The Art Of Hot Pot: A Culinary Journey Through Flavors And Traditions

Hot pot is a fun and interactive meal, where a group of people cook and eat together. It is a Chinese way of cooking food in a simmering pot of soup at the table. The meal starts with a pot of broth, which is brought to a boil. Raw ingredients such as meat, seafood, vegetables, tofu, and noodles are then added and cooked in the bubbling broth. Once cooked, the food is then dipped into a sauce and eaten. The process is then repeated.

Hot pot equipment

Hot pot is a fun and interactive meal, so you'll need the right equipment to ensure your gathering runs smoothly. Here is a list of the essential equipment you'll need to create a memorable hot pot experience:

The Burner

The burner is the heat source that will keep your broth simmering throughout the meal. It should be portable so that it can be placed at the centre of your table. Avoid using charcoal as it will fill the room with carbon monoxide. Induction, gas, or a two-in-one pot connected to an electric source are good options. If you plan on making hot pot a regular occurrence, consider investing in a hot pot set with a built-in electrical heating element for easy cleaning.

The Pot

The ideal hot pot pot is wide and shallow, allowing you to see and easily access your ingredients. Chinese stainless steel hot pots are a popular choice due to their round shape and depth, but any wide, relatively shallow pot will work. If you're serving a group with different preferences, consider using a split pot to accommodate multiple soup flavours or to separate meat from vegetables.

Chopsticks

Hot pot is best enjoyed with bamboo or wooden chopsticks, which are heat-resistant and cool down quickly. Plastic and metal chopsticks are not ideal as plastic may melt, and metal will conduct heat, potentially causing burns.

Sauce Bowls

Small bowls, such as Chinese rice bowls, are perfect for each diner to create their own customised dipping sauce.

Metal Hot Pot Baskets/Wire Ladles

While not essential, metal hot pot ladles, or wire sieves, make it easy to retrieve food from the pot. They also allow you to catch other tasty morsels from the broth as you cook.

Broth options

Broth is the foundation of your hot pot, so it's important to get it right. There are two main types of broth for hot pot: spicy and clear.

Spicy Broth

Spicy hot pot broth is typically made with a concentrated, highly flavoursome soup base and water (or stock). The most popular type, known as Hong You Guo Di/红油锅底, comes from Sichuan and Chongqing and has a high content of fat (usually beef tallow but can be cooking oil), a strong, sophisticated aroma, and a distinctive mouth-numbing and spicy taste.

To make the spicy soup base, you'll need the following ingredients:

• Beef tallow (or cooking oil)
• Dried chilli peppers & Sichuan pepper (for the Mala flavour)
• Other spices such as star anise, cassia cinnamon, bay leaves, and Chinese black cardamom
• Aromatics such as scallions, onion, coriander, garlic, and ginger
• Sichuan chilli bean paste & fermented black beans (for umami and saltiness)
• Shaoxing rice wine & sugar (for balancing the flavour)

Simply melt the beef tallow in cooking oil over medium heat, infusing it with the spices. Then, remove the spices and add the aromatics to fry. After that, add the dried chilli paste, Sichuan chilli bean paste, fermented black beans, minced garlic, and ginger. Simmer to release their flavour, and finally, add sugar, Sichuan pepper, and rice wine. Transfer everything to a heat-proof container and refrigerate once cooled.

Clear Broth

Clear hot pot broth, also known as Qing Tang Guo Di/清汤锅底 in Chinese, is a general term for non-spicy broth that typically consists of stock, aromatics, herbs, and sometimes vegetables. It is usually made with water, scallions, and ginger, but you can also use stock made from pork, beef, chicken, mushroom, or tomatoes for a more flavourful option.

To make the mild broth, you'll need the following ingredients:

• Chicken or chicken legs/thighs
• Dried shiitake mushrooms
• Scallions
• Dried Chinese dates (optional)
• Goji berries (optional)
• Ground white pepper

Boil the chicken in water with some sliced ginger, skimming off any froth that appears on the surface. Then, lower the heat and leave to simmer for 1½–2 hours until the water becomes milky. Pour the liquid into your hot pot, adding rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, scallions, Chinese dates, and Goji berries. Season with white pepper and salt, and bring to a boil before dipping in your ingredients.

Other Broth Options

While spicy and clear broths are the most common, there are endless variations and combinations of hot pot broths that you can experiment with. Here are some other options to try:

• Mushroom broth: A savoury mushroom broth is a great option for vegetarians or those who want a break from spicy broths.
• Tomato broth: A sweet-and-sour tomato broth can be a refreshing change from the typical spicy options.
• Coconut-infused seafood broth: For a tropical twist, try a seafood broth infused with coconut milk.
• Chongqing broth: This bold and spicy variant is packed with Sichuan peppercorns, red chillies, preserved mustard greens, and other spices.
• Japanese dashi: For a unique twist, try a Japanese-style dashi broth seasoned with soy sauce, sake, mirin, and a touch of sugar.

Dipping ingredients

Hot pot is a highly customizable meal, so the ingredients you choose to dip into the broth are up to you. However, there are some classic options to choose from.

Meats are a popular choice for hot pot. Thinly sliced beef, pork, and chicken are common, but you can also use lamb or even seafood such as shrimp, squid, and scallops. If you want to be more adventurous, you could try chicken gizzards, Asian swamp eel, or beef tripe.

Vegetables are also key to a balanced hot pot. Chinese leafy greens such as bok choy, napa cabbage, and chrysanthemum leaves are popular choices. Other vegetables that work well include pumpkin, tomatoes, corn, and various types of mushrooms.

Tofu is another must-have for many hot pot enthusiasts. There are many varieties to choose from, including mini tofu puffs, medium-firm tofu, and egg tofu.

If you want some extra carbs, you can add noodles, rice cakes, or dumplings to your hot pot.

Lastly, don't forget the dipping sauces! A simple sweet soy sauce with green onion and cilantro is a good option, but you can also get more creative. Try mixing Chinese sesame paste, hoisin sauce, sweet soy sauce, and shacha (Chinese barbecue sauce). Or, for a spicier option, try a sauce with Sichuan peppercorn oil, chili garlic sauce, and Chinese black vinegar.

Dipping sauces

Hot pot is a highly customizable meal, and the same goes for the dipping sauces. The sauces are an integral part of the hot pot experience, adding extra flavour to the cooked ingredients.

There are many different dipping sauces to try, from light and creamy to spicy and sour. Here are some examples of popular hot pot dipping sauces:

Light Sesame Soy

This sauce is perfect for those craving an Asian-inspired dish. It combines sesame oil, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, minced garlic, and chopped spring onion. To add a crunchy texture, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

Chilli Oil Vinegar Dip

Chilli oil is the star of this recipe, adding a wonderful flavour and kick to the dip. It's made by infusing hot chillies in oil and can be found in most Asian supermarkets or made at home. This dip is perfect for vegetables, meat, and more.

Creamy Dashi Garlic

This creamy, garlicky sauce is perfect for a variety of dishes. It's made with just a few simple ingredients: peanut butter, minced garlic, and chopped coriander.

Honey Miso Dip

This dip is a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and savoury. It's made with honey, miso paste, chopped spring onion, and chopped coriander.

Spicy Peanut Dip

This dip is easy to make and full of flavour. The main ingredient is peanut butter, which adds creaminess and a nutty taste. It's paired with dou ban jiang (a popular bean paste used in Sichuan cuisine) for an extra kick.

Classic Spicy and Sweet Chilli

This classic sauce is a combination of chilli paste, sweet chilli sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and chilli flakes or dried chilli. It's perfect for dipping meat and vegetable dishes.

Hot and Sour Garlic

This sauce is made with McDonald's garlic chilli sauce, black or rice vinegar, and light soy sauce.

Creamy Garlic Sesame Paste

A creamy, nutty sauce made with sesame paste, dashi powder, black vinegar, and minced garlic.

Spicy Garlic Hot Sauce

A spicy and savoury sauce made with minced garlic, red chilli, green onion, Korean red chilli flakes, ground Sichuan pepper, sesame seeds, black vinegar, and oyster sauce.

Taiwanese Shacha Dipping Sauce

A savoury and slightly spicy sauce made with minced garlic, chopped red chilli, green onion, Taiwanese Shacha sauce, and black vinegar. Shacha sauce is made from soybean oil, garlic, shallots, chillies, brill fish, and dried shrimp.

Other Ingredients

While the above sauces are some of the most popular, there are many other ingredients that can be used to make hot pot dipping sauces. These include crushed roasted peanuts, chopped cilantro, red chilli flakes, sesame seeds, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, chilli oil, and more.

Hot pot history

Hot pot, or huǒ guō, is a Chinese dish that is believed to have originated over 1,000 years ago during the Jin Dynasty. The dish is said to have been inspired by the dining practices of Mongolian horsemen who rode across the steppe and into northern China. Legend has it that these horsemen would use their helmets as cooking vessels, filling them with broth and chunks of meat cooked over open fires.

Over time, hot pot spread throughout China, with regional variations emerging. The most famous variation is the Chongqing or Sichuan hot pot, which features a dark-red broth filled with spices, chilli peppers, and the mouth-numbing Sichuan pepper. In Beijing and other northern regions, the broth tends to be milder, while in Manchuria, fermented sauerkraut is added to create a sour broth.

Hot pot became popular among emperors during the Qing dynasty, particularly the Qianlong Emperor, who is said to have eaten it for almost every meal. The dish was traditionally enjoyed during the winter months but has since become a year-round staple in China. It is often eaten communally, with family and friends gathering around the pot to cook and enjoy the food together.

In recent decades, hot pot has gained worldwide recognition, with restaurants serving this dish in major cities across the globe.

Frequently asked questions