Sichuan Hot Pot

All you need for Sichuan Hot Pot is a big spicy hot pot of boiling broth, a bunch of fun things to cook in it, and an assortment of things to make your own dipping sauce. A hot pot experience is ultimately what you make of it.

You’re in control of what kind of soup you want to order, it does not have to be spicy, as you can choose plain chicken soup with some your favorite spices.

INSTRUCTIONS

MAKE THE SICHUAN HOT POT SOUP BASE: 

*Note: if you’re not into spicy food, or just want to make your life easier, you can skip this step and just use a pot of boiling chicken stock for your hot pot. If you want to make it a little fancier, throw in a few slices of ginger.

    • In a wok over medium heat, add the oil and the ginger. Cook the ginger for about a minute until caramelized, making sure it doesn’t burn.
    • Add the bay leaves, whole garlic cloves, cinnamon stick, star anise, and cloves. Cook for another 2 minutes, until very fragrant. (Ignore that little red chili that sneaked into the photo early.)
    • Add the Sichuan peppercorns, whole dried red chilies, and the spicy hot pot soup base.
    • Cook for another 2 minutes, and then add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and transfer to the pot you’ll be using for your hot pot meal. You want the pot to be relatively wide and at least 6 inches deep

    • MAKE YOUR PERSONALIZED HOT POT DIPPING SAUCE: 

      Mix together whatever combination of sauce ingredients strikes your fancy. Here are some options:

    • Soy sauce
    • Sacha sauce
    • Chili oil or paste
    • Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
    • Sesame paste or peanut butter
    • Sesame oil
    • Sesame seeds
    • Chopped peanuts
    • Chopped cilantro
    • Chopped scallions
    • Chopped garlic

  • INGREDIENTS

    FOR THE SOUP BASE:

    • 2 tablespoons oil
    • 6 slices ginger
    • 3-5 bay leaves
    • 10 cloves garlic (peeled)
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • 5 star anise
    • 0 cloves
    • 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
    • 12 whole dried red chilies
    • 1 package spicy hot pot soup base
    • 12-15 cups chicken stock

    FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:

    • Soy sauce
    • Sacha sauce
    • Chili oil or paste
    • Chinese black vinegar (or rice vinegar)
    • Sesame paste (or peanut butter)
    • Sesame oil
    • Sesame seeds
    • Chopped peanuts
    • Chopped cilantro
    • Chopped scallions
    • Chopped garlic

    TO EAT WITH YOUR HOT POT:

    • Thinly shaved beef or lamb
    • Sliced chicken
    • Assorted fish balls (you can buy these pre-made at Asian grocery stores)
    • Thinly sliced fish fillets (tender white fish like tilapia or sea bass work well for this)
    • Tofu sheets
    • Firm tofu (sliced)
    • Soy puffs (fried tofu puffs)
    • Straw mushrooms
    • Shiitake mushrooms
    • Wood ear mushrooms
    • Fresh noodles
    • Glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli)
    • Prepared frozen dumplings or wontons
    • Chinese rice cakes
    • Bok choy (or choy sum)
    • Green leaf lettuce
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