Dinner in the Middle: Jim Jum, Mu Kratha and the British Cold-Weather Table

Thai hotpot is less a recipe than a way of arranging an evening. A pot in the middle, a plate of raw ingredients within reach, a basket of herbs at your elbow, and a broth that starts sharp and ends deep. It is the sort of meal that suits a cold British Saturday: no last-minute panic, no single plate to get right, and plenty of reasons to stay at the table.

Two hotpots, one instinct

Jim jum is the Isaan one: a small clay pot of sour, salty, herbal broth, usually set over a little charcoal stove in Thailand. You dip leaves, meat, mushrooms and noodles into the simmering liquid, then sip the broth as it takes on everything. Mu kratha is the other tradition, a domed grill with a moat of broth around it. Meat sizzles on top; the juices run into the soup below. One is quiet and brothy, the other smoky and theatrical. Both are built for sharing.

At Sukothai Kitchen we treat these as regional Thai cooking, not party tricks. The point is not to recreate a street stall in your front room. The point is to put a generous, interactive centrepiece on the table and let everyone cook their own supper.

The broth that keeps giving

For jim jum, start with a light stock — chicken or vegetable is fine — and season it sharply. Lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, fish sauce, a little palm sugar, lime juice and fresh chilli. No coconut milk. This is not a curry hotpot. The broth should be clear, sour and savoury, with a herbal perfume that lifts as it simmers. Add coriander and spring onion at the end so they stay green.

For mu kratha, the broth in the moat can be simpler: stock, a splash of fish sauce, a few slices of ginger or galangal, and whatever herbs you have. The grill does the heavy lifting. As pork belly, chicken thigh or prawns cook on the dome, their juices drip into the broth and make it richer. That is the whole trick. Keep the broth topped up with hot water so it does not turn salty.

Equipment swaps that don't ask for a new kitchen

You do not need a clay pot or a Thai charcoal stove. A wide, heavy-based sauté pan or a shallow casserole works well for jim jum on a portable induction hob. If you own a fondue set, use it. If you have a tabletop electric hotplate, even better. The key is a gentle, steady simmer and a table you can sit around without reaching across a hot ring.

For mu kratha, a domed grill pan set over a baking tray can work, but please use it indoors only with electric heat and good ventilation. A portable electric grill with a drip tray is the safest British swap. Do not bring a charcoal burner into the kitchen. If you want the charcoal flavour, cook the meat outdoors on a barbecue and bring it in, or use a smoked chilli powder in the dipping sauce for a hint of the same edge.

A supermarket basket with a Thai edge

The British supermarket is better stocked than it looks. World foods aisles usually have fish sauce, tamarind paste, palm sugar, rice noodles and sometimes frozen galangal and makrut lime leaves. Fresh Thai basil is hit and miss, so use a mix of coriander, mint and basil. Pak choi, spring greens, chestnut mushrooms and enoki are all good for dipping. Ask the butcher counter for thinly sliced pork belly, or use chicken thighs cut into strips. Prawns, firm tofu and glass noodles round things out.

The herb basket matters as much as the meat. Put out coriander, mint, Thai basil if you have it, spring onion, sliced cucumber, lime wedges and fresh chillies. In Thailand you would see more, but this is enough to keep the meal sharp and fragrant. A small bowl of toasted rice powder — just raw rice toasted in a dry pan and ground — adds a nutty, savoury edge to dipping sauces and broths.

Dipping sauces: sharp, sweet, smoky

Nam jim jaew is the one to learn: tamarind, fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, chilli and toasted rice powder. It is sour, salty, sweet and smoky in one spoonful. Make it a little ahead so the flavours settle. For a simpler option, mix fish sauce, lime and chopped chilli. A sweet chilli sauce from a jar is allowed, but add lime and a pinch of salt so it does not taste flat. If you are serving mu kratha, put the jaew on the table and let people spoon it over the grill as they eat.

Smoke without setting off the alarm

Indoor grilling creates smoke; that is part of the appeal, but it needs managing. Use an electric grill with a drip tray, keep the heat moderate, and trim excess fat from the meat. Open a window, use the extractor fan, and do not leave the grill unattended. If your kitchen is small, set up the hotpot on a sturdy table near a window rather than under a smoke alarm. A wipe-clean tablecloth or a couple of tea towels under the equipment will save you a scrubbing job later.

The table as the main event

The beauty of Thai hotpot is that it slows dinner down. People cook a few pieces, sip broth, add herbs, argue about whether the pork is ready. It is generous without being formal, and it gives a British winter evening a bit of theatre. You can serve it as a weekend supper for friends, a quieter version for two, or a family meal where everyone gets to choose their own path through the basket.

Start with the broth, set out the plates, and put the pot in the middle. That is the whole method. The rest is just a good excuse to sit a little longer.