Marianne Martinez
Hot pot is a popular dish in China with a long history. There are dozens of different ways to eat hot pot, with at least 30 different kinds of hot pot and five distinct regional styles within China alone. The two primary regional styles are Southern and Northern. Southern hot pots tend to have spicy broths and complex dipping sauces, and are heavier on seafood, vegetables, and mushrooms. Northern hot pots are simpler and focus more on meat, particularly mutton.
The most famous type of hot pot is the Chongqing or Sichuan hot pot, known for its bold, spicy flavours. However, there are many other types of hot pot, including Beijing hot pot, Chaoshan beef hot pot, Cantonese hot pot, and Guizhou sour soup hot pot.
Hot pot is a social and interactive dining experience where guests cook a variety of raw ingredients in a simmering broth and dip them in sauces of their choice. It is a fun and easy meal to prepare and is perfect for groups of people to share and try different ingredients and flavours.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of types | 30+ |
| Regional styles | 5+ |
| Typical ingredients | Thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, vermicelli, sliced potatoes, bean products, egg dumplings, tofu, seafood |
| Broth | Spicy, clear, tomato, seafood, satay, soy milk, mushroom |
| Dipping sauces | Sesame paste, shacha, sesame oil and garlic, Zhīmajiàng, chilli oil, fermented tofu, soy sauce, vinegar |
| Country of origin | China |
| Original broth | Water or clear broth |
| Typical meat | Mutton |
| Typical cookware | Copper pot |
| Fuel | Charcoal |
| Typical utensils | Chopsticks, slotted ladle, small bowls, plates |
What You'll Learn
Chongqing hot pot
The history of Chongqing hot pot dates back to the 1920s in the Jiangbei District, where it was originally consumed by labourers working on the wharf. They would boil beef tripe, liver, and stomach in a clay stove, with each person choosing their own food and only paying for what they ate. Over time, Chongqing hot pot evolved into a high-grade dish, becoming a delicacy that represents Chongqing's food culture and is often enjoyed by families and friends gathering together.
When preparing Chongqing hot pot, a variety of raw ingredients are placed on plates around a large pot of boiling hot broth. These ingredients typically include thinly sliced meat, such as beef, pork, chicken, and beef strips, as well as seafood, vegetables, tofu, dumplings, and noodles. The guests then cook the ingredients in the broth and dip them in sauces, such as sesame oil, for additional flavour.
In addition to the wide variety of ingredients offered, Chongqing hot pot also provides a range of sauces and condiments to further enhance the flavour of the meat. The typical dipping sauce contains sesame oil mixed with crushed fresh garlic and chopped spring onions, adding a layer of complexity to the overall taste profile.
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Beijing hot pot
The hot pot is a common style of eating in China and beyond, with regional variations across the country. Chinese hot pots are often divided into "Southern style" and "Northern style", which parallels the cultural regions of China. In general, Southern styles tend to have spicy broths and complex dipping sauces, with a heavier focus on seafood, vegetables, and mushrooms. In contrast, Northern styles are simpler and focus more on meat, particularly mutton.
Hot pot is a Chinese cooking method where a big pot of boiling hot broth is placed in the centre of the table, with various raw ingredients served on plates around it. The guests cook the ingredients in the broth and eat them with a dipping sauce. This social dining experience is similar to a summer barbecue, where friends and family gather and cook together while socialising.
There are many different styles of hot pot in China, and they vary depending on the region. The primary difference between regions is the broth used. The type of broth is an important consideration when planning a hot pot meal, as all the food will be cooked in it. While it is possible to make your own broth, it is recommended to purchase a hot pot broth base to save time and effort.
Some popular types of broth include spicy broth, which is one of the most popular across China, and clear broth, which is the default type in northern China. Spicy broth can be further categorised into Sichuan, Chongqing, and Mongolian styles. The Chongqing style features a thicker and richer broth made with beef fat and chilli peppers, resulting in a heavier and oilier soup. The Mongolian style is less spicy and lighter, with a cumin-heavy flavour profile.
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Cantonese hot pot
The soul of Cantonese hot pot lies in its ingredients, which are known for their freshness. The soup base is usually kept light or made with water to highlight the natural flavours of the ingredients. There are several types of soup bases used in Cantonese hot pot, including congee, coconut chicken, clear water, and Sacha pot.
- Beef slices and beef balls
- Soy sauce, spring onion, ginger, garlic, and oil for dipping sauce
When preparing a Cantonese hot pot, it is important to use fresh ingredients and to cook them in small batches to avoid overcooking. This style of hot pot is a fun and interactive way to enjoy a meal with family and friends, allowing everyone to customise their own dipping sauces and choose their favourite ingredients.
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Guizhou sour soup hot pot
The Guizhou sour soup hot pot is typically served with a variety of raw ingredients such as thinly sliced meat, seafood, vegetables, tofu, dumplings, and noodles. These ingredients are cooked in the hot pot and then dipped in a sauce for additional flavour. The sauce is usually a mixture of chilli powder, spring onions, shallots, and other condiments with a spoonful of the hot sour soup mixed in.
The Guizhou sour soup hot pot is just one of many types of hot pot. There are dozens of different ways to eat hot pot, with at least 30 different kinds in China alone. Some other notable types of hot pot include:
- Beijing-style hot pot: a simple style of hot pot that focuses on the quality of the ingredients rather than the broth. It typically uses thinly sliced mutton as one of the main ingredients.
- Chongqing hot pot: known for its heavily flavoured broth and numbing spiciness achieved through the use of Sichuan pepper. It is said to be one of the most popular styles of hot pot in China.
- Yunnan hot pot: a vegetarian-friendly style of hot pot that features a variety of fresh vegetables, mushrooms, and edible flowers. It is influenced by Southeast Asian cuisine.
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Japanese nabemono hot pot
Japanese nabemono, or nabe, is a variety of hot pot dishes, also known as one-pot dishes. Nabemono is a compound word in which "nabe" means cooking pot, and "mono" means things or stuff. It is a simple dish: a mixture of fresh vegetables, meat, seafood, tofu, soybean products, or seasonal ingredients, all cooked in a simmering soup broth in a pot. It is typically enjoyed in cold weather and is considered a very social dish, with diners gathering around the pot to cook and eat.
There are two types of nabemono in Japan: those with a lightly flavoured stock, and those with a strong flavour. The first type is mostly made with kombu, and includes yudōfu and mizutaki. These are usually eaten with a dipping sauce to enjoy the taste of the ingredients. The second type has a strong flavour, usually made with miso, soy sauce, dashi, and/or sweet soy. Examples include yosenabe, oden, and sukiyaki, and these are eaten without further flavouring.
There are many types of nabemono, including sukiyaki, yosenabe, shabu-shabu, oden, and chankonabe. Chankonabe was originally served only to sumo wrestlers and contains more ingredients than other nabemono to help them gain weight. Shabu-shabu is an onomatopoeia for the sound the meat makes when it sizzles in boiling water.
The equipment required for nabemono includes a cooking pot, a portable stove, a slotted ladle, and serving bowls and chopsticks for each diner. The pots are traditionally made of clay or thick cast iron. The most important piece of equipment is the cooking pot itself, and in Japan, various pots are used for different styles of nabe. A donabe is a traditional Japanese earthenware pot made with heavy ceramic to retain and distribute heat. It comes in many beautiful designs and various sizes.
The broth is an essential part of nabemono, and the foundation of the meal. Authentic Japanese hot pot recipes typically require a variation of dashi, a Japanese soup stock crafted from kombu kelp, bonito flakes, and dried mushrooms. The dashi is then combined with a concentrated sauce or used as a base for pork bone broth, chicken broth, seafood, kimchi, tomatoes, or soy milk, depending on the type of nabe.
Common ingredients for Japanese nabemono include thinly sliced beef, pork, and chicken, as well as seafood such as fish, shrimp, and tempura. Tofu and soybean products are also popular, as are various types of vegetables, including napa cabbage, carrot, daikon, sweet corn, lotus root, sweet potatoes, and green onions. Mushrooms add complex, umami flavours and amazing textures to the dish.
Nabemono is usually served with rice or noodles. It is common to add cooked rice or noodles to the remaining broth at the end of the meal, when most of the meat and vegetables have been eaten. This is called shime or 'finish it up'.
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Frequently asked questions
There are dozens of different ways to eat hot pot, with at least 30 different kinds of hot pot in China alone.
The main distinction is between Northern and Southern styles. Northern-style hot pot is generally simpler and focuses on meat, particularly mutton. Southern-style hot pot tends to be spicier, with complex dipping sauces, and includes more seafood, vegetables, and mushrooms.
Beijing-style hot pot, also known as Mongolian hot pot, is characterised by its simplicity and the use of copper Mongolian pots. The broth is often just water with sliced spring onion and ginger, and the main ingredient is thinly sliced mutton.
Chongqing hot pot is famous for its spicy broth, which includes beef tallow, chilli peppers, ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorn and capsicum annuum. Another example is Cantonese hot pot, which is seafood-based and not spicy.
