火锅

Hey everyone! Welcome to a new episode of Simply Natural Chinese! I'm Xiao Yue!

Hey everyone, I'm Leo.

Today we're again in my dessert shop, chatting over a cup of tea.

Xiao Yue, it's so hot right now — let me tell you something you probably wouldn't expect.

What is it?

Last weekend, my friend took me out for hotpot.

Haha, going for hotpot on a scorching hot day?

Right! I thought it was weird too — over thirty degrees, who eats hotpot?

You didn't know? In China, eating hotpot in summer is totally normal!

I know now. We sat in the restaurant with the AC on, and we still ended up sweating buckets.

Hahaha, that's the point! A lot of people love that feeling — hot outside, hot inside, the more you eat the better it feels.

And my friend ordered Chongqing hotpot — the spiciness... I almost cried.

Hahaha, a lot of foreign friends react exactly like that the first time they eat Chongqing hotpot.

So today I'd like to really talk about hotpot — I've realized that in different parts of China, hotpot is completely different.

Yeah, this topic is perfect for us. Chinese hotpot really comes in all shapes and sizes.

Then let's start with the basics. Xiao Yue, what exactly is hotpot?

Simply put, there's a pot in the middle of the table, with a flame underneath, and the soup stays hot the whole time.

And then everyone puts food in to cook it, and eats it once it's done?

Right! You can put in meat, vegetables, tofu — all kinds of things.

So you cook and eat at the same time, no waiting.

Exactly. And everyone eats together — it's lively and fun.

I really like that part. In the UK, usually everyone has their own plate and eats their own food.

When Chinese people eat, they really like sharing as a table, and hotpot is the classic example.

I get it. So let's talk about Chongqing hotpot first, since it just burned me.

Sure. Chongqing hotpot, and Sichuan hotpot, are the most famous kind, and the defining feature is one word — spicy.

Not just spicy though, right? I remember it was also numbing — that tingly feeling on your tongue.

Right! Numbing and spicy — we call it "mala." The numbing comes from something called Sichuan pepper (huajiao).

Huajiao... the thing that makes your mouth go all tingly after you eat it?

Yep, that's the one. A lot of foreign friends find it really strange the first time.

It is a bit strange, but in a kind of addictive way.

Haha, you already get it! That's how it goes for a lot of people — can't stand it at first, can't live without it later.

The pot looks all red, covered in chilies and oil, right?

Right, that's called the "red oil pot." A big pot of red oil, with chilies, Sichuan pepper, and lots of spices floating on top.

My friend also ordered a pot with a divider in the middle — red on one side, white on the other.

That's the "mandarin duck pot" (yuanyang pot)! Half spicy red broth, half non-spicy white broth.

What does yuanyang mean?

Yuanyang is a kind of bird — they're always in pairs — so in Chinese we use the word to mean "things that come as a pair."

I see. So the yuanyang pot is "a pot that's a pair" — spicy on one side, mild on the other.

Right! People who can't handle spice eat from the white side, and those who can eat from the red side.

That design is so smart. Next time I'm definitely ordering the yuanyang pot.

Haha, giving your tongue a way out.

Right! There's also a pot divided into lots of little cells, like a tic-tac-toe grid.

That's Chongqing's famous "nine-grid pot" (jiugongge)! The pot is divided into nine cells.

Why divide it into cells? Isn't the soup all the same?

The soup is the same, but each cell gets different heat — different temperatures.

So different foods go in different cells?

Right! The center cell has the highest heat, good for things you just blanch and eat — like maodu (beef tripe).

What's maodu?

Maodu is part of the cow's stomach, and it's crunchy when you eat it.

Cow stomach... okay, I'll note that down. So how do you eat it?

There's a saying, "seven up, eight down" — you hold it with chopsticks and dip it up and down in the pot seven or eight times, and it's done.

"Seven up, eight down"? Do you really have to count?

Haha, you don't actually count — it just means a few seconds is enough; leave it too long and it gets tough and not tasty.

I see. Can you use the phrase "seven up, eight down" in everyday speech too?

You can! For example, if you're feeling nervous and uneasy, you can say "my heart is going seven up, eight down."

Oh — so it also means feeling anxious and unsettled. Got it, I'll remember that.

You learn so fast.

So besides maodu, what else is a must-order at Sichuan hotpot?

Duck intestine, shrimp paste, tender beef, plus tofu skin, potato, and lotus root slices.

Lotus root slices I know — sliced lotus root, nice and crunchy.

Right, lotus root cooked briefly in the spicy pot is especially good.

So when you're eating spicy food, what do you drink with it?

A lot of people drink something called suanmeitang (sour plum drink) — sweet and sour, it cuts the heat.

That day my friend ordered me a soy milk, said it also helps with the spice.

Right — soy milk, yogurt, and ice-cold cola are all good friends when you're eating spicy.

Okay, I more or less get Chongqing hotpot. What about Beijing? What's Beijing hotpot like?

Beijing hotpot is a completely different style, called "shuan yangrou" (instant-boiled mutton).

Shuan yangrou... from the name, it's mainly about eating mutton?

Right! And the broth is clear and not spicy — just some scallions and ginger, sometimes a few red dates.

Wait — from super spicy Chongqing hotpot, suddenly to completely non-spicy Beijing hotpot?

Yeah, the difference is that big. Beijing shuan yangrou is all about the flavor of the mutton itself.

The pot looks different too, right? I think I've seen it in photos — tall in the middle.

You mean the "copper pot"! There's a chimney-like thing in the middle, with burning charcoal underneath.

Yes yes yes, that's the one! Why use that kind of pot?

Because with charcoal the soup heats up fast and stays hot longer. It's an old Beijing tradition.

So Chongqing has the red oil pot, Beijing has the copper pot — even the pots are different.

Exactly. The most important thing about Beijing shuan yangrou is the dipping sauce — sesame paste (majiang).

Majiang? Is it a sauce made from sesame?

Right, a paste ground from sesame — fragrant and thick. When Beijingers eat shuan yangrou, they must have majiang with it.

In the UK, we usually pair meat with other sauces — like mint sauce with lamb.

Haha, that's pretty different. Beijing majiang usually also has some chive flower paste and fermented bean curd mixed in.

Fermented bean curd... I've had it — kind of like a very salty, very soft cheese?

Haha, that's an interesting comparison. It's pretty much that vibe.

So besides mutton, what else do you eat with shuan yangrou?

Napa cabbage, glass noodles, frozen tofu, and a kind of baked flatbread — have one after the meat, it's so satisfying.

Sounds a lot "gentler" than Chongqing hotpot.

Right, Beijing shuan yangrou has exactly that feel — simple, light, and warm.

Is there an even lighter hotpot?

There is — head south to Guangdong, and it's a whole different thing.

What's Guangdong hotpot called?

Guangdong people don't really say "huoguo" — they say "da bianlu."

"Da bianlu"? Those three characters are so unusual. What does "da" mean here?

It's an expression from Cantonese — "da bianlu" just means eating gathered around the stove.

Oh, so "da" here doesn't really mean "to hit" — it's just a set expression.

Right, dialects have a lot of words like that — you can't take them literally.

So what does Guangdong hotpot taste like?

Super light. The broth might just be a bone soup, or with some seafood and a few slices of ginger.

Why do Guangdong people like it so light?

Because Guangdong people believe food should be eaten in its "original flavor" — the ingredient's natural taste matters most.

So they don't want strong flavors covering up the ingredients?

Right! Especially seafood — fresh shrimp, fish, shellfish — making it too spicy would actually be a waste.

I get it. So what do people usually put in da bianlu?

Lots of seafood, plus all kinds of meatballs, leafy greens, and mushrooms. And there's a really special one called "congee-base hotpot."

Congee-base hotpot? There's congee in the pot?

Right! The base is a pot of plain congee — you cook shrimp and fish in it, and at the end that congee is incredibly tasty.

I've never heard of that! Congee in the pot — that's amazing.

Guangdong people really know how to eat — trust me on this one.

Okay, next time I go to Guangdong I'm definitely trying congee-base hotpot. Are there hotpots from other places?

Of course. Have you heard of Yunnan's mushroom hotpot?

Jungu... that's all kinds of mushrooms?

Right! In Yunnan, the mountains grow tons and tons of wild mushroom varieties.

A whole pot full of mushrooms?