Sizzling Sensations: The Art Of Crafting A Szechuan Hot Pot

Sichuan hot pot is a fun and interactive meal that's perfect for a cold day. It's a great way to warm up with family and friends, as everyone cooks their own thin slices of meat, seafood, and vegetables in a bubbling pot of broth. The key to a delicious Sichuan hot pot is the spicy broth, which is made with a variety of aromatics and spices such as Sichuan peppercorns, dried chillies, cinnamon, and star anise. The broth is served in a pot on a portable burner in the centre of the table, with raw ingredients placed around it for guests to cook in the broth. It's a fun and social dining experience that's perfect for a group gathering.

Prepare the ingredients

Preparing the ingredients for a Sichuan hot pot is a fun and easy process. It's important to note that the ingredients listed here serve as a guide, and you can adjust the quantities and add or remove ingredients to suit your taste preferences. Here is a detailed list of ingredients you will need to prepare:

For the soup base:

• Cooking oil (vegetable, rapeseed, peanut, or another neutral oil)
• Ginger (finely chopped or crushed)
• Garlic (peeled and roughly chopped)
• Spring onions (roughly chopped)
• Bay leaves
• Cinnamon stick
• Star anise
• Cloves
• Sichuan peppercorns (red, green, or a mixture)
• Dried red chillies (such as facing heaven or er jing tiao)
• Doubanjiang (chilli bean sauce)
• Fermented black beans (rinsed)
• Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
• Chicken or vegetable stock
• Sugar (rock or white)
• Cumin seeds (optional)
• Fennel seeds (optional)
• Beef tallow (optional, for a richer taste)

For the dipping sauce:

• Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
• Sesame paste or peanut butter
• Chopped scallions or spring onions
• Chopped garlic
• Cilantro (optional)

For the hot pot:

• Thinly sliced beef or lamb
• Seafood options such as prawns, shrimp, squid, fish balls, crab sticks, or fish fillets (tilapia or sea bass work well)
• Vegetables such as baby bok choy, napa cabbage, green leafy vegetables, mushrooms, lotus root, potato, daikon radish, corn, or carrots
• Firm tofu (cubed or sliced)
• Eggs (cooked and peeled)
• Noodles (thin egg noodles, mung bean noodles, glass noodles, or any other type you prefer)
• Dumplings (homemade or frozen)

Remember to cut the proteins and harder vegetables into thin slices or small pieces to ensure quick cooking in the broth. You can also provide additional condiments and sauces for your guests to customise their dipping sauce.

Make the soup base

Making the soup base for a Sichuan hot pot is a simple process, but it does require a lot of ingredients. Here is a step-by-step guide to making the soup base:

Firstly, gather your ingredients. You will need a variety of spices and aromatics, such as Sichuan peppercorns, dried chillies, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, spring onions, and fermented black beans. You will also need a good amount of chicken or vegetable stock and a neutral oil like rapeseed, grapeseed, or canola oil. If you want an extra rich and intense flavour, you can use beef tallow instead of oil.

Next, prepare your aromatics. Finely chop or crush your garlic, ginger, and spring onions. You can do this by hand or use a food processor. If you are using beef tallow, melt it in a wok or large pot over low heat. Add your aromatics to the melted tallow and slowly fry until they start to brown—this should take around 10-15 minutes. If you are not using tallow, simply fry your aromatics in a well-oiled wok over medium heat.

Once your aromatics are browned, it's time to add the spices. Put in the dried chillies, cinnamon, bay leaves, star anise, and cloves. Cook this mixture for about 2 minutes, filling your kitchen with a rich, spicy aroma.

Now, add the chicken or vegetable stock a few spoons at a time. Deglaze the wok, making sure to scrape up all the tasty bits from the bottom. Then, add some sugar to the mix.

Finally, pour in some rice wine and bring the whole mixture to a boil. And there you have it—your very own Sichuan hot pot soup base!

Of course, feel free to adjust the quantities and ingredients to suit your taste. You can make the soup base milder by reducing the amount of chillies and peppercorns, or you can experiment with different spices and aromatics to create your unique blend.

Prepare the dipping sauce

The dipping sauce is an essential part of the Sichuan hot pot experience, complementing the intense flavours of the hot pot. Here are some tips and suggestions for preparing your own dipping sauce.

Firstly, gather your desired ingredients. Common options include Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar, sesame paste or peanut butter, finely grated garlic, chopped scallions or spring onions, chopped fresh cilantro or coriander, and toasted sesame oil. You can also add ingredients like soy sauce, chilli oil, or bird's eye chillies for an extra kick.

Once you have your ingredients, it's time to mix and match according to your taste preferences. For a basic sauce, you might start with equal parts sesame oil and finely grated garlic. From there, you can experiment by adding small amounts of other ingredients and tasting as you go. For instance, you could add a dash of soy sauce, a sprinkle of scallions, or a pinch of cilantro, gradually building up the flavour profile to your liking.

If you're serving the hot pot to guests, you can provide the sesame oil and garlic as a base and let your guests customise their own sauces to their tastes. Alternatively, you can prepare a few different sauces with varying levels of spiciness and flavour profiles, so your guests can choose the one that suits them best.

Remember, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to the dipping sauce. Feel free to get creative and adjust the ingredients to suit your preferences. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the unique flavours of Sichuan hot pot!

Cooking and eating

Once you've made your Sichuan hot pot soup base, it's time to cook and eat! Place the prepared pot of broth on a hot plate in the middle of the table and bring it to a low boil or simmer.

Place all of your prepared ingredients around the pot and let everyone mix up their own dipping sauces. Then, it's time to cook! Choose your fresh ingredients, place them in a spider or basket, and add them to the hot pot. When cooked, scoop them out, place them in a bowl, add some dipping sauce, and enjoy. Keep creating small plates for yourself as you chat and cook together.

Remember to keep topping up the broth with boiling water or stock as you cook, as it will reduce down.

If you're preparing your own thin slices of meat, place them in the freezer for about 45 minutes before slicing. This will make them easier to cut super thinly. Cut meats thinly against the grain.

If you're cooking for young children, it's best to cook for them and put the food on their plates, rather than letting them cook their own food.

• Thinly sliced beef or lamb
• Seafood (shrimp, squid, fish balls, crab sticks, sliced fish fillet such as tilapia, cod or halibut)
• Offal meats (e.g. chicken gizzards, beef tripe)
• Vegetables (bok choy, crown daisy leaves, winter melon, Napa cabbage, seaweed knots, daikon, turnip, lotus root, potato, shiitake mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, enoki mushrooms)
• Eggs (try cooked and peeled whole quail eggs)
• Tofu (firm tofu cubes, fried tofu, tofu puffs, tofu skins)
• Noodles (sweet potato noodles, egg noodles, mung bean noodles, glass noodles, ramen, rice noodles)

Etiquette and safety

Hot pot is a social and interactive dining experience, so it's important to be mindful of your fellow diners. Here are some etiquette tips and safety precautions to keep in mind when enjoying a hot pot meal:

• Utensils: It is important to use separate utensils for dining and handling raw ingredients. Do not mix the utensils to avoid cross-contamination.
• No plastic: Do not use plastic or non-heat-safe utensils in the hot pot. Only use utensils that are suitable for high temperatures to avoid any inorganic substances dissolving into the soup.
• Pace yourself: A hot pot meal is meant to be savoured slowly. Cook and eat each ingredient gradually, allowing yourself to enjoy the flavours and socialise with your companions. Do not dump all the ingredients into the pot at once.
• Cooking times: Different foods have different cooking times. For example, thin slices of meat will overcook and become tough if boiled for more than 10 seconds, while mushrooms might take 5-8 minutes. Adjust your cooking times accordingly and use a timer if needed.
• Respect the commons: Hot pot is a communal meal, so be considerate of your fellow diners. Share the food, don't double-dip, and make sure to offer drinks and sauces to everyone at the table.
• Refilling the stock: Allow the stock to reduce and intensify in flavour before adding more. Diluting the stock too soon can wash out the flavours that have been built up.
• Safety: Hot pot involves a pot of boiling broth, so be cautious to avoid burns. Keep the pot centred and stable on the table, and be careful when adding or removing ingredients. Ensure children are supervised at all times.
• Leftovers: If you have leftover broth, it can be saved and reused. Simply strain out any solid sediments and store the liquid in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. You can also add more water or broth to the pot during the meal if it evaporates too much.

Frequently asked questions