Hot Pot (火锅, huǒguō😉 is a meal served with various raw, thinly sliced meat and vegetables and a simmering pot of broth (a “hot pot,” or “fire pot”). Typically, hot pot is served as a group meal served with the simmering broth pot set in the center of the table. Diners take pieces of meat or vegetable, dip them into the hot broth until they are cooked, then dip them into a sauce for further flavoring before eating.
Hot pot soup base is also used for “dry-pot” cooking, such as Jing’s Dry Pot Shrimp. In dry-pot, the base is used as a seasoning during a stir-fry or braising process. Foods prepared using this method are served cooked, instead of raw, with the taste of hot pot already cooked into the food.
The end of the video below shows Chef Wang, enjoying hot pot with his relatives:
Hot Pot originated in China as far back as the Zhou dynasty. There are many regional variations, and like most Chinese cuisines, can be divided into “Northern” and “Southern.” Northern hot pot tends to be simpler and focuses on meats like mutton. Southern style hot pot tends to be spicier, and focuses more on seafood.
The most famous and popular styles are the Chongqing Hot Pot and Chengdu Hot Pot, from Sichuan, known for “mala,” or hot numbing flavor from chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorn. The Chongqing variety is made from beef tallow, while the Chengdu variety is made from vegetable oil, and is considered lighter and fresher in taste.
Making hot pot soup base
Making hot pot stock, or base, from scratch is a laborious, time consuming process. Like most soup stocks, this is best done in large batches that can be divided up and stored for later use. If you are curious, Chef Wang has an interesting video showing the process.
Purchasing hot pot soup base online
Fortunately, there are many varieties of prepared hot pot soup base available online. For our recipes on My Chinese Home Kitchen, the spicy mala hot pot style is used. Sources include:
- Yamibuy (many varieties available)
- The Mala Market (Liu Po “Six Grandmas” Chengdu restaurant chain, shown below)
The spicy hot pot soup base packet shown here is intended to be used with 8 ounces of water to make a very spicy broth, based on caiziyou (roasted rapeseed oil). I have used it with Jing’s recipes. The flavor is strong, so I recommend using it in lesser quantity than the recipe calls for. For instance, Jing’s Sichuan Boiled Chicken and Jing’s Dry Pot Braised Shrimp call for 100 grams, but I dilute this Liu Po brand soup base 1:1 with water (for example, 50 grams of soup base, 50 grams of water).
You will notice that Jing often mentions melting the hot pot base in the wok. If you watch the video from Chef Wang, you’ll see that at the end, he cools the hot pot base and cuts it into solid cubes. Some hot pot bases are made from beef tallow, which is solid at room temperature.
If you are new to hot pot, I recommend trying several varieties of spicy hot pot soup base packets. I do the same, as I learn more about Chinese cooking from Jing.
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