The Red-Hot Mystery Of Hot Pot's Signature Hue

Hot pot is a Chinese cooking method that involves a big pot of boiling hot broth placed in the centre of a table with a heating element underneath. Raw ingredients such as thinly sliced meat, seafood, vegetables, tofu, dumplings and noodles are served on plates around the pot. Guests cook the ingredients in the broth and eat them with a dipping sauce.

The broth is the most important consideration when planning a hot pot party, as all the food will be cooked in it. The most popular broth is a spicy Sichuan broth, which is often red in colour. This is followed by a clear broth, which is the default type in Northern China.

The Sichuan and Chongqing styles of hot pot feature a red broth, with the latter being oilier and spicier

The Sichuan and Chongqing styles of hot pot are characterised by their red broth, with the latter being oilier and spicier. The red colour comes from the use of chilli oil, which is made with beef fat and spices such as bay leaf, clove and cinnamon.

The Sichuan style of hot pot is known for its gentle and smooth flavour, while Chongqing hot pot is famous for its thick and spicy taste. The former uses rapeseed oil with fresh chilli and Sichuan pepper, while the latter uses a generous amount of bull oil with dry chilli and Sichuan pepper.

The two styles also differ in terms of service and dining culture. The people of Chengdu, where hot pot has been developed and made famous, are known to enjoy the service provided by hot pot restaurants. The restaurants typically have a main dining hall and private rooms with waitresses serving customers. On the other hand, Chongqing people are more casual and straightforward, and the service in hot pot restaurants there is more basic.

In terms of dishes, Chengdu hot pot can include non-traditional seafood, thin steak and vegetables, while Chongqing hot pot restaurants serve more traditional dishes such as board muscle, beef tripe and duck intestine.

The Mongolian style of hot pot features a red broth that is less spicy and heavy on cumin

The Mongolian hot pot is a popular soup in northern China, and its broth is less spicy and heavy on cumin. The easiest way to prepare the broth is to purchase a leg of lamb and heat it in boiling water before slicing. However, chicken broth can be substituted. The traditional Mongolian hot pot is made with mutton, but beef or chicken can be used as an alternative.

The broth is made by adding dark soy sauce to the lamb or chicken stock and bringing it to a boil. Ginger and green onion are then added for extra flavour. The hot pot is placed on a burner and kept simmering throughout the meal. The remaining broth is kept warming on the stovetop.

The lamb is cut into paper-thin slices and briefly cooked in the broth. It is then dipped into a rich and flavourful sauce made with roasted sesame paste (or peanut butter), soy sauce, sesame oil, sherry, vinegar, sugar, and spicy red chili oil. Once everyone is done cooking the lamb, tofu, leafy green Chinese vegetables, and cellophane noodles are added to the hot pot and cooked for a few minutes.

The Beijing style of hot pot features a clear broth

The Beijing style of hot pot is characterised by its simplicity and the use of copper Mongolian pots. The focus is on the quality of the ingredients, rather than the broth. The ingredients are often cooked in clear water or a lightly flavoured broth, with some scallions, goji berries, and ginger.

The Beijing hot pot features thinly sliced mutton, beef, and lamb, as well as fresh and leafy vegetables. The meat is delicately sliced, and the broth is clear, with a mild flavour.

The dipping sauce Zhīmajiàng, which is a sesame-based sauce, is commonly served with the Beijing hot pot. It tastes similar to Tahini sauce but is stronger and sweeter.

To make the mild broth, a whole chicken is boiled in water with sliced ginger. Froth is skimmed from the surface, and the heat is lowered to a simmer for 1.5-2 hours until the water becomes slightly cloudy. The liquid is then poured into the hot pot, and rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, scallions, Chinese dates, and goji berries are added. The broth is seasoned with white pepper and salt.

The Hai Di Lao brand of hot pot soup base is a popular choice

Hot pot is a popular Chinese dish that involves cooking various ingredients in a simmering pot of flavoured broth. The Hai Di Lao brand of hot pot soup base is a popular choice for those looking to recreate the authentic taste of a spicy mala hot pot at home.

The Hai Di Lao hot pot soup base is known for its bright red colour and spicy, rich flavour. It is made with a variety of ingredients, including soybean oil, salt, chilli, broad beans, dried chillies, wheat flour, prickly vegetables (such as pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, fennel, cassia, clove, and tangerine peel), sugar, pickled ginger, Welsh onion, ginger, yeast extract, pepper extract, and various seasonings.

To prepare the Hai Di Lao hot pot soup base, simply add one packet of the soup base to 1.5 litres of boiling water. You can then add your desired vegetables or meat to taste. It is recommended to keep the product in a cool, airy, and dry place at room temperature before opening, and to refrigerate it after opening.

The Hai Di Lao brand is a well-known hot pot restaurant chain in China, and their soup base allows people to recreate their famous spicy mala hot pot at home without compromising on authenticity. The brand's soup base is also available in other flavours, such as tomato and mushroom.

The Chongqing style of hot pot is the most popular in China

Hot pot is a Chinese way of cooking food in a simmering pot of soup at the table. It is similar to fondue, but instead of cheese or hot oil, you have a flavourful soup stock. Raw ingredients are cooked in the soup and then eaten with dipping sauces.

Chongqing hot pot is similar to roadside malatang, and to the dry stir-fried mala xiang guo. It is usually eaten in restaurants, but can also be cooked at home. The traditional way of preparing and eating Chongqing hot pot is to put the food in a hot pot, wait for it to cook, and when it is ready, dip the pieces in sesame oil before eating. People choose various kinds of food to cook in Chongqing hot pot, including beef, pork, chicken, Chinese sausages, beef strips, pig blood, and duck intestine.

The history of Chongqing hot pot started in the 1920s in the Jiangbei District of Chongqing. At that time, peddlers who worked on the wharf would buy beef tripe, boil it, and then cut beef liver and stomach into small pieces, placing them all into a clay stove. The stove used an iron basin to divide the stove into different sections, which separated ingredients with different tastes. When the spicy and salty soup boiled, the labourers would begin to eat, choosing their own food from their own section of the stove, so they only ate and paid for what they put in that division, making it a cheap meal.

Chongqing hot pot is not just a local delicacy, but also represents Chongqing's food culture. Families and friends gather together and surround the steaming hot pot, talking with each other. It is a suitable food choice for the traditional Chinese culture of reunion.

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