The Art Of Spicy Hot Pot: A Guide To Making Your Taste Buds Dance

Hot pot is a fun, interactive meal that is perfect for communal dining. It is a Chinese cooking method and type of meal involving a simmering pot of soup in the middle of a dining table with a variety of raw ingredients such as meat, seafood, mushrooms, vegetables, tofu, noodles, and starch. The raw ingredients are then cooked in the boiling liquid by each individual diner.

To make a spicy hot pot, you will need a spicy soup stock base, which can be made from scratch or using a pre-packaged hot pot soup base. The soup stock base is typically made using ingredients such as groundnut oil, dried Sichuan chillies, Sichuan peppercorns, chilli bean sauce, chilli sauce, vegetable stock, dried mushrooms, dried orange peel, ginger, red chillies, and spring onions. This base is then brought to a boil and simmered for around 20 minutes.

Once the soup stock base is ready, you can arrange all the raw ingredients on serving plates and let your guests cook their own food in the spicy broth. It is a fun and interactive dining experience that is perfect for a get-together with family or friends.

Prepare the ingredients

Preparing the ingredients for a spicy hot pot is simple, but it does require a trip to a specialty Asian market to find some of the ingredients.

For the soup base, you will need:

• Vegetable, grapeseed, canola, or another neutral oil
• Chinese dried chili peppers (or Korean dried chili peppers if you can't find Chinese ones)
• Sichuan peppercorns
• Cumin seeds
• Fennel seeds
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Green onions
• Fermented black beans (or black bean paste/sauce)
• Rock sugar (or white sugar)
• Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• Mushroom bouillon powder (or chicken bouillon powder)
• Dried Chinese, shiitake, or porcini mushrooms
• Dried orange peel or the zest of an orange
• Star anise
• Chile oil

For the protein and vegetables, you can choose from a variety of options, including:

• Fish balls
• Spring onions
• Chinese cabbage leaves
• Deep-fried tofu
• Fresh tofu, cut into chunks
• Baby corn
• Raw lamb, thinly sliced
• Raw prawns or shrimp, shelled and deveined
• Firm tofu, cut into chunks
• Enoki mushrooms
• Thinly sliced beef or lamb
• Assorted fish balls (these can be bought pre-made at Asian grocery stores)
• Thinly sliced fish fillets (tender white fish like tilapia or sea bass work well)
• Soy puffs (fried tofu puffs)
• Glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli)
• Prepared frozen dumplings or wontons
• Chinese rice cakes
• Choy sum or bok choy
• Green leafy vegetables (baby bok choy, napa cabbage, gai lan, spinach, sweet potato leaves, snow peas, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, etc.)
• Mushrooms (shiitake, button, enoki, oyster, shimeiji, etc.)
• Ultra-thin slices of ribeye or sirloin beef, pork, or chicken
• Firm tofu cubes
• Thinly sliced white fish, fish balls, shrimp, clams, scallops, mussels, or abalone
• Thin egg noodles, mung bean noodles, glass noodles, ramen, rice noodles, or any other type of noodle
• Homemade Chinese dumplings

For the dipping sauce, you will need:

• Black rice vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
• Light soy sauce
• Red chile, seeded and finely chopped
• Oriental satay sauce (or barbeque sauce)
• Cilantro
• Spring onions
• Fish cake, sliced

Keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list, and you can add any other ingredients you desire to your hot pot.

Make the spicy soup stock base

Making the spicy soup stock base is the first step in preparing a Sichuan hot pot. This is a delicious broth in which fresh ingredients are poached, like a Chinese fondue. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make the spicy soup stock base:

Ingredients:

First, gather all the ingredients. The ingredients for the spicy soup stock base are:

• Groundnut oil (or peanut oil)
• Dried Sichuan chillies or long dried chillies
• Whole Sichuan peppercorns
• Chile bean sauce
• Chile sauce
• Hot vegetable stock
• Dried Chinese mushrooms or dried shiitake or porcini mushrooms
• Dried orange peel or the zest of an orange
• Fresh ginger, peeled
• Red chillies, seeded and sliced
• Fish balls
• Spring onion, coarsely chopped
• Chinese cabbage leaves, sliced into 1-inch-thick pieces
• Deep-fried tofu
• Fresh tofu, cut into 1-inch chunks

Method:

• Heat a wok over high heat and add the oil.
• Stir-fry the chillies and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant.
• Add the chile bean sauce and chile sauce to the wok.
• Pour in the hot vegetable stock.
• Add the mushrooms, orange peel, ginger, and spring onion.
• Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Ten minutes before serving, stir in the red chillies.

Your spicy soup stock base is now ready to be used for your hot pot!

Prepare the mild soup stock base

To prepare the mild soup stock base for a spicy hot pot, you will need the following ingredients:

• Chicken broth or stock
• Daikon radish
• Chinese red dates
• Goji berries
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Baby corn or corn on the cob
• Star anise
• Sesame oil
• Spring onions
• Salt
• White pepper
• Soy sauce

• Turn on your burner to medium-high heat and add oil to the pot.
• Add the garlic, ginger, and spring onions to the pot and cook until fragrant, making sure they don't burn.
• Next, add the daikon radish, Chinese red dates, goji berries, garlic, ginger, dried mushrooms, baby corn or corn on the cob, star anise, sesame oil, spring onions, salt, and white pepper to the pot.
• Pour in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and let the soup stock base simmer for about 20 minutes or until the daikon radish is tender.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, white pepper, and soy sauce as needed.
• Keep the soup stock base warm until you are ready to serve the hot pot.

You can also add other ingredients like carrots, squash, or lotus root to the mild soup stock base if desired. This recipe provides a savory and nourishing base for your spicy hot pot without the tongue-numbing spiciness of the traditional Sichuan broth.

Prepare the dipping sauces

Preparing the dipping sauces is a crucial part of the hot pot experience, and you can customise them according to your taste preferences. Here is a detailed guide on how to prepare some delicious dipping sauces to elevate your spicy hot pot feast.

Chinese Black Vinegar and Rice Vinegar Sauce

In a small bowl, combine Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar with other ingredients of your choice, such as sesame paste or peanut butter. You can also add in some soy sauce, cilantro, scallions, and garlic to enhance the flavour. Adjust the quantities of each ingredient to create a balance of flavours that suits your palate.

Sesame and Scallion Sauce

For this sauce, you will need to mix sesame oil, scallions, garlic, and other optional ingredients like chilli oil and black Chinese vinegar. This sauce is perfect for those who enjoy the nutty aroma and flavour of sesame.

Oyster Sauce

Create a savoury and umami-rich dipping sauce by mixing oyster sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, and scallions. You can also add other ingredients like chilli oil or black vinegar to give it an extra kick.

Chilli and Soy Sauce

For spice lovers, a simple combination of chopped chillies and soy sauce can be a perfect dipping sauce. You can adjust the amount of chilli to make it as mild or spicy as you like.

Customised Dipping Sauce

Encourage your guests to get creative and make their own dipping sauces. Provide a variety of ingredients like Oriental satay sauce, barbeque sauce, light soy sauce, finely chopped cilantro, spring onions, and fish cake. Each guest can mix and match the ingredients to create their unique sauce.

Remember, the key to a successful hot pot dipping sauce is to find the right balance of flavours that complement the ingredients cooked in the spicy broth. Don't be afraid to experiment and adjust the sauces to your liking!

Cooking and serving

Hot pot is a fun, interactive meal that's perfect for communal dining. It involves a simmering pot of soup placed in the middle of the table, with various raw ingredients like meat, seafood, mushrooms, vegetables, tofu, noodles, etc. that diners cook in the boiling liquid themselves.

To make a spicy hot pot, you'll need a blend of spices and aromatics, a hot pot soup base, broth, and your choice of ingredients for cooking and dipping sauces.

Step 1: Prepare the Spices and Aromatics

In a wok over medium heat, add groundnut oil, dried Sichuan chillies or long dried chillies, whole Sichuan peppercorns, and other spices like cinnamon sticks, star anise, bay leaves, cloves, and garlic. Cook until fragrant, stirring occasionally.

Step 2: Make the Hot Pot Soup Base

Add chilli bean sauce, chilli sauce, and pour in hot vegetable stock or chicken broth. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. You can also add dried Chinese mushrooms, dried orange peel, and sliced ginger for extra flavour.

Step 3: Prepare the Dipping Sauce

Combine black vinegar or balsamic vinegar, light soy sauce, and finely chopped red chillies in a bowl. You can also make a special Taiwanese dipping sauce by mixing Oriental satay sauce or barbeque sauce, light soy sauce, finely chopped cilantro, and spring onions.

Step 4: Arrange the Ingredients

On separate serving plates, arrange thinly sliced raw meats, fish, vegetables, tofu, noodles, dumplings, and anything else you'd like to cook in the hot pot. Keep in mind that proteins like beef, pork, and chicken should be sliced very thin so they cook quickly.

Step 5: Set Up the Hot Pot

Transfer the soup base to an electric wok, fondue pot, or a divided hot pot with a portable burner in the centre of the table. Make sure you have plenty of utensils like cooking chopsticks, tongs, and strainers for adding and removing ingredients from the hot pot.

Step 6: Cook and Serve

Let your guests help themselves by adding their chosen ingredients to the simmering spicy broth and cooking them to their desired level of doneness. Provide small bowls for the cooked items, and don't forget to dip them into the prepared sauces before enjoying!

Frequently asked questions