English

By Mariantonietta Fornabaio

Chinese hotpot (火锅 huǒguō)  literally “fire-pot”, with its history of over 1000 years, is one of the most traditional and popular meals in China. The concept is very simple: a simmering metal pot with broth boils at the center of a table and people can add and cook all the raw ingredients they like in the broth. What makes hotpot so popular? It’s not just the fact you get to cook and to eat what you like as you please, but also, you get to do this while socializing, chatting, drinking and having fun with your friends and family.

Going to a hotpot place can be a lot of fun, but it can be also confusing for foreigners, especially when you don’t have a Chinese friend to help you… Follow these 5 tips of our HOTPOT Guide and you will enjoy your hotpot night as natives do!

HOTPOT GUIDE  – TIP #1: What to order

Checking the hotpot menu can be very complicated for a foreigner. The best things to get are all the ingredients that can give your broth a delicious flavor. Lamb and beef are the best types of meat you can put in the pot cause they will give the soup a delicious taste. We also suggest mushrooms, fish balls, crabs, and shrimps. Also, tofu and potatoes are highly recommended cause they will absorb the flavors of all the ingredients and they will taste great. Make sure you order some vegetables too (Chinese cabbage, lettuce, bean sprouts, daikon, pumpkin etc… And… Don’t forget to get some noodles too!

HOTPOT GUIDE  – TIP #2: Which sauce to choose

When eating hotpot, choosing the right sauces is the key… The thing is, there’s not only one “right” recipe, it all depends on your taste! One of the most ancient recipes include 3 parts of sesame sauce and one part of chives. Of course, you can choose whether to make your own sauce or to use the traditional one as a base and add chili, shacha or soy sauce, minced garlic, crushed chili peppers, cilantro, scallion etc … it’s totally up to you. If you choose a spicy soup, then make sure the sauce is not too spicy too, cause once you take your food from the pot and you dip it in the sauce you don’t want to have your mouth on fire!

HOTPOT GUIDE  – TIP #3: Which ingredients to put in first

As you can imagine, the first things to put in are all those ingredients that take longer to cook such as potatoes, corn, pumpkin, radish, and daikon. Of course, always put cabbage, lettuce, and spinach last.

HOTPOT GUIDE  – TIP #4: How to eat hotpot

Here the rule is: as you please. You can dump everything in or cook the things you want to eat, eat them and then add more. It’s totally up to you. The only thing you should pay attention to is to slowly put the ingredients in the pot in order to not splash people around you with hot water.

HOTPOT GUIDE  – TIP #5: How to finish your meal

As we said, eating hotpot is about socializing, so a hotpot night usually lasts more than two hours. When you’ve already eaten all the food you wanted, make sure you drink some of the delicious soup you made… it will taste great! Before and after hotpot it would be better to coat your stomach with dairy drinks such as yogurt or fermented milk drinks.