One of our favorite date night types in Thailand is visiting a Hot Pot restaurant. MK and Hot Pot Buffet are fine but if we have the choice, we always opt for an authentic Isaan-style hot pot eatery. Tonight we recreated such a meal at home, with fresh produce and a cheap electronic appliance. This is how we did it.

Our favorite Isaan Hot Pot Restaurant in Maha Sarakham is so popular that they even sell their sauces. Last time we were there, we picked up a few servings and kept them in the freezer. Making your own sauce is not that hard. We’ll tell you about that on the next occasion.

We purchased a cheap induction hot plate on a clear out sale. Why induction? It’s safer than gas and allows the temperature to be controlled much better than a traditional hot plat. Should you ever look for one, this one seems to be an even better bargain than ours.

As ingredients, we chose fresh vegetables from the Seing Thai supermarket in Antwerp and added chickory (‘witloof’) and chateaubriand steak, for a local and premium upgrade.

Recipe and wine suggestions, next time.