Selecting The Perfect Beef For Sichuan Hot Pot: A Definitive Guide

Selecting the right beef for your Sichuan hot pot is crucial to the overall taste and quality of the dish. Here are some tips to help you choose the best beef for this delicious Chinese delicacy:

- Go for thinly sliced beef cuts: The key to a perfect Sichuan hot pot is using thinly sliced beef that will cook quickly in the boiling broth. This ensures the meat remains tender and juicy without overcooking.

- Choose high-quality beef: Opt for grass-fed, organic, or well-marbled beef to enhance the flavour and texture of your hot pot.

- Freeze the beef before slicing: For easier slicing and achieving the ideal thinness, freeze the beef for a few hours before cutting it into thin slices.

- Variety is key: Sichuan hot pot is all about a variety of textures and flavours. Consider including different types of beef cuts, such as beef tongue, fatty beef, or beef tripe, to add depth to your dish.

- Buy pre-sliced beef: If slicing beef thinly seems daunting, many Asian supermarkets offer pre-sliced raw beef specifically for hot pot, making your job easier.

- Amounts: A good guideline is to prepare 3-4 pieces of beef per diner, assuming varying appetites among your guests.

Selecting the right cut of beef

First, let's understand the different parts of a cow that are commonly used for beef cuts. The eight primary cuts of beef are the loin, brisket, chuck, shank, round, short plate, flank, and ribs. Each of these cuts has distinct characteristics in terms of texture, toughness, and flavour.

When selecting beef for Sichuan hot pot, consider the following:

• Thinly sliced beef: For hot pot, it is recommended to use thinly sliced beef that can cook quickly in the bubbling broth. Look for cuts like the sirloin, flank steak, or tenderloin. These cuts have a loose, fibrous texture, making them ideal for absorbing the flavours of the broth.
• Flavour and tenderness: The loin is generally a tender and flavourful cut, often found in high-end restaurants. If you're looking for a more affordable option, the chuck is also incredibly versatile and flavourful but tougher than the loin.
• Budget-friendly options: If you're working with a tight budget, consider cuts like the round, which is often sold as ground beef, or the beef sirloin, which offers a rich, beefy flavour. Just be sure not to overcook the sirloin, as it can dry out.
• Slow cooking: For dishes like Sichuan hot pot, where the beef is cooked in a simmering broth, you may want to opt for cuts that benefit from slow cooking. Brisket and short ribs are ideal choices, as the slow cooking process helps break down the tough connective tissues, resulting in tender meat.
• Marbling: When selecting your beef, pay attention to the marbling, which is the intramuscular fat within the meat. Higher marbling content generally indicates a more tender and juicy cut of beef. Prime grade beef is renowned for its superior marbling.
• Butcher and storage: Consider the source of your beef. If possible, buy from a reputable local butcher who can advise you on the best cuts and provide guidance on proper storage and preparation techniques.

Remember, when preparing Sichuan hot pot, it's essential to have a variety of ingredients, including meats, seafood, vegetables, and other add-ins, to create a well-rounded and flavourful meal.

Preparing the beef for hot pot

Firstly, you'll want to choose the right cut of beef. Brisket, short rib, ribeye, sirloin, flank steak, and beef belly are all popular choices for hot pot. You could also use pre-sliced beef from the refrigerated or frozen section of an Asian supermarket—this is usually brisket or chuck.

Next, you'll need to slice the beef thinly so that it cooks quickly in the broth. You can do this more easily if the beef is partially frozen.

Once you've sliced your beef, you can plate it up and it's ready to be cooked at the table in the hot pot broth.

If you're adding raw beef to the broth, make sure the broth is boiling and don't add too many ingredients at once, as this will lower the temperature of the broth and could result in undercooked food. Raw beef should be cooked in the broth for at least 30 seconds to 1 minute. For beef cubes, you'll need to leave them in the broth for up to 30 minutes.

Choosing the right broth

The spicy broth, known as Hong You Guo Di in Chinese, is the most popular type of Sichuan hot pot broth. It is characterised by a high content of fat, usually beef tallow, a strong aroma, and a distinctive mouth-numbing and spicy taste, known as mala, which is the iconic feature of Sichuan cuisine. To make the spicy broth, you will need dried chilli peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, beef tallow or cooking oil, and other spices and aromatics such as star anise, cassia cinnamon, bay leaves, scallions, onion, garlic, and ginger. The process involves infusing the spices and aromatics in the fat or oil, then adding the chillies, and finally the stock.

The mild broth, on the other hand, is a general term for non-spicy broth, which can be made with water or stock, and aromatics such as scallions and ginger. This type of broth is light and easy to prepare. For a more flavourful mild broth, you can use chicken, pork, beef, or mushroom stock, and add ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, scallions, Chinese dates, and Goji berries.

When choosing the right broth, consider the preferences of your dining companions and the availability of ingredients. If you are making the hot pot at home, you can also adjust the level of spice to suit your taste.

Preparing the broth

Spicy Broth

The spicy broth is made from a concentrated, highly flavourful soup base and water (or stock). The key ingredient is beef tallow, which makes the broth rich and aromatic. Other ingredients include dried chilli peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cassia cinnamon, bay leaves, scallions, onion, coriander, garlic, ginger, and chilli bean paste.

Here's a step-by-step guide to preparing the spicy broth:

• Rehydrate dried chillies in hot water until soft, then chop them into a coarse paste.
• Add Shaoxing rice wine to Sichuan peppercorns and set aside.
• Melt beef tallow in cooking oil over medium heat, infusing it with spices such as star anise, cassia cinnamon, bay leaves, and Chinese black cardamom.
• Remove the spices and add scallions, sliced onion, and coriander to fry, lending maximum aroma to the tallow.
• Remove the aromatics from the oil and add the dried chilli paste, Sichuan chilli bean paste, fermented black beans, minced garlic, and ginger. Simmer to release their flavour.
• Finally, add sugar, Sichuan peppercorns, and rice wine.
• Transfer the mixture to a heat-proof container and refrigerate until cooled. It will solidify into a block of soup base that can be stored in the freezer.

Mild Broth

The mild broth, also known as Qing Tang Guo Di, is a non-spicy broth made with stock, aromatics, herbs, and sometimes vegetables. It is light and easy to prepare.

Here's a simple way to make a mild broth:

• Boil a whole chicken or chicken legs/thighs in water with sliced ginger. Skim off any froth that appears on the surface.
• Lower the heat and simmer for 1½–2 hours until the water becomes milky.
• Pour the liquid into the hot pot, adding rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, scallions, Chinese dates, and Goji berries. Season with white pepper and salt.
• Bring the broth to a boil and you're ready to start your hot pot meal!

Selecting the right dipping sauce

Firstly, you'll want to decide on the base of your sauce. Chinese sesame paste is a common choice, made from toasted, unhulled sesame seeds, and is different from Middle Eastern tahini. It gives your sauce a hearty thickness and an intensely nutty flavour. If you can't get hold of this, peanut butter is a great alternative.

Next, you'll want to add some extra flavour. ShaCha/Chinese BBQ sauce is a ready-made explosion of flavour, including chilli, garlic, shallot, dried shrimp and brill fish. XO sauce is another condiment that can be added, made from dried seafood, ham, garlic, chilli and oil, but it is pricey. If you want to add some spice, you could add some chilli oil, or for a more vinegar-y spice, try chilli garlic sauce or Sriracha.

Now, you'll want to thin out your sauce a little. Chinese light soy sauce is a good option, as it also adds some saltiness and harmonises the flavours. Oyster sauce is another option, adding umami and a well-rounded, sweet flavour.

If you want to add some acidity, choose a vinegar. Chinese black vinegar is dark, malty and bold, or for something more delicate, go for Shanghai rice vinegar.

Finally, you'll want to add some fresh ingredients. Lots of garlic is a must for many hot pot enthusiasts, as are chopped scallions and cilantro.

• Light sesame soy: sesame oil, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, minced garlic and chopped spring onion.
• Chilli oil vinegar dip: minced garlic, black vinegar, light soy sauce and chopped spring onion.
• Creamy dashi garlic: peanut butter, minced garlic and chopped coriander.
• Spicy peanut dip: peanut butter, spicy bean paste and chopped spring onion.

Frequently asked questions