Mao Xue Wang (毛血旺) — Chongqing Blood Tofu Hot Pot

Prepare the blood tofu in advance. Combine fresh duck or pork blood with salt and a little cold water. Pour into a shallow tray and allow to set undisturbed at room temperature or in a cool place until the mixture forms a soft, jelly-like block. Slice into rectangles. The block is ready when it holds its shape cleanly under the knife yet yields like a firm custard to the touch.

Make the broth. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy pot over a medium flame. Add the doubanjiang and fry, stirring constantly, until the oil turns a deep, luminous red and the paste loses its raw smell — this is where the dish lives or dies, as an under-fried paste will produce a dull, flat broth while an over-fried paste will turn bitter. Add the dried chillis and Sichuan peppercorns and fry for a further thirty seconds, then add the garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant. Pour in the stock, bring to a simmer, and cook for ten minutes. The broth should be heavily red from the chilli oil and carry the full mala perfume of chilli and numbing pepper.

Add the tripe, pork lung, and eel to the simmering broth — these require the longest cooking. Simmer until the tripe is tender and yields to a gentle bite, and the eel is just cooked through.

Add the tofu skin and continue to simmer for two to three minutes, until the strips are softened and have absorbed colour from the broth.

Add the blood tofu and bean sprouts last. Simmer for two to three minutes only. The blood tofu is done when it is heated through and holds its rectangular shape without dissolving; the bean sprouts should retain a faint crunch.

Transfer the entire contents of the pot to a large serving bowl. Scatter the sliced scallion over the surface. Ladle the pure chilli oil generously over the top. In some Chongqing establishments the oil is briefly ignited at the table; the dish is ready when the oil pools scarlet and fragrant across the surface of the broth.