Steamboat

I love steamboat parties. The warmth from the charcoal in the steamboats; the rich broth with noodles at the end; the chance to steal everyone's prawns during the meal; the lively conversation as each basket cooks. All these elements make it my favourite kind of party.

You may not have experienced steamboat, and you may arrive dressed for a boat trip, yes, Clodagh, I'm talking about you! At Sunday night's steamboat someone suggested that maybe it got its name from the appearance of the smoke chugging out of the steamboat chimney.

The easiest way to describe it is that its like fondue, except instead of cheese there's a broth to cook the food. Everyone has a small basket that they fill with the meat, seafood or vegetables of their choice, after its been in the broth for a bit its a simple matter of dropping the cooked contents into your bowl to eat. But not before filling and dropping the next basket into the broth. The charcoals in the centre of the steamboat keep the broth boiling nicely as well as radiating heat across the table. Yumm!

The best bit comes towards the end. After an hour or so of different meats and vegetables cooking in the liquid it takes on a rich flavour that can be slurped out of your bowl. We keep topping up the liquid with hot water to ensure there's still enough to cook more baskets of food. Finally, when everyone starts slowing down, its time to drop some fresh noodles into the broth. Definitely the best bit.