Hotpot (火锅) is a favorite among the Chinese. It’s so ubiquitous in China that it can be found just about everywhere – from the very north in Mongolia (where it’s believed to have originated) all the way to the humid south. Each region does it a little differently: Beijing is known for lamb hotpot in a copper pot, Sichuan for their signature numbing-spicy broth, and the Cantonese region for fresh seafood.
But in all versions, hotpot is essentially the cooking of raw ingredients into a pot of boiling water at the table. If that sounds boring, then don’t worry, just wait for the pictures!
Hotpot has been a long favorite of mine as well. My family traditionally eats a large hotpot meal every Christmas and I look forward to it all year long. We always make it ourselves. We gather the raw ingredients at the Asian grocery store and boil our broth on a portable electrical burner on the table. In the States, Chinese hotpot restaurants still seem to be hard to come by.
So of course, I frequently went out for hotpot during my two months in China. We met up with a lot of family + friends during our time there, and hotpot was always a popular choice for a gathering. We’ve tried quite a few different varieties (even individual pots and dry kinds) but they all come down to one thing: a fun, delicious social meal experience.
Just some of the different varieties of hot pot we had:
I started this post as a restaurant review for Lao Gao Jiu in Shanghai (what I believe was the best hotpot I had while in China), but decided to focus more on writing about this fun meal experience in general and maybe even give you tips on how you can enjoy hotpot from home!
(All photos from this point on are from Lao Gao Jiu in Shanghai.)
The broth
Most hotpot restaurants offer a split pot where you can choose two different soup bases to cook the food in. Most people choose half spicy and half plain stock. This is great because the wimps (errr… I mean, those who are intolerant to spice) don’t have to miss out on the fun.
At Lao Gao Jiu, there are four different soup bases!
clockwise from the top: tomato, plain (I couldn’t tell what flavor this was), spicy, and mushroom
At home tips: Buy a Yin Yang pot like this one
(we have one of these at home!). You would also need a single portable electric burner like this
, in order to boil the soup at the table.
Chicken stock works well for the plain broth (cook it with some veggies if you want a little bit more flavor), but for the spicy broth, you may need to hunt down a pre-mix pack. Lee Kum Kee
‘s is a popular one for at-home hotpot. Just be careful and only put in a little at a time until you get to your desired spice level!
The food ingredients
Now it’s time to select the food! You want variety here. At the very least, people will get one meat, one seafood, one tofu, one veggie, and one noodle dish to design a complete meal.
My absolute favorite meat for cooking in a hotpot is thinly sliced lamb. Lamb meat is super tender and soaks up the flavor of the broth nicely. Sliced fatty beef is a close second. I don’t prefer pork or chicken as I feel like they are not as tender.
Besides meat, seafood is also a huge component to any well-rounded hotpot meal! Some people like fresh seafood (especially in the Cantonese region) like shrimp, lobster, clams, etc, but I just prefer fresh homemade fish/shrimp balls (and I’m cheap).
homemade shrimp and fish balls – my favorites!
spicy fish fillet, a Gao Lao Jiu specialty dish – don’t worry! most of the chili flakes fall off in the broth!
Make sure to get a variety of veggies, mushrooms, and tofus. Usually, I like to cook meats + seafood in the spicy broth and veggies in the plain broth in order to balance it out.
enoki mushrooms // fried tofu skin // spinach // soft sponge tofu
And lastly, because this is China, most people pick a noodle to complete the meal. There’s plenty to choose from in this department too, from hand-pulled noodles to vermicelli to glass mung bean noodles.
potato noodles, which cooks to a slightly gooey, chewy texture
At home tip: This part of getting the ingredients is easy. The above is a guideline, but basically, the rule is: whatever the hell you want to eat! Just make sure that the meat is sliced paper thin, so they will cook fast. Fishballs can be found in the frozen section of just about any Asian store.
The dipping sauce
All this food gets cooked in the soup of your choosing (for me, always the spicy one!), but you don’t eat them straight out of the pot! A dipping sauce is crucial, especially if you’re not fond of spice. The dipping sauce adds an extra layer of flavor and also cools off the spice a little.
The most popular hotpot dipping sauce for the Chinese is sesame paste. It complements spices and meat wonderfully. Some places will just give you a bowl of sesame paste, but some places will have a condiments buffet for you to create your own sauce!
There are a couple dozen different condiments to mix and match. There are the staples like sesame paste, sesame oil, garlic, and green onion. And there are more interesting ones like XO sauce, black bean sauce, and fermented tofu sauce. There are seasonings like chili flakes, roasted garlic bits, sugar, and even MSG if you so desire.
Since I prefer staying true to the traditional way, I only use sesame paste, sesame oil, and generous spoonfuls of minced garlic, cilantro, and green onion.
sauces with sesame paste (on left) and sesame oil (on right)
After you’ve made your dipping sauce and got the food all set up and the broth bubbling hot, it’s time to start cooking! Most of this cooks very fast (less than a minute) so keep an eye on it. At this point, I’m always enjoying my food so much that I forget to take pictures of the ingredients cooking in the hot pot, but I think you get the idea.
At home tip: My family always makes an easy sauce with watered down sesame paste, minced garlic, chopped green onions, and cilantro. This is the most basic one.
Enjoy!
Some final hot pot tips + rules:
- Use a communal chopstick to pick up raw meat, since obviously you don’t want to touch raw meat with the ones you put in your mouth.
- You should have some strainers to fish the stuff out of the pot, if you’re one of those who are icky about dipping used chopsticks into a communal pot. But in my experience, people don’t give a crap if you fish with your own chopsticks.
- Hotpot can be a greasy affair, especially if you are a fan of the spicy broth (which is loaded with oil) and the sesame oil dipping sauce. Warning (and I speak from experience): the aftermath may not be pleasant.
- When eating at a hotpot place in Beijing or Shanghai, except to pay around 100RMB/person, or US$16.
My hotpot recommendations:
Beijing: Haidilao is a very popular chain of hotpot restaurants. Almost any local will recommend it. The food quality and selection of dipping choices are very decent, but what makes it a cut above the rest is the exceptional service. Dining there is a very enjoyable experience.
Address: There are several locations in Beijing. You can find all of them here.
Shanghai: Chongqing Lao Gao Jiu is the best we had in China. The selection of ingredients is massive and the quality is amazing. Most of the pictures in this post was taken from this restaurant. And you also get four soup bases instead of just two. ;)
Address: 1 Wanhangdu Lu, 2/F, near Yuyuan Lu, Exit. 1, Line 2 & 7, Jing’an Temple Station
Have you had Chinese hotpot before? Would you try it at home?
P.S. We are in Europe now for the summer!! Writing this is making me miss Asian food already. But still plenty more of Asian deliciousness coming up on the blog!
This is a great post – now I’m off to search for a local hotpot place to try out. Yum!
Good luck!! Make sure it’s a Chinese one because some other countries have hotpot too and it’s completely different. I’d love to know if you found one or not!!
This sounds fantastic, Anna! I enjoyed reading all about hot pot and learning about the dish you have for Christmas. Thank you for the ‘at home’ tips too! Yummy yum!!
Hotpot is SO good and I really missed it while writing about it!! Maybe you can see if there is a Chinese hotpot place in London before you go, because I’m positive it won’t be there in Chile!
True that! I just asked Carlos and he said “I’m not sure”… which I think means no!
Yep, chile is still behind on international cuisine :), which is the only reason I couldn’t live there I think. If you do find a place in London, the good thing about hotpot is that it’s very vegetarian friendly!
It really is! I was so happy when I found a great Indian restaurant towards the end of living there! They do have some amazing Peruvian plaves though.
Cool, I will hunt one out and let you know :) Have a great weekend!
Yeah! We found a Thai place there and while it wasn’t too authentic, it satisfied an Asian craving! Have a great weekend too Marcella! x
I’ve never even heard of such a thing! Sounds right up my alley, I will have to see if we have any hot pot restaurants in Brisbane.
Let me know if you find any!! I’m really interested in if people from Western countries will like it!
I totally thought shabu shabu was a Japanese thing….mind blown. I love the Gomadare sauce you get in Japan which pretty much looks like the sesame sauce here too. Makes a great meal at home, it’s one of our regular fixes.
I’m going to have to go for some shabu shabu when I’m in Japan! I’ve never had the Japanese version of hotpot, but as I understand, the broth is usually a clean, non-spicy one? And yes- sesame paste is a must!
I absolutely love hotpots to the max. Especially the soup base which will get better and better as we cook more ingredients in it!
Here we call it steamboat though. We have all the soup options and dipping that you get in China, plus a bunch of Southeast Asian ones, like tom yum soup, black pepper soup, dried shrimp chilli paste dipping, etc. In fact one of the most popular type of steamboats we have nowadays are steamboat buffets. Eat till you drop! I think you will like it here!
I’ve been wanting to visit Malaysia more and more. The food looks so good there! And steamboat sounds amazing with the other soups from SEA! I love tom yum. And hotpot buffet?! Omg… amazing!
Oooh this looks like fun! I like when you can have a lot of choices in one meal, it’s just more fun. Although, I’m one of those whimpy people… I’m not really into spicy, but I’m working on it ;) One chilli at a time.
Also, you’re a dab hand at this food photography!! It’s a good balance between good photos and realistic photos… there’s not a sprinkling of anything in sight!
I say keep up all this food talk!
Thanks Kerri!! I take all the food pics as soon as the food arrives… the camera always eats first, hehe. The good thing about hotpot is that those who can’t eat spicy have options too! And you can always make a few different dipping sauces, including one that’s slightly spicy. The most important though is that hotpot is just a really fun interactive way to eat!
I’ve had hotpot, but never the spicy one! I need to try it!!
I know that there’s a Little Sheep hotpot down in irvine. It’s a really popular hotpot chain from China. The only thing is that the spicy broth made me feel sick before.
A big chinese style hot-pot or steamboat was something my family does often- it’s a very social, sometimes chaotic, way of dining with a big group! But boy oh boy, we never had such a range of choices!
I love having hotpot at home because you can have whatever you want! I do enjoy the options in the restaurant though, especially the fresh fish balls and condiments bar!
This looks amazing!! I’ve heard of hotpot but have yet to try it – I need to find a place in NYC that does it. I love meals that you put together yourself – that’s why I love fondues and raclettes – it’s fun to participate and create something at the table. That condiment bar looks so fun!!!
Yes, hotpot is like Chinese fondue! I’m sure NYC has a Chinese hotpot place. I’d be surprised if it didn’t! Let me know if you find one and if you end up going. I’m really interested in how others would like it!!
The potato noodles look intriguing and I love your hotpot tips and recommendations. Note to self, don’t read when hungry!
Suze | LuxuryColumnist
This was the first time I even heard of potato noodles. So interesting! If you ever come across a chinese hotpot place, try it :). It’s such a unique and fun way of dining!
I was still a omni whilst travelling in Asia so hotpots were one of my favourite dishes (especially in South Korea), but haven’t had one since going vegan.
What I loved about them most of all was the sharing aspect of everyone sitting around a table together all eating from the same hot pot or caring for one small hot pot each.
If I could replicate that as a veggie dish with some of that tofu you were having in a vegetable broth, then I’m there with you ;)
The good thing about hotpot is that there’s something for everyone! It can be very vegan friendly if you use a veggie broth and dip veggies, tofus, and noodles :).
Oh WOW this looks SO good!!! Such a big variety of things to try all in one meal…awesome! Haha, I love that you said you’re cheap and don’t get all the fresh seafood…ditto. I would love to try something like this at home, with some professional supervision! hehe.
Making this at home is such a fun departure from normal meals! You don’t need the 2 sided pot if you agree on a broth :). Hehe don’t worry, you won’t burn yourself!
My mom would prepare hotpot every now and then when I was growing up, but she hasn’t made it in ages. In Malaysia, we would go to Japanese Shabu-shabu restaurants which are basically the same concept. It being Malaysia, tom yam was one of the broth choices we would often choose. Our favorite places had little platters of the raw ingredients go by the table on conveyor belts. It really added an extra level of fun to the experience. For my husband’s birthday, we went to a fondue place here in Texas a few days ago. We chose beef bourguignon and coq au vin as our two cooking broths. And of course, chocolate fondue for dessert.
Whoa!! Conveyor belt hotpot?! That sounds next-level amazing!! I must go to Malaysia someday and try this and tom yum hotpot!
Is the fondue place you speak of The Melting Pot? We went there once and had something very similar sounding!
My best friend is of Chinese origin Anna but despite knowing her for nearly 20 years, I only actually tried hot pot for the firs time around a year ago when she invited us round. It was so different to what I had always assumed, I think I had wrongly just thought it means a whole load of things cooked together in one pan on the cooker and was so excited and intrigued to have an evening of traditional hot pot! I think at one point though, hers featured some raw egg to dip in or something? Does that sound at all possible or perhaps I’m recalling it wrongly?
No you’re not mistaken!! D said that when his mom made hotpot, they had some sort of salty shrimp sauce with a raw egg mixed in. I think that may be a Taiwan or southern China thing? Quiet honestly, I don’t think that sounds good at all so I’ll stick with the sesame sauce :). That’s so cool that you got to enjoy traditional hotpot at home! What a special experience!
I have never seen that many condiment choices anywhere! I’ve never had Chinese hot pot (I think there’s one place in the whole state that serves it) but I’m dying to try it. I LOVE spicy stuff, but the boyfriend is not quite as tolerant, so it’s excellent that you get multiple soup bases. [PS – just bought my plane ticket for my long term travels, so I’ll definitely be re-reading your posts about quitting your job to get my nerve up. Heading to Colombia first!]
Omg I’m so excited for you!!! Colombia! I haven’t heard much about it so I’m so looking forward to reading about it! When are you leaving?? Telling my boss I’m quitting was still the single scariest thing I’ve ever done. I built it up in my mind that everyone would hate but, but I was so surprised at how understanding everyone was. I’ll send you tons of good luck vibes and I hope it goes smooth for you too!
Haha I’m surprised that there’s even a hotpot place in NC. If it’s not too far from you, go try it!! Or given your great party throwing skills, you can find a way to make it from home. :)
Anna, I am addicted to your blog now.
There are a LOT of Hot Pot restaurants i Melbourne but I haven’t ventured in a single one yet. I keep visiting Chinatown to hog on Fish in Chilli Oil, but NOW hot pot restaurant number 1 (whichever it is) here I come… Going to use your guide as my bible when there :)
Ahh thanks so much Shruti!!
That’s so surprising that there are a lot of hot pot restaurants in Melbourne. I don’t think there are a lot in California where I live, despite having a big Chinese population. If you go, I’d LOVE to know how you liked it!! Make sure you got to a Chinese hot pot place, because I know the other Asian countries all have their own version too, and it’s not the same!