Making hotpot healthier fare

Founders of Qimin Organic Hotpot promote the idea of healthy fare with seasonal vegetables and selections with labels of their origins.[Photo provided to China Daily]

An organic-minded restaurateur opens a third outlet for her bubbling specialty. Xu Junqian reports from Shanghai.

Don't expect to order or dip common ingredients like corn or mini-carrots in the simmering Matsutake mushroom and chicken broth at this time of the year at Qimin Hotpot Marketplace.

Nor should you hope for the usual spice blast from any of its bubbling soups or dipping sauces; for one thing, the saltiness has been toned down by 60 percent of the typical seasoning.

In an attempt to defy the common, unhealthy stereotypes of Chinese hotpot, Qimin Organic Hotpot was founded in 2014 in Shanghai by Stephanie Ho, whose family owns Yuen Foong Yu Group, the largest paper-manufacturing conglomerate in Taiwan.

"If we manage to convince people that hotpot can be organic and tasty, I think we can make any cuisine organic and tasty," Ho told China Daily that year when she first launched the brand. "Organic food is seen in the Chinese mainland as a luxury for the rich and a comfort for those in poor health. I want to change that to make it more affordable and more widely available."