Sichuan hot pot (火锅, huo guo) is the communal cooking-and-eating tradition in which diners cook ingredients themselves in a boiling, intensely spiced mala broth at the centre of the table. The classic Chongqing style uses a broth built on Pixian doubanjiang, dried chillis, Sichuan peppercorns, beef tallow, and a long list of aromatics — the broth itself is almost too intense to eat alone, but perfectly calibrates to the cooked ingredients. Hot pot is one of China's most popular eating occasions — a social meal of exceptional flexibility.
The mala broth (for 6 people): 150g beef tallow (or neutral oil), 150g Pixian doubanjiang (finely chopped), 50g dried chilli (facing heaven variety), 20g Sichuan peppercorns, plus aromatics: ginger, garlic, scallion, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, dried tangerine peel, fermented black beans (douchi). Fry the doubanjiang and chilli in the beef tallow over low heat for 20-30 minutes until deeply red and fragrant. Add water or stock (approximately 2L). Simmer 30 minutes minimum. The yin-yang pot: Many modern hot pot restaurants offer a split pot — mala broth on one side, a clear, mild chicken-based broth on the other (mandarin duck pot, yuan yang guo). This allows diners to calibrate their ma la exposure. Dipping sauces: The standard Chongqing dipping sauce is sesame paste thinned with hot broth or water, with additions of raw garlic, chilli oil, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and fresh coriander. Each diner customises their own bowl.
The hot pot broth intensifies as the meal progresses — the initial mala level that seems manageable at the start of the meal will be dramatically more intense after 90 minutes of boiling. Adjust ingredient cooking times accordingly: vegetables cooked in minute 90 of the broth cook faster and absorb more intensity than those cooked at minute 10.
Using oil rather than beef tallow: Beef tallow is the traditional and superior fat for mala hot pot broth — it carries the chilli pigments and provides a richness that neutral oil cannot replicate. Short-cooking the broth: The minimum simmer time is 30 minutes; 60 minutes is better. Under-cooked broth lacks the full aromatic depth.
Fuchsia Dunlop, The Food of Sichuan (2019); Fuchsia Dunlop, Land of Plenty (2001)