page_title: Hot pot
section_title: Mainland China
hierarchical_section_title: Hot pot / Regional variations / East Asia / Mainland China
caption_attribution_description: English: In the annual family visit, foods would be a main theme to watch, talk and taste, especially in Chongqing. You knew, Chongqing is one original place of Chuang cuisine (Wikipedia wasn't at home... ) Do you think you would feel pity to have a taste? So beautiful an artist work that you would feel touched and didn't know where to begin or break the painting structure...&#160;! Yes, that's my feeling at that moment. Chongqing people were famous for their eating fashions, especially with many innovations in different periods. In Chinese idiom, there was a sentence: people see their foods as the sky. That's to say how important foods and eating styles were in common people's hearts. Then, if beyond surviving, it will be not only well tasted but beautifully watched, what level it would nourish our eyes and stomach? In this case, traditional Chongqing Hotpot with 'the old &amp; hot soup' and Taichi (Normal or Spicy) fashion in the middle, then, dishes (for inn) of fish, meat, beef, organ-cuts were running surrounding... You would feel it's like flowers in a small garden, rather than on dinner table. However, Chongqing hotpot was famous for its spicy sauce- no hot, no sense, which you need to take a very care!
context_page_description: Hot pot or hotpot, also known as soup-food or steamboat, is a Chinese cooking method, prepared with a simmering pot of soup stock at the dining table, containing a variety of East Asian foodstuffs and ingredients.
context_section_description: Different kinds of hot pots can be found in Chongqing and Sichuan; typically, more modern eateries offer a partitioned pot with differently-flavored broths in each section. More traditional or older establishments often serve a fragrant, mild broth in a large brass vessel heated by burning coals in a central chimney. The broth is simmered in a deep, donut-shaped bowl surrounding the chimney.
  One of the most famous variations is the Chongqing hot pot (Chinese: 麻辣; pinyin: má là; lit.: 'numb and spicy'), to which Sichuan pepper (Chinese: 花椒; pinyin: huā jiāo; lit.: 'flower pepper'; also known as "prickly ash") is added. It is usual to use a variety of different meats as well as sliced mutton fillet. A Chongqing hotpot is markedly different from the types eaten in other parts of China. Quite often the differences lie in the meats used, the type of soup base, and the sauces and condiments used to flavor the meat. The typical dipping sauce contains sesame oil and is mixed with crushed fresh garlic and chopped spring onions. Due to the high humidity in the region, local people eat spicy food to remove the moisture from their bodies.
  Chongqing hot pot(Chinese: 麻辣; pinyin: má là; lit.: 'numb and spicy') is the representative of "northern style hot pot", which is famous for the spicy taste. Instant-boiled mutton (Chinese: 涮羊肉; pinyin: Shuàn Yángròu) could be viewed as representative of "northern style hot pot", which focus on the main ingredients rather than the soup base.
  Sichuan also has a number of dry hot pots such as Mala Xiang Guo (Chinese: 麻辣香锅; lit.: 'tasty spicy pot') are similar to those described above, but lack the soup base. It originated in Chongqing, China. Mala Xiang Guo is  popular because it is a convenient cooking method suitable for almost all kinds of ingredients. 
  In neighbouring Yunnan, although spicy broths are equally popular, there is another predominant type of hot pot that is made with various wild or farmed mushrooms. It is called the Wild Mushroom hot pot (Chinese: 野生菌火锅). Due to the vast forests and abundant natural resources in Yunnan, people can find a wide variety of edible mushrooms. The easily accessible and fresh mushroom resources lead to the high popularity of the Wild Mushroom hot pot. The big difference between the mushroom hot pot and the spicy hot pot is that the former omits strong spice and chili, and the latter preserves the original flavor of the mushrooms. The mushroom hot pot is also seasonal, depending on the availability of local mushrooms.
  The Manchu hot pot (Chinese: 東北酸菜火鍋) uses plenty of suan cai (Chinese sauerkraut) (Chinese: 酸菜; pinyin: suān cài) to make the broth sour.
  A Cantonese variation includes mixing a raw egg with the condiments to reduce the amount of "heat" absorbed by the food, thereby reducing the likelihood of a sore throat after the steamboat meal, according to Chinese herbalist theories.
  In Hubei cuisine, hot pot is normally prepared with hot spices and Sichuan pepper. Items supplied to be cooked in this broth include mushrooms, thinly-shaved beef or lamb, lettuce, and various other green vegetables.
  In Hainan cuisine hot pot is generally served in small woks with a prepared broth containing pieces of meat. At the time of serving, the meat is not fully cooked, and approximately fifteen minutes are required before it is ready to eat. Items supplied to be cooked in this type of hot pot include mushrooms, thinly-shaved beef or goat meat (sometimes mistakenly referred to as "mutton"), lettuce, and other green vegetables. This dish varies somewhat in different parts of the province. Coconut milk and juice is commonly added into the hot pot.
  In Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine, chrysanthemum flowers are cooked in the broth to give it a floral essence.
caption: Chongqing hot pot
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