickr
served: venison sausage hotpot in Mrs Fish's kuksa with a spoon whittled by me.

DSC05855 by fishfish_01, on Flickr
DSC05857 by fishfish_01, on Flickr
njoying the meal: Mrs Fish and Charlie.

So if you ever see one of these for sale at the car-boot sale grab it,its a great way of cooking out bushcrafting or just out and about.

thanks for looking.

 

[dewi]

I like it... its like a kelly kettle for food

 

[Nice65]

Nice post mate, good pics too. I love those chalk streams, my sister is in Hampshire, near the Bluebell Line. It's a lovely place to spend time, not that I'm short of nice spots in Sussex.

 

[Robson Valley]

I wonder if I could find my MHP, have not used it in years! Fitted charcoal brazier for heat.
Bought in a shop in China-town/Grant Street in San Francisco.

I agree completely = they are a vey civilized way to eat.
Never imagined using it outdoors, that must be the original technique?

 

[fishfish]

I wonder if I could find my MHP, have not used it in years! Fitted charcoal brazier for heat.
Bought in a shop in China-town/Grant Street in San Francisco.

I agree completely = they are a vey civilized way to eat.
Never imagined using it outdoors, that must be the original technique?

i would imagine so,on long hunting forays perhaps,the steppes of Mongolia arent too covered in trees either so a meal cooked on a pound of wood has to be a good thing and labour saving device.

 

[Countryman]

Hello Fishfish! Nice to see a post from you. Looks great.


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[fishfish]

Hello Fishfish! Nice to see a post from you. Looks great.


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thanks mate,i pop in often to have a look about,allways reading peoples excellent posts,been a busy year on the show circuit with the spoon carving,am at the great dorset steam fair this year,you going?

 

[Countryman]

thanks mate,i pop in often to have a look about,allways reading peoples excellent posts,been a busy year on the show circuit with the spoon carving,am at the great dorset steam fair this year,you going?

Hadn't planned on it. We did a few years on the trot and nothing changed! Might be worth a revisit.


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[Herbalist1]

Nice to see your mhp in use. Following that bushcraft mag article I too fancied one of these but couldn't find a good one at a decent price until a couple of months ago when I managed to get a really good one at a car boot for £7. Not mAnaged to use it yet but hoping to over the summer.

 

[Robson Valley]

My Asian cook books call the pot/pan a Mongolian Fire Pot.
They go on to describe the preparation of the food, recipes and the cooking as a Mongolian Hot Pot.

I elected to present everything raw (meats and veg) with a dozen different sauces.
Using wire mesh basket spoons, each guest cooks what they like in the boiling chicken broth.
The finish is to break some eggs into the broth and serve aa a soup.

 

[tim_n]

Ironically my brother in law is over Mongolia way. Ive asked him for a belated birthday present

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[Robson Valley]

They're very bulky to transport as you can well imagine.

While I bought mine in San Francisco, I recall shopping regularly in the really old Chinese districts of Melbourne, Aus. and Vancouver, BC.
There must be some places similar, all over the world. Major cities in Britain = what have you got?

 

[carabao]

Hi guys, though not as deep, Thais use a pot very similar to this to cook/keep warm their soups like Tom yum. This version is steel or an alloy to can find copper ones, at home (Nong Khai, Thailand) we place pieces of charcoal as heat source in the uk we use gel.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thai-Tom-Yum-Heated-Serving/dp/B009U5O3LS

 

[carabao]

This is a great way to eat with friends with lots of beers. It's a BBQ you cut pieces of meat nice and thin, prawns, squid lots of vegetables, like Chinese leaf, morning glory, mushrooms, what ever you fancy, glass noodles, good chicken stock, chilli sauce, and most important pig fat / belly pork. The pig fat is used to grease the sides of the BBQ to stop the other goodies sticking, you place the fat at the top of the cone when the BBQ is at the right heat, the grease then runs down the sides. To set up and eat, light BBQ place the pot on top, fill the rim/ bowl with the stock, place the vegetables, glass noodles in stock, and let it bubble away, pig fat on top, then you begin, place pieces meat / squid / prawns on the side to cook, when done fill your bowl with the stock and vegetable which has become like a soup and the cooked goodies and chilli to your liking and slurp away, drink beer and carry on.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/KOREAN-TABLE-CHARCOAL-BARBECUE-BBQ/dp/B00AAGKR1Q
This isn't my video but shows this BBQ in action
https://youtu.be/7j-ODk2PAoc

 

[Russell96]

Thanks for the great post. Very cool but of kit and I will be keeping my eye out for one.
Russ